The Chicago Bears came up short in their quest to reach the NFC Championship Game. It was a gut-wrenching way to end the season, but hey, no one expected the Bears to be in that spot in the first place, so that's a massive moral victory.
The Bears ultimately lost in overtime, but even getting there was a huge accomplishment. Chicago trailed by a touchdown entering the final minute of regulation, but after Caleb Williams pulled off one of the craziest touchdowns we've ever seen, people were surprised that Ben Johnson opted to take the extra point rather than be aggressive and go for two.
Former NFL head coach and current analyst Rex Ryan couldn't believe that Johnson, who has a reputation for being aggressive and had been aggressive all game long, didn't try to go for the win there. Ryan blasted Johnson on Get Up because he thought he strayed from being the coach he had been all year in that moment.
"That's why you go for two... I thought everybody would have said Ben Johnson's going for two. All right, that's who he is. It's who he's been all season," Ryan said. "If you're playing by the book... It always says when you're the better team... you make the kick, right?... That's why you don't play that game on a computer or all that type of crap. You go for it... Even if you don't make it, every single Bear fan is like, that's who the hell we are."
Rex Ryan unloads on Ben Johnson after Bears pass on going for two
It's easy to say now in hindsight that Johnson should have gone for two there because we know what happened, but what if Johnson did go for two there and the Bears didn't convert? People would have been clowning on him like crazy even if being aggressive had been Johnson's MO all year.
Was it a surprise that Johnson chose not to keep his foot on the aggressive gas there? Certainly. But, at the end of the day, Johnson chose to play it safe there and play for the tie. The Bears nearly won the game in overtime, but a crucial interception allowed the Rams to get the ball back and, well... the rest is history.
The irony of the situation is that if Johnson HADN'T been overly aggressive throughout the rest of the game and had taken the field goals when the Bears were in those spots, we wouldn't be having this conversation today. The Bears probably don't need that crazy last-second touchdown to force overtime and would have probably won the game outright.
Read more: Ben Johnson’s emotional message says everything about Bears magical season
The decision won't keep Bears fans up at night, but that won't stop people from talking about Johnson's decision. He'll have to wear this one for a while.