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Chicago Bears first -year head coach Ben Johnson already came under fire in the first game of the season against Minnesota Vikings when he saw a fourth quarter lead slip away.
NFL legend Peyton Manning, one half of the hosts of ESPN’s “Manningcast” during Monday night play, criticized how Johnson handled an important moment after a Caleb Williams Touchdown pass to Rome Odunze.
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Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson before the game against Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field on September 8, 2025. (David Banks/Imag images)
Chicagos Touchdown came back 2:02. The bears had a timeout left and it may have been a good idea for the subsequent kickoff to get out of the borders to make the clock stop at the two -minute warning. Instead, Kickoff went to Vikings Return Ty Chandler and Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell signaled that Chandler should take the ball out. The two -minute stop was burned and the bears had very little time to do any kind of violation of their next possession.
Manning was heard on the alternative broadcast that said the bears should have kicked it out of the borders.
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Minnesota Viking’s main coach Kevin O’Connell responds during the second half to Soldier Field on September 8, 2025. (Matt Marton/Imag- Pictures)
“Kevin O’Connell said they spent plenty of time on situational football,” he said, after Bears scored, via Pro Football Talk. “This should be good situational football for both sides right here. Kick the return team to Minnesota has to run it out, and if the Onside Spark, Minnesota has to find a way to make it take two seconds.”
When the bears decided to kick the ball away instead of going for a kick, Manning was sure they would kick it out of borders. But they didn’t.
“Save it out of bounds. Take the penalty, it’s 40,” he said. “Now you have the timeout and the two -minute warning. Outside the bounds. Not out of the end zone, out of bounds.”
Johnson admitted during the Postgame press conference that it was not intended to kick the ball into the final zone.
Minnesota Viking’s main coach Kevin O’Connell talks to quarterback JJ McCarthy (9) during the first half of Soldier Field on September 8, 2025. (Matt Marton/Imag- Pictures)
Bears’ defense allowed 21 points in the fourth quarter. Chicago lost the game, 27-24.
