Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams Admit to Final Play Chaos in Wild Loss to 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears squared off on NBC's Sunday Night Football in a game that would greatly assist in the winner getting a healthy shot at landing the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs.
While the 49ers ended up winning 42-38 in heart-stopping fashion after an intense defensive stop with the Bears just a few yards from the end zone, apparently there was a lot that went wrong for Chicago before the ball was even snapped on that final, game-deciding play.
Bears first-year head coach Ben Johnson and star quarterback Caleb Williams both admitted as much when speaking to the media following the thrilling game.
Chicago Bears Were in Disarray on Final Play in Loss to 49ers
According to Williams, after spiking the ball with four seconds left in order to get one last chance to win it, the Bears offense was not aligned correctly and they had zero time to fix it.
"We ended up getting lined up with not much time [on the play clock]. We were slightly lined up wrong," Williams explained.
Last play was certainly a bummer. Play came in late and Ben Johnson said they didn't get into the formation they wanted.
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) December 29, 2025
49ers only rushed two, but one still came free.
(Also, you can clearly see the knee-to-quad Burden takes at the end) pic.twitter.com/cux53R7ILO
"I didn't have enough time to be able to fix it. We just had to try to make something out of nothing in that situation. And then we had a shot. With all of that going on, time running down, us misaligning, things like that. We had a shot, and [I've] just gotta give my guys a shot in that situation."
With everything that went into creating such an incredibly competitive game and both offenses humming along at a seemingly unstoppable pace — to the point they made some impressive NFL history — it has to be crushing for Bears fans to learn that the final play was, as Williams said, an attempt to "make something out of nothing."
INSANE BUT TRUE: Bears vs. Niners is the first game in NFL history to be tied at...
— BetMGM ???? (@BetMGM) December 29, 2025
7-7
14-14
21-21
28-28
35-35
Every primetime game should be like this. pic.twitter.com/9pwdETYA3y
"I've got to do a better job in those moments of yelling or whatever the case may be and make sure everybody hears me," Williams said of calling the final play in the huddle. "And then from there the guys have to get lined up, and if the guys are wrong I've got to be able to fix them."
To his credit, though, while Johnson echoed those same thoughts, the Bears head coach essentially took full ownership for what transpired on the final play-call, which should help in taking some heat off of Williams in the fallout of such a disappointing loss.
"We didn't quite get aligned in the formation we wanted," Johnson said. "So it's on me. I didn't get him [Williams] the call fast enough and so he's trying to piecemeal it together. I've got to do a better job on that."
Bears Still in Great Position Heading Into Week 18
Going into Sunday night's game, the Bears had already clinched the NFC North and, at least for now, are still sitting pretty with a record of 11-5 as the No. 2 seed in the conference with one regular season game to play.
The Bears will play host to the rival Detroit Lions in Week 18, who will be looking to play spoiler and drop Chicago to the No. 3 seed.
But that's only with the assumption that the 11-5 Philadelphia Eagles take care of business at home and beat the Washington Commanders.
However this wild NFC playoff picture ends up playing out, the reality that the worst case scenario for the Bears is getting the No. 3 seed is still an impressive feat for a team that finished the 2024 season with a 5-12 record, firmly sitting in the basement of the NFC North.
Related: Chicago Bears Reveal Surprising New Relocation Candidate