Bears fourth down struggles: Ben Johnson's gambles come up empty vs. Packers in playoffs

Dan Treacy

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Bears fourth down struggles: Ben Johnson's gambles come up empty vs. Packers in playoffs image

Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson brought his traditional aggressiveness with him from Detroit in his first season on the job, and the results were largely successful, if the team's seven-win improvement is any indication.

With the pressure of the playoffs in full effect on Saturday night, however, the Bears were rendered ineffective on fourth downs in the first half.

Fourth-down failure was a driving force behind the Green Bay Packers' 21-3 start, which threatened to put the game out of reach early as the Bears aimed for their first playoff win in 15 years.

Here's a look at the Bears' struggles on fourth down during Saturday's wild-card playoff game.

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Bears fourth down struggles vs. Packers

The Bears' offense found some traction early on, driving into the red zone on their first possession and actually converting for an 18-yard gain when they first opted to go for it on fourth down in their own territory on the first play of the second quarter, but their gambles did not pan out throughout the rest of the half.

Caleb Williams was intercepted by Carrington Valentine when Johnson decided to go for it on fourth-and-6 from the Packers' 40-yard line on the same drive. The turnover was actually better than an incompletion, as it cost Green Bay field position, but the Packers went down the field and turned the opportunity into a touchdown anyway.

On their next drive, the Bears went four-and-out after Johnson questionably went for it on fourth-and-5 from Chicago's own 32-yard line. Williams' pass was tipped after a bobbled snap, and the Packers were set up in field goal range before capitalizing on the opportunity with another touchdown.

The Bears' next drive also ended on fourth down when Williams' pass sailed too high for Colston Loveland on fourth-and-4 from the Packers' 37-yard line. While going for it in that scenario made more sense than the previous one, failure ensured Chicago would go to halftime with only three points on the board.

After halftime, Johnson told the Amazon Prime Video broadcast that he went for it so often in the first half because the Bears "want to maximize our possessions." The Bears entered the second half trailing 21-3. 

MORE: Did Ben Johnson play in the NFL?

The Bears found themselves driving down the field with a chance to cut their deficit to one possession in the third quarter and predictably went for it on fourth-and-1 just a few yards from the goal line, but the play quickly went awry. Williams faked a handoff and was pressured immediately before lofting up a pass that was intercepted by Ty'Ron Hopper to make Chicago 1-for-5 on fourth down on the night.

The Bears improved for 2-for-6 on fourth down when Williams completed a beautiful pass to Rome Odunze on a desperation fourth-and-8 deep into the fourth quarter as he tried to rally Chicago back from a multi-possession deficit.

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