"We're gonna go down swinging": Ben Johnson refuses to hold back on risky play calling after Bears lost to 49ers on questionable game management

Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears' two-game winning streak came to an end on Sunday. They suffered a 42-38 loss on the road at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers.

During Monday's presser, Johnson talked about the risky play in the dying moments of the game in a last-ditch effort to clinch the win. He said that he had a lot of trust in his offensive players and called that play because he believed in it.

"Oh yeah, yeah, it's, I've got immense amount of trust for everybody," Johnson said. "For everybody on that offense right now. I think, like i said, it's just every week, you just see them go about their business. "I'm not gonna call a play that I don't fully believe in, that we're not gonna execute at the highest level. So, if we go down, we're gonna go down swinging like that."

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The Bears were trailing 42-38 after Brock Purdy made a 38-yard TD pass to WR Jauan Jennings with just over two minutes left on the clock. Caleb Williams then tried to make a pass to Jahdae Walker to give his team a fighting chance.

However, the pass felt short and hit the ground instead of connecting with the wide receiver. After the game, Ben Johnson took responsibility for that play.

"We didn't quite get aligned in the formation we wanted to," Johnson said. "It's on me. I didn't give (Caleb) Williams the call fast enough, and so he's trying to piececmeal it together. I gotta do a better job on that."

Before this game, the Bears already clinched the NFC North division title after the Packers lost to the Ravens on Saturday.

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Michael Strahan names Ben Johnson as his favorite to win the Coach of the Year Award

On Sunday, ex-NFL DE Michael Strahan named Ben Johnson as his favorite to win this season's Coach of the Year Award.

He highlighted the coach's contributions to the Bears' success on the field while also talking about the impact of his departure as the Lions OC.

"In my opinion, it's Ben Johnson," Strahan said. "They're in Chicago from worst to first. And when you bring in a head coach, it's usually like, 'Okay, let's change the offensive culture, the defensive culture,' ... He's changed everything. "And if you want to see the impact that he has on a team, look at the team he left. Look at the Detroit Lions, they're nowhere near what they were. You look at the Chicago Bears, they're everything that Detroit was last year."

Strahan also praised Ben Johnson for the way he's helped develop sophomore Caleb Williams amid questions about his future in the league.

The Bears face their coach's former team in the final regular-season game on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.

Edited by Priyam Hazarika