Troy Aikman blasted Ben Johnson for passing up a field goal on fourth-and-goal on Monday Night Football against the Eagles, and Chicago Bears fans quickly split hard over who was right.
The Monday night flashpoint pitted Aikman’s old-school instincts against a fan base that has watched Johnson bet big on fourth down all season, reigniting an argument with no clear winner.
Chicago built a 7-0 lead in the first quarter of Monday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, then took over at the Eagles’ 15 following a fumble recovery. The Bears reached first-and-goal from the 6 and walked away with nothing: Rome Odunze dropped a wide-open touchdown pass on third down, and backup quarterback Case Keenum’s pass fell incomplete on fourth down from the 3.
The decision proved costly when Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts ran for a “tush push” touchdown as time ran out in the first half, sending the teams to the locker room with the Bears up 10-7.
Troy Aikman’s Fourth-Down Criticism of Ben Johnson
Aikman didn’t hold back from the ESPN broadcast booth.
“I think Ben Johnson got a little too enamored about what he is capable of calling,” Aikman said. He added moments later, “I’d take the points.”
The clip immediately flooded social media, with reaction split almost as evenly as the broadcast booth itself.
Bears Fans Fire Back at Aikman, Johnson
One fan predicted exactly how the broadcast would unfold.
“We are going to hear about that decision by the Bears to not kick the FG every 3.5 seconds for the rest of the night from Aikman, aren’t we?” @joedacy2112 wrote in a post on social media.
“I’m already angry at Troy Aikman. He won’t shut up about the Bears going for it on 4th down. If that was Kansas City, they would have been fine with them going for it,” @TonyKegger wrote in a post.
Other fans sided with the analyst.
“Can’t agree with Ben Johnson’s decision to go for it here. You just got the ball at the Eagles 15-yard line, and walk away with zero points? Your defense is playing well – take the points and go up 2 scores,” @Tripl3Analytics wrote in response to Aikman.
Others were less measured. One fan called the decision “unacceptable” and compared Johnson’s fourth-down management to “playing Madden,” in a post that captured the frustration of Bears fans who wanted the safer path.
Another fan mocked Aikman’s stance as outdated, arguing the numbers have long supported going for it here rather than kicking.
Johnson’s aggressiveness predates his arrival in Chicago. Asked in February about his fourth-down conversion rate, he said, “No, we’re gonna convert more.”
Last October, after Aikman criticized quarterback Caleb Williams, Johnson needled the analyst on ESPN Chicago.
“It sounded like from that game the other night, a few people weren’t particularly pleased with how we are winning right now,” Johnson said.
Aikman brings a Hall of Fame résumé to the argument. He won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys and was named MVP of Super Bowl XXVII, before retiring after the 2000 season and joining Fox, then Monday Night Football alongside Joe Buck, forming the longest-tenured booth pairing in NFL history.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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