(Video) Ben Johnson Breaks Rivalry to Encourage Sean McVay to ‘Go Win Something’

The clash between two of the best offensive minds in Ben Johnson and Sean McVay was touted to become an all-time classic.

(Video) Ben Johnson Breaks Rivalry to Encourage Sean McVay to ‘Go Win Something’

Ben Johnson and Sean McVay (Image via ESPN Chicago/X/Imago)

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Much was made about the potential rivalry brewing with Ben Johnson and the faction surrounding Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay.

The latter is a close friend of his former offensive coordinator and current Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, who has become a sort of the perfect rival for the Chicago Bears head coach.

Usually, it was the teams, their fans, and their players who would talk about the rivalry. But with Johnson at the helm, he has embraced the longest rivalry in the NFL with both arms and has taken the battle to LaFleur’s court.

His fiery expletive-laced motivational speeches were touted to have upset Sean McVay, and that was thought to be one of the talking points of their Divisional Round game.

Hell of a job, man. Just go win one.

Ben Johnson told Sean McVay after the game

This was the same head coach who was termed to be ‘cold’ and ‘disrespectful’ of Matt LaFleur after he led his team to a win in the Wild Card round. This may have been why McVay was surprised by Johnson’s approach after their game.

The Rams HC responded by appreciating what his counterpart said, which could be an indication that they have put their possible rivalry aside. McVay then went ahead and gave defensive coordinator Dennis Allen his flowers for pushing his team to the brink.

Super Bowl champion believes Ben Johnson has 50% blame for Bears’ loss

Had DJ Moore put 100% effort into running his route, Ben Johnson may have been rejoicing after defeating Sean McVay for the first time as a head coach.

However, it was not to be after Caleb Williams‘ overtime interception sealed the game. The QB’s other two interceptions were also uncalled for in a playoff game, but he was not the only one to be blamed.

The other 50% I put it on Ben Johnson. You going against a well-coached, veteran team. And you are leaving points on the board, you are too aggressive… You lose by three points, and you left nine points on the board.

Aqib Talib said on The Arena

The Super Bowl champion believes that had Ben Johnson not been the uber-aggressive coordinator he was known for being with the Detroit Lions, the game would have been in their bag.

Aqib Talib pointed out that the Bears’ head coach could have gone for field goals instead of trying his luck on fourth-down conversions. That cost them the game, as it was a game of chess, but Johnson played checkers.

Sean McVay outcoached Ben Johnson, says Gerald McCoy

After Aqib Talib detailed how he felt that Ben Johnson was partly responsible for the Bears’ loss to the Rams, his The Arena co-panelist Gerald McCoy said this:

Ben Johnson will need to learn from loss
Ben Johnson will need to learn from loss (Image via Ashlee Rezin/X)

McVay said, ‘I didn’t even coach that great tonight.’ But he still outcoached Ben Johnson.

Gerald McCoy said

The six-time Pro Bowler pointed out that the 39-year-old’s lack of creativity on certain plays, overaggressiveness on some plays, and then the lack of maturity to take the available points and try again were the reasons for this loss.

Sean McVay, who is known to be one of the most brilliant offensive minds in the league, decided to play it safe when required. On top of that, when Dennis Allen’s defense proved to be a tough nut to crack, the Rams’ head coach brought out his creativity to counter them.

The panel collectively believed that Johnson would learn from this loss, as it was the perfect example of how playoff experience becomes vital when the going gets tough.

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