The Chicago Bears may have won their first game of the regular season in historic fashion, but the big plays and high score may distract the average viewer from one of the biggest mistakes Ben Johnson made of the game: going for it on 4th down, on their own 21 yard line.
It's not overstepping to say that nobody was surprised that Ben Johnson went for it on fourth down. Coach Johnson was once the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions under Dan Campbell, who is well known for his confidence on fourth. That tenacity is something that's carried with Johnson since he came to the Bears in 2025.
Ben Johnson’s fourth-down confidence went too far
With the Bears up 21-14, and over ten minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Bears came upon fourth down, but instead of punting, they ran a quarterback sneak that resulted in no gain, and Carolina took possession with incredible field position. Bryce Young then took it into the end zone, tying the game (with an extra point from kicker Ryan Fitzpatrick) as a direct result of the Bears' fourth down failure.
So why did Johnson keep his offense on the field?
Chicago's offense had scored on their last three possessions, and by that point, the Bears run game was controlling the rest of the game. A simple quarterback sneak should have gone over well given that most other rushing attempts had earned over a yard.
The problem isn't that the Bears were aggressive, or even that Johnson had decided on a gamble. The issue is that the risk in surrendering field position did not match the potential earnings of a first down.
We all know Ben Johnson is a bit of a mad man, but hopefully in the future he'll exercise more restraint within their own red zone. The Bears more than proved they were capable of overwhelming the Panthers, but a similar failure could cost the Bears the game in a lower scoring match.
Johnson got away with one against Carolina. A tighter game may not offer him the same forgiveness.
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