Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson looks on during warmups before an NFC Divisional Round game against the Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field. David Banks-Imagn Images

Bears HC Ben Johnson considered risky move in loss to Rams

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Jan 19, 2026 8:01 AM ET

After Caleb Williams threw an incredible touchdown pass to Cole Kmet with just 18 seconds to go in Saturday's NFC divisional-round game against the Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson had a decision to make.

A PAT would tie the game at 17. A two-point conversion could either give Chicago an 18-17 lead or lose the game.

Johnson chose the former, and the game went into an overtime period that saw Williams throw an interception and Matthew Stafford lead the Rams down the field for a game-winning field goal.

In his postgame news conference, Johnson discussed his thought process regarding a potential two-point try.

Ben Johnson reveals two-point decision thought process

"[I] thought about it, yeah," Johnson said. "Thought about it. Probably what played a little bit of a factor was our goal-to-go situations hadn't gone very clean. Our inside the five plan hadn't worked out quite like we had hoped. I just felt better about taking our chances there in overtime."

Of course, hindsight is 20/20. Chicago might've ended up converting the two-point try and winning the game, or it could've lost it in regulation if it failed. Ultimately, it's hard to see the flaw in Johnson's final decision, given that the Bears had momentum and nearly ended up winning the game in overtime anyway.

But Bears fans will likely look back on his decision — or lack thereof — and wonder what could've been if the pendulum swung the other way.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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