As the Chicago Bears push deeper into their wide-ranging search for a new coach, the NFL playoffs will continue this weekend with four compelling divisional-round games. There’s a lot to keep track of as Bears followers remain locked in on the developments of the coaching search while simultaneously monitoring the league’s postseason action.
Fortunately, there’s plenty of overlap between the two.
With that in mind, we take a look at 10 intriguing postseason storylines for this weekend through a Bears lens.
1. Ben thinking
Those hoping for a Bears union with Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and hoping to avoid the anxiety of a long, drawn-out coaching search should possibly put their rooting interest behind the Washington Commanders this weekend. Sure, the Commanders are a 9.5-point underdog on the way to Ford Field for Saturday night’s big-stage game. But crazy things happen all the time in the postseason.
For what it’s worth, No. 1 seeds are 27-13 in the divisional round of the playoffs over the last 20 seasons. And the quicker the Lions lose, the quicker Johnson — and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn for that matter — free up for a potential hiring.
Coaching candidates whose teams lose in the playoffs this weekend will be cleared for in-person interviews starting early next week. Candidates still fighting for the conference championship can’t conduct in-person interviews until Jan. 27 at the earliest. And coaches whose teams reach the Super Bowl will be allowed in-person interviews during the open date between the conference title games and Super Bowl week (Jan. 27-Feb. 2) provided they already conducted a virtual interview with an interested team.
Johnson remains the candidate with the most buzz in this hiring cycle, and with good reason. His Lions offense scored 68 touchdowns during the regular season — 35 more than the Bears had. On top of that, Detroit capped its 15-2 regular season with an NFC North championship-clinching blowout of the Minnesota Vikings that included four Jahmyr Gibbs touchdowns in a 31-9 victory.
The Lions scored at least 30 points in 10 of their final 14 games. (The Bears have to reach all the way back to Week 16 of 2020 to collect their last 10 performances with at least 30 points.)
So, yeah, Johnson has found a winning formula for offensive productivity. And there is still a realistic chance he makes the jump to the head coaching office at Halas Hall whenever the Lions are done playing. The Lions, though, could be playing all the way through the final play of the Super Bowl on Feb. 9.
Johnson’s stock would only get hotter with a lengthy postseason run. But for angst-riddled Bears fans, a Lions loss might not be the worst thing in the world if it accelerates the interactions and potential negotiations between the team and Johnson.
2. ‘New phone who dis’
A day after the Bears season ended, quarterback Caleb Williams was asked for his impressions of Johnson and said he was “fascinated” watching the Lions coordinator find competitive play-calling edges that set his unit up for success. “It’s been really cool to watch,” Williams said.
So imagine the young quarterback’s excitement last week when he received a message from an unknown texter who was claiming to be Johnson while asserting he had agreed to become the new Bears coach.
Williams took the bait, bit the hook and responded with a reply text that read in part, “I’m def excited for the future! Let’s get this (bleep) going and turn it around n do what hasn’t been done in years!”
It wasn’t until Williams FaceTimed the number that he realized he had been duped. Tricked. Hoodwinked.
The exchanges went viral on social media and, during an appearance on the “St. Brown Podcast” this week, Williams acknowledged his naivete to Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and former Bear Equanimeous St. Brown.
“I ain’t going to lie,” Williams said, “it was a classic prank. It was a Grade-A, S-tier prank. I have to give them props. I just wasn’t locked in in that moment.”
Williams shared that the cellphone number he had used for about a decade-and-a-half is no longer after that gag. “That whole night I was getting texts from all my friends like ‘No way. No way. You did this? Blah blah blah.’ I didn’t respond to one text. I was so mad. Pissed.”
It would be no surprise if Williams was locked into Saturday night’s Lions game and continuing to get a feel for how a Johnson-called offense runs. And if Johnson lands elsewhere in this hiring cycle — or, worst-case scenario for the Bears, stays put in Detroit — the Lions OC has an endorsement of another high-profile candidate: Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
“You hear all of our players singing his praises right now,” Johnson told reporters Wednesday. “And that’s exactly what I would do. I would second that. He is more prepared to be a head coach than maybe anybody I’ve ever met. He wants that, and I think he’d do a phenomenal job in charge.”
3. Northern exposure?
A Lions loss Saturday night would further stain the NFC North’s reputation as football’s strongest division. Detroit, Minnesota and Green Bay all reached the postseason and — with the Bears’ five victories added in — the North teams registered 45 wins during the regular season. The next-closest division was the AFC West with 40.
But last weekend, the Packers and Vikings were blown out by the Eagles and Rams, respectively, punching holes in the notion that the NFC North was a powerhouse division.
For this weekend’s playoff round, the only division with multiple teams still alive is the NFC East with the Eagles and Commanders. That division totaled 36 regular-season wins.
4. Cardiac Commanders
The only lower-seeded team to win on wild-card weekend was the Washington Commanders. who stole a 23-20 road victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That game, like the four previous Washington games, came down to the final snap. And the Commanders, after a 51-yard drive led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels in the final minutes, walked off with a thrilling win when Zane Gonzalez made a 37-yard field goal as time expired.
Wait … perhaps “made” isn’t the best verb choice there. Gonzalez “doinked” his 37-yard kick through the goalposts on Sunday night. Square off the right upright and in. Because of course he did. Of course the Commanders won a playoff game with the quarterback the Bears passed over at No. 1 in last spring’s draft leading a game-winning drive that ended with a kick that got a friendly ricochet from a steel upright at Raymond James Stadium. And of course NBC color commentator Cris Collinsworth was on the call in Tampa, Fla. (It was Collinsworth who nicknamed Cody Parkey’s game-losing, upright-crossbar miss for the Bears in the 2018 playoffs the “double doink.”)
“I’ve seen it all now!” Collinsworth said after Gonzalez’s kick. “I even get a divisional doink. I feel like every time I see a game-winning field goal, it’s hitting an upright. Oh, my gosh!”
That was Daniels’ fifth game-winning drive of his rookie season, including his Hail Mary heroism to beat the Bears on the final play in Week 8.
The Commanders, with Dan Quinn in his first year as the team’s coach, have been living a pretty charmed existence this season. Quinn, you might remember, was a finalist for the Bears coaching job in 2022 before general manager Ryan Poles chose Matt Eberflus instead. Because of course.
For the record, Washington’s win last weekend was its first playoff victory since the 2005 season. Now the Bears, who last won a postseason game in January 2011, have the third-longest drought in the league without a playoff win, behind only the Dolphins, who last won a playoff game in 2000, and Raiders (January 2003).
(The Jets won their last playoff game on the same day the Bears did, but 3 hours, 16 minutes later. So technically, they’ve won a postseason game more recently.)
5. Back so soon?
Five weeks ago, Lions running back David Montgomery suffered what was feared to be a season-ending knee injury in a loss to the Buffalo Bills. Montgomery seemed destined for injured reserve but sought multiple opinions on his sprained right knee and ultimately received an evaluation that opened the door for his playoff return.
That return will come Saturday night with the Lions clearing their veteran running back for action this week. The former Bear, who rushed for 775 yards and 12 touchdowns during the regular season, should again be an integral part of Detroit’s ground game.
Still, Johnson and coach Dan Campbell will have to agree on the optimal plan to mix Montgomery back in. Given the former Bear’s injury, it seems unlikely the Lions would return to a 50-50 split of backfield duties between Montgomery and Gibbs. Plus, in the three games Montgomery missed to end the regular season, Gibbs totaled 477 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns.
“He’s a huge part of us,” Campbell told reporters this week. “And to me, he’s a bell cow. He’s somebody who is a tone-setter. He’s a catalyst. So there’s a place for him. There’s a place for him here, so there will be a place for him in this game. It’s going to be good to get him back.”
6. ‘Evil genius’
In his first season coordinating the Eagles defense, Vic Fangio has Philadelphia on a roll. The Eagles forced Jordan Love into three interceptions in their wild-card round win last weekend while surrendering just 302 yards and 10 points.
The Eagles finished the regular season as the No. 1 defense in the NFL in yards allowed (278.4 per game) and passing defense (174.2 ypg). The Eagles also created 26 takeaways (sixth); had a top-five defense on both third down (35.6%) and inside the red zone (50%); and held opposing quarterbacks to an 82.5 passer rating.
Fangio’s fingerprints are all over the Eagles’ success. But that’s hardly a surprise. His four seasons as Bears defensive coordinator (2015-18) were impressive, particularly during his final year at Halas Hall when he propelled a defense that created a league-high 36 takeaways while allowing a league-low 17.7 points per game.
Fangio’s Bears players swore by his defensive mastery. Pro Bowl pass rusher Khalil Mack called him “an evil genius.” Aaron Lynch referred to him as a “(bleeping) mob boss.”
“He’s the Godfather all the way,” Lynch said.
The folks in in Philly can attest and are eager to see what Fangio has in the offing for Sunday’s game against the Rams.
7. So we meet again
As it just so happens, Fangio’s next test comes against Sean McVay and the Rams. Don’t forget that back in 2018, while Fangio was still with the Bears, he was so dominant in stifling McVay’s high-powered offense at Soldier Field in a 15-6 win on the “Sunday Night Football” stage that Patriots coach Bill Belichick borrowed the Bears defensive blueprint for his team’s 13-3 victory over McVay’s Rams eight weeks later in Super Bowl LIII.
Since becoming Rams coach in 2017, McVay has only faced a Fangio-coordinated defense one other time. That was in late November of this season with the Eagles sacking Matthew Stafford five times and holding the Rams to 290 total yards in a 37-20 victory.
McVay has been on record with praise for Fangio and the methods he uses to take opposing offenses out of their comfort zones. Fangio gave a “right back at ya” compliment this week, labeling McVay “one of the top play callers in the league for sure.”
“He has a great offense that he has great command of,” Fangio said. “And he’s a really good play caller during the game. He can change gears on you at a moment’s notice.”
Through that lens, Sunday afternoon’s chess match should be compelling.
8. Where are they now?
On the topic of players and coaches with Bears connections who are still alive in the postseason, the list goes well beyond Fangio and Montgomery. The most notable former Bears still playing are Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith, Bills backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky, Texans defensive lineman Mario Edwards, Lions cornerback Kindle Vildor and defensive lineman Al-Quadin Muhammad and Chiefs defensive tackle Mike Pennel.
Four other former Bears remain on the practice squads of playoff teams: receiver Anthony Miller (Ravens), safety Deon Bush and tight end Robert Tonyan (Chiefs) and fullback Khari Blasingame (Eagles).
On the coaching side, Chiefs coordinators Matt Nagy (offense) and Dave Toub (special teams) had memorable stints at Halas Hall. Chiefs offensive line coach Andy Heck was also an offensive tackle for the Bears in the 1990s.
Other coaches still in the playoffs with connections to the Bears include Texans offensive assistant Bill Lazor and passing game coordinator Ben McDaniels; Lions defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend; Commanders receivers coach Bobby Engram and quality control coach Shane Toub; Rams associate head coach Sean Desai and quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone; Eagles defensive line coach Clint Hurtt; Ravens linebackers coach Mark Deleone and Bills offensive line coach Aaron Kromer.
9. ‘Just being me’
Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady reportedly remains on the Bears radar but has yet to have his ice-breaking interview for that opening. As Brady readied for his team’s showdown with the Ravens this week, he emphasized that he was keeping his present responsibilities on the front burner with future aspirations taking a backseat while the Bills are still playing.
“My focus is winning the Super Bowl,” Brady said. “And we have the opportunity to (win) again this week going against the Ravens. So I’m not going to let my mind wander.”
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For Brady, it has been game-planning first, job-interview-preparation second — and only as time allows.
“If I’m being completely honest, I don’t spend any time thinking about the interviews,” he said. “And when I go into the interviews, I’m literally just myself. There’s no getting ready or preparing. It’s not fair to my guys or this organization or this city if I’m spending time taking away from game planning.
“So if I’m doing an interview, it’s at the same time I would be at home normally earing dinner with my wife or spending time with my son. They’re the ones (for whom) the schedule would change. But there’s no preparation for it. I’m just out there answering questions and just being me.”
10. Won if by land
The weekend finale — Ravens at Bills, 5:30 p.m. Sunday — features the two favorites for this season’s Most Valuable Player honors. Quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, who combined for 9,349 total yards and 85 touchdowns during the regular season, should have an opportunity to put on quite a show with a trip to the AFC championship game on the line. But the forecast may also be a factor also with lows Sunday evening projected to be around 11 degrees with a good chance of lake-effect snow in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Perhaps, then, the team with the more productive ground game will have an edge.
“You can’t control a game if you can’t run it,” Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken told reporters Thursday. “So having a strong running game, especially when the conditions go a certain way — and especially with the wind — gives you a leg up.”
On that front, no offense has been more prolific on the ground this season than the Ravens. Under the guidance of Monken — whose head coaching interview with the Bears was scheduled for Friday — Baltimore led the NFL in rushing with an average of 187.6 yards per game. The Ravens one-upped themselves in last week’s playoff blowout of Pittsburgh, too, rolling up 299 yards on the ground.
With an offense loaded with playmakers — from Jackson to running back Derrick Henry to tight end Mark Andrews to receivers Rashod Bateman and the now-injured Zay Flowers — Monken was asked if he has fun drawing up plays.
“I don’t know if I’d call it fun,” he said. “When you’re in the middle of it in the season, it’s a grind. Give it three or four weeks hopefully, then you can say it was fun. You’re always working to win the last one. That’s just the way it is. All of the stats, all of the compliments (of) where you’re at, running the ball, throwing it — all that matters is Sunday night and what we put out there Sunday night.
