Coach Ben Johnson admitted he should have instructed his kicker to kick the ball out of bounds instead of into the end zone during a crucial late-game kickoff, as it would have saved valuable time and potentially changed the outcome of the Bears' loss to the Vikings.
Peyton Manning criticized Bears' first-year head coach Ben Johnson for a costly late-game mistake where the Bears failed to use the two-minute warning effectively, allowing the Vikings to burn valuable time and diminish the Bears' chances of a comeback in their game.
The upcoming NFC divisional round matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers may be heavily influenced by the kickoff strategy. While the Packers have found success with receiving the opening kickoff and starting fast in recent games, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan remains committed to deferring if his team wins the coin toss. The 49ers have excelled in early-game performance throughout the season, scoring the most points on opening drives in the NFL. Shanahan believes in the advantage of potentially scoring at the end of the first half and then receiving the kickoff to open the third quarter.