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Ben Johnson Admits the Bears' Trick Play for a Former Patriot Looked Better in Practice

The NFL Protector of the Year for 2025 suddenly found himself with the ball in his hands instead of blocking for a ball carrier, and the end result was nutty.
Gene Chamberlain|
Ben Johnson talks with an official during the first half of Thursday night's win.
Ben Johnson talks with an official during the first half of Thursday night's win. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

The Bears could all laugh about it afterward and they did Thursday night following their 30-24 win over New England.

It was strange nonetheless, and once again Ben Johnson's penchant for wild plays got the best of him. But guard Joe Thuney carrying the football?

"I think I recovered a couple fumbles in my life but I don't think I ever carried," Thuney said with a sheepish grin on his face afterward in the locker room.

Actually, he still hasn't carried officially because Thuney's big moment as a ball carrier was wiped out by an "illegal forward handoff," as officials labeled it.

On second-and-3 from the New England 8 in the second quarter, the Bears lined up with their left tackle moving to the right of center. Only the tight end and Thuney were left of the center on the line. Caleb Williams faked a handoff then handed it forward to Thuney, who had come up out of his stance and backed up to get the ball. But the play went nowhere and the 5 yards for a penalty backed up the Bears so that Cairo Santos eventually came in and kicked a 31-yard field goal.

"I guess he said it was a forward handoff," Thuney said. "It was fun, but illegal I guess."

Lots of fun things are illegal.

"That was the general thought, I guess it should have been more behind (the QB)," Thuney said.

Thuney really didn't want to say too much about the play, no doubt because Johnson probably would like it that way. Maybe they'll file it away and use it again in the future in a way that actually is legal.

They did practice it.

"Just kind of worked on it here and there as a 'who knows?' play," Thuney said.

Johnson wasn't much help as he seemed no more willing to discuss the embarrassing situation than Thuney.

Asked what it was supposed to look like, he said, “Very similar to what it looked like — it looked clean in practice for us. I’ll have to see in on tape.”

Maybe they should burn the tape.

Williams offered his own viewpoint on what went wrong, although it seemed obvious. Colston Loveland was the tight end and if he had lined up a step back off the line of scrimmage, it would have made the guard an eligible "receiver" and able to take a forward handoff. However, Thuney would have had to report as an eligible receiver in that case. He also could have made it all legal just by getting even or behind Williams when he took the ball.

“I have no idea. I don't know," Williams said when asked what happened. "It was a special play, and the special play didn't work.”

When asked what it was supposed to look like, Williams had them rolling in the aisles.

"Joe was supposed to score," Williams said. After the media quit laughing, Williams offered up more explanation. He was as clueless as everyone else.

"I didn't know that rule," Williams said. "So, I'm going to go back. We're going to talk about it, coach and I and the other people that are in charge of that. So we'll figure it out.

"Hopefully we can figure some cool plays out.”

And hopefully they'll be plays where the NFL Protector of the Year, a five-time All-Pro, is blocking instead of trying to take a forward handoff.

Injured Kyle Monangai can't get back fast enough. Then they can rely on someone who actually is qualified to carry a football instead of a lineman.

Then again, this was a night to honor the late Mike Ditka, the coach who famously used 300-pound-plus defensive tackle, William Perry to carry the ball. Perhaps it was a fitting thing to try on this night only.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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