The Detroit Lions host the Washington Commanders in the marquee of Saturday's edition of the NFL Divisional Round Playoff games.
The game has added importance for the Bears considering Lions' offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are two candidates the team has already completed a virtual interview with.
Commanders' offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is someone that the Bears would like to interview but given Washington's inclusion in the Wild Card round last weekend, an interview has yet to be completed.
Until this point, Kingsbury has been non-committal regarding his status as a candidate in this offseason's head coaching cycle. The Bears and Saints are among the teams that have requested to interview the former Arizona Cardinals' head coach, but it has yet to be determined if those requests will be granted.
Adding a new wrinkle in Kingsbury's status as a head coaching candidate this offseason, the offensive coordinator will not take any interview until after the Washington Commanders have completed their playoff run.
Of course, if the Commanders lose on Saturday, the Bears likely will act quickly to secure an interview with Kingsbury. Considering the Bears can begin to have in-person interviews with candidates currently employed by other NFL teams on Monday, the search committee likely will want to have the first meeting with Kingsbury before they do.
Kliff Kingsbury can probably be crossed off the Bears' candidate list.
If the Commanders upset the Lions on Saturday, the earliest the Bears would be able to interview Kingsbury would be January 27. However, a Commanders' NFC championship victory would mean the Bears wouldn't interview Kingsbury until after the Super Bowl.
Kingsbury's decision not to take interviews until after the Commanders' season is over is the latest in a string of indicators that suggest he is not interested in being a head coach next season. Despite a fleeting connection to Caleb Williams due to a one-year crossover at USC, it seems that Kingsbury will not be the next Bears' head coach.