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Bears HC Ben Johnson explains why he did not go for 2-point conversion vs Rams
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- Bears HC Ben Johnson explains why he did not go for 2-point conversion vs Rams
Bears HC Ben Johnson explains why he did not go for 2-point conversion vs Rams appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
As the clock wound down, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson faced a season-defining choice Sunday night. With 18 seconds remaining at Soldier Field and Chicago tied at 17 against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round following quarterback Caleb Williams' miraculous 51.2-yard touchdown to tight end Cole Kmet , Johnson had to decide whether to attempt a two-point conversion for the win, or kick the extra point and take the game to overtime. Johnson chose the latter .
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"Thought about it. Probably what played a little bit of a factor was our goal-to-go situations hadn't gone very clean," Johnson said in his postgame press conference. "Our inside the five plan hadn't worked out quite like we had hoped. I just felt better about taking our chances there in overtime."
The Bears ultimately lost 20-17 in overtime . The coach's hesitancy was grounded in tangible statistics. Just before the game's final drive, the Bears reached Los Angeles 's 5-yard line with just over five minutes remaining. However, they failed to convert on fourth down after D'Andre Swift ran three times and a pass from Williams was broken up by linebacker Omar Speights . Moreover, two other fourth-down conversion attempts in the first half were unsuccessful.
In overtime, Chicago's defense forced a quick stop, giving the offense a chance to move the ball from their own 16 to the Rams' 48. However, Williams' attempt to connect with wide receiver DJ Moore resulted in an interception by Los Angeles safety Kam Curl at the 22-yard line. The turnover set up quarterback Matthew Stafford to lead the Rams on a short field-goal drive, resulting in a 42-yard game-winner from kicker Harrison Mevis .
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Stafford finished 20 of 42 for 258 yards, and running back Kyren Williams added 87 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Williams completed 23 of 42 passes for 257 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions, finishing with a 59.3 passer rating.
Acknowledging the emotional weight of the loss on his players, Johnson said:
"Disappointing result. Our guys are feeling it right now. They all believed, man. They all believed all year long that we could find a way to win each and every week. So, it's disappointing [to end the season] like that. I am proud of the group. It's a special group, and I believe that to my core. When you're in the room with a group of men for the last time in the locker room, it's just not going to be the same going forward. I appreciate all of them. It was a special year, and this will hopefully be a feeling, in this locker room, that we won't forget."
As painful as the loss was, the Bears made significant strides under Johnson in his first season, finishing 12-7, winning the NFC North, and recording a record seven fourth-quarter comeback wins — an impressive turnaround from a dismal 5-12 campaign last year.
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