Ben Johnson explains why Bears didn't go for it on 4th down vs. Lions

The Chicago Bears fell short in their comeback attempt against the Detroit Lions, closing out the regular season with a 19-16 loss after Detroit's game-winning field goal as time expired.

Trailing 16-0 heading into the fourth quarter, the Cardiac Bears came to life with back-to-back scoring drives that included Caleb Williams touchdowns to receiver Jahdae Walker and tight end Colston Loveland, as well as two successful two-point conversions. Chicago looked poised for a third after the defense picked off quarterback Matthew Stafford, setting them up for yet another fourth-quarter comeback.

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With the Bears facing fourth-and-5 on their own 31-yard line with 1:55 remaining, head coach Ben Johnson opted to punt only for the Lions to march down and perfectly execute a game-winning field goal drive. Following the game, Johnson said he considered going for it on that crucial fourth down. So why did he punt?

"Because we had three timeouts, and we felt like we were going to get the ball back," he said.

While the Lions offense had their way with the Bears defense for most of the game, Chicago had forced a punt and then an interception on back-to-back series, so it's not hard to see why Johnson put his confidence in the defense in that moment. Unfortunately, Detroit made them pay with their lone points of the fourth quarter.

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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Ben Johnson explains why Bears didn't go for it on 4th down vs. Lions