The Chicago Bears needed something. They were stuck in the mud again for three quarters. The defense couldn’t get stops, and the offense couldn’t score. Head coach Ben Johnson had been smothered by Jeff Hafley. That script flipped in a big way in the 4th quarter. Suddenly, the Bears were finding open guys everywhere. Running lanes started to pop. A 21-6 lead for Green Bay shrank to 27-24 with two minutes to go. The Bears had the ball. A field goal would force overtime, but Johnson knew that wasn’t how you beat good teams. They needed a touchdown.
It was here that the Bears’ head coach decided to uncork something he’d never used before. It involved a play-action fake where the quarterback pumps as if he’s throwing a screen. Meanwhile, a player runs a wheel route up the field. If executed properly, the wheel should be wide open. It was. Williams faked the screen and hit a wide open D.J. Moore for what became the game-winning touchdown. It was a genius call. Most people probably thought Johnson drew it up himself.
That would be incorrect. He stole it.
Ben Johnson understood the most fundamental rule of the NFL.
It’s a copycat league. If one team is finding loads of success running certain schemes or plays, the smart thing to do is copy them. That is why you see variations of the West Coast offense or zone-blitz defense still in action to this day. Both became widespread because they worked. Johnson saw Washington deploy that fake screen wheel several times with success over the past two years. It could make for a perfect kill shot play should the right circumstances present themselves. Sure enough, he found his moment with 1:48 left in the game.
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This serves as a reminder that Ben Johnson is every bit a pragmatist as he is an artist. Sure, he loves concocting his own play designs like every sharp offensive mind, but his ego isn’t so big that he wouldn’t recognize something that works. Andy Reid has been renowned for incorporating wrinkles into his scheme from other offenses for decades. His success speaks for itself. Johnson seems to have the same mindset, and now he’s the first Bears head coach to win his playoff debut.
