Did Troy Aikman disagree with Ben Johnson’s call? The Chicago Bears coach faces scrutiny after costly 4th-down gamble(Getty)
The fourth-down miss gave the ESPN analyst a clear reason to question the choice, even as the Bears ultimately won the game 31-20. Aikman wanted the safer scoring option. Johnson trusted his call.
The Bears recovered a fumble at the Eagles’ 15-yard line and reached first-and-goal from the 6. Rome Odunze then dropped a wide-open touchdown chance on third down before Chicago faced fourth-and-goal from the 3. Chicago’s running game carried a major share of the workload, with both backs finishing with more than 100 rushing yards. Johnson said he looked at the offense’s 36 rushing attempts and felt he probably called too many pass plays given how well the running game was working.
“I think Ben Johnson got a little too enamored about what he is capable of calling,” Aikman said during ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast. Johnson said the Bears needed that ground attack to win the game. The call failed, and Aikman made his preference clear on the Monday Night Football broadcast. Johnson later explained why he trusted the play instead of taking the field goal. He then added, “I’d take the points. That was the heart of Aikman’s criticism. Chicago had already forced a turnover and moved into prime scoring territory. A field goal would have guaranteed points, while the fourth-down call left the Bears with nothing. The missed chance became more noticeable when Jalen Hurts scored on a tush push before halftime. Johnson also had plenty to like about the offense despite that failed possession. He also acknowledged one area where he could have done better as a play-caller.