Ben Johnson Draws Criticism for Fourth-Quarter Decision in Bears' Loss to Vikings

Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson faced heavy criticism after a fourth-quarter kickoff decision that helped shape the closing seconds of Monday night’s 27-24 road loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

With 2:02 remaining and the Bears trailing by three, Johnson said he instructed kicker Cairo Santos to boot the ball through the back of the end zone. The kick did not clear the end line, however, allowing Vikings returner Ty Chandler to field the ball and, at the direction of head coach Kevin O’Connell, exit the end zone and let the clock run past the two-minute warning. Play was stopped at 1:55, leaving Chicago with just one timeout and ultimately receiving the ball back with nine seconds remaining.

The sequence became central to the postgame scrutiny because the Bears had scored before the two-minute warning and therefore would have gained an extra stoppage if the ensuing kickoff had resulted in no return. Chicago had allowed 21 straight points in the fourth quarter after holding a 17-6 lead earlier in the period and had cut the deficit to three before the kickoff.

Santos’ kick came close to clearing the back of the end zone but fell short, and Chandler fielded the ball near the goal line. After catching it, Chandler looked toward O’Connell, who beckoned him to leave the end zone and run out of bounds, ensuring the clock would run past the two-minute mark.

Johnson acknowledged after the game that he had contemplated an onside kick, but said such a play would have required at least two seconds to execute and he valued the possibility of having nearly a full minute for a potential tying drive. "The intent was for the ball to go out the end zone," Johnson said. "We felt like if we would have kicked it out of the end zone and got the three-and-out we got, we’d get the ball back with around 56 seconds."

The choice drew swift reaction on social media and from pundits. FS1 commentator Nick Wright tweeted that the move was a fundamental game-management error, writing that the coach should have instructed the kick out of bounds to ensure the two-minute warning stoppage. Popular Bears X account @BearsBlitznet criticized several of Johnson’s decisions in the game, saying, "Ben Johnson had a bad day. Didn’t like his game plan. Failing to kick FG early. Bad challenge. And then not having Santos kick out of bounds was just pure stupidity. I believe he’ll be fine but he deserves criticism."

Many observers, meanwhile, praised Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell’s direction to Chandler to take the ball out of the end zone and let the clock run. The series of late-game events left Chicago with limited time to mount a comeback; the Bears were unable to score in the final nine seconds and the Vikings held on for the 27-24 victory.

The loss was Johnson’s coaching debut collapse in the eyes of some fans and commentators, who highlighted the fourth-quarter swing and clock-management questions. The Bears will try to secure their first win under Johnson next Sunday when they visit the Detroit Lions. Minnesota, meanwhile, hosts the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football.

The game underscored how late-game special-teams and clock-management decisions continue to draw sharp scrutiny in the NFL, with coaches’ choices in the final minutes frequently becoming focal points of postgame analysis.