The Chicago Bears are 11-4 and are sitting atop the NFC North with a chance to clinch the division for the first time in a while. Year one with Ben Johnson has gone incredibly well.
But, there are some concerns about the team, especially with how lucky they've gotten this season. Their most recent game, a wild OT comeback win over the Green Bay Packers, highlighted just how lucky the Bears have been this season.
However, for ESPN analyst Ben Solak, despite that luck making the Bears "fake good," it is a compelling argument to make Johnson a much stronger Coach of the Year candidate in the NFL this season.
Why Bears' luck makes Ben Johnson a strong Coach of the Year candidate
"This is the argument that the Bears are fake good, that their record overestimates their overall strength," Solak writes. "But it's simultaneously an argument for Ben Johnson to win Coach of the Year."
While the Bears have gotten exceptionally lucky, so much so that Solak calls the Bears "fake good," that luck has Johnson as a very strong candidate to win Coach of the Year amid a crowded field.
"These end-of-game performances have been the product of unbelievable adjustments and execution." Solak writes. "... This astonishing Bears season is undeniably the product of Johnson's rigor."
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The Beats wouldn't be able to win these close games if it weren't for Johnson's coaching coming into play late in games. The second-half adjustments, the play calling, and the overall body of work as a coach have made the Bears what they are.
Chicago wouldn't be anywhere close to their current record if it weren't for Johnson righting the ship this season. Sure, they've gotten lucky, but a huge part of that has been due to Johnson's coaching before and during games.
The Bears are 11-4, and have a chance to clinch the NFC North in Week 17 with a win or a Packers loss. It's the best season the Bears have had in a long time, and it's thanks in part to Johnson guiding the Bears in the right direction after years of struggling head coaches.
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