Ben Johnson passes test Matt Eberflus failed without coaching a game for Bears

The Chicago Bears have been stuck in a vicious loop of dysfunction. They've had five different head coaches since 2013, including interim coach Thomas Brown. That amounts to an average lifespan of just 2.4 years per Bears coach.

There was hope that rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, could help break that cycle. Instead, he'll become Chicago's third first-round quarterback in the past eight years to experience coaching instability after his rookie season. While coaching instability can stunt the development of young passers in the early stages of their careers, former Bears head coach Matt Eberflus left the team with no other option.

In 2024, the Bears displayed a remarkable ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The clock-management blunder against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day proved to be the final straw, and Eberflus became the first coach in franchise history to be fired midseason.

Ben Johnson clearly didn't like Matt Eberflus' clock management on Thanksgiving either

The Bears hired former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their new head coach on Monday, and Johnson made an appearance on FS1's "Breakfast Ball" to discuss his new position. Host Danny Parkins asked the Bears' coach about how he would have handled "a totally hypothetical scenario," which just happened to be the exact same situation as Eberflus' clock management blunder on Thanksgiving Day.

Although Johnson declined to comment on the situation, he made it very clear with a hand gesture that — unlike Eberflus — he would have called a timeout on the final drive of the game.

"We're not going to go there today," Johnson ultimately said after making it clear that he would've handled the situation differently.

The Bears were trailing 23-20, but they drove into field goal range with 38 seconds left on the clock. Then, a 10-yard penalty and 6-yard sack knocked them out of field goal range with less than 30 seconds left. Instead of using the final timeout after the sack, Eberflus opted to let his offense scramble back to the line, hurry a play, and attempt a desperate heave into the end zone.

Under Eberflus, the Bears found a way to lose in all three phases of the game. The defense gloated too early and allowed a game-winning Hail Mary in Week 8, the special teams unit had their game-winning field goal attempt blocked in Week 11, and the offense moved backwards in overtime with sacks and penalties in Week 12.

Johnson will become Chicago's sixth head coach in the past 13 years, and the Bears are hoping he can finally bring some stability to the long-suffering franchise.