Don’t worry. We’ll find some time to discuss Ben Johnson, the Chicago Bears, and a head coach search that is about to hit another gear.
But first, we should really give Kliff Kingsbury his flowers.
This is what the Washington Commanders offense did in its 45-31 win against the Detroit Lions in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs:
- 39 points
- 73 plays
- 481 yards
- 6.6 yards per play
- 27 first downs
- Converted 3 of 4 fourth-down tries
- Scored on all four red-zone trips
- Won the time of possession battle (33:59 > 26:01)
- Committed 0 turnovers
CHICAGO BEARS COACHING SEARCH: Kliff Kingsbury’s Profile
To do this in any given game is impressive. But to pull it off in the playoffs, on the road, against the No. 1 seed, and versus a Super Bowl favorite that was a 9-point favorite puts into perspective how wild this game was for the Commanders. Oh … and they did it with a rookie quarterback (Jayden Daniels threw for 299 yards and 2 TDs) and a defensive-leaning head coach (Dan Quinn was one of the first interviews Ryan Poles had after becoming the Bears’ GM in 2022) leading the way.
In other words, the Washington football team did what the Bears told everyone they were going to do — but they actually had the coaching and execution to make it happen. Oof. That stings. I suppose this is what it looks like when you hire the right head coach (Dan Quinn) and offensive coordinator (Kliff Kingsbury) to pair with an excellent quarterback prospect.
I begrudgingly tip my cap in their general direction.
But seriously … when can Kliff Kingsbury interview with the Bears?
With the Washington Commanders headed to the NFC Championship Game to play the winner of Sunday’s showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams, any interviews with Kliff Kingsbury will have to wait until *AFTER* the end of Conference Championship Weekend. And here is where things get tricky (via our earlier post on the timeline for the Bears to interview coaching candidates):
During the bye week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl (Jan. 27-Feb. 2), coach candidates who are employed by teams in the Super Bowl can be had for second in-person or virtual interviews. Coaching candidates whose teams are in the Super Bowl cannot have a first interview during this period.
In case you missed it, Kliff Kingsbury didn’t do any virtual interviews last week. Per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Kingsbury opted to wait until *AFTER* Washington’s season ended to interview with interested teams. In essence, Kliff won’t be available until Jan. 28 at the earliest. But it is possible that teams might have to wait until February to chop it up with Kingsbury for a first interview. That might be a tough ask for some teams.
For the Bears, it might be moot. Ben Johnson, their perceived top candidate, can have in-person meetings with teams starting on Monday. Obviously, that is the storyline we’ll be keeping tabs on — and not just from the perspective of someone obsessively following Chicago’s football team. The Las Vegas Raiders have emerged as a serious threat to swoop in and snatch Johnson. And Tom Brady’s looming presence makes the quest to hire Johnson that much more tedious. And even though there is a part of me that thinks the Raiders have a leg up, ESPN’s NFL insiders (such as Adam Schefter) have been pumping the brakes on that thing.
Whatever. I think we’re a lot closer to the Bears finding a new head coach than we were when this day started. But if it is going to be Kliff Kingsbury, the wait could be a while.