Sunday’s divisional playoff game between the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams was a heated chess match between both coaching staffs. Bears head coach Ben Johnson and Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula took turns playing off each other, while Rams head coach Sean McVay did his best to beat Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
In the end, McVay emerged as the victor, but it wasn’t easy by any means. After the game, after Rams kicker Harrison Mewis hit the game-winning field goal to send Los Angeles to the NFC Championship Game, McVay approached Allen with a message. “Hey, incredible job. You kicked our butts. Great job, man. Big respect for you.”
McVay wasn’t wrong, as Allen had one of his best days as the Bears’ defensive coordinator all season long. The Bears held the Rams to just two touchdowns all day (the fewest since Week 6) and limited them to 340 total yards (the fewest since Week 12). Allen left quarterback Matthew Stafford struggling at times on corner blitzes and disguised fronts, while limiting the effectiveness of receivers Puka Nakua and Davante Adams.
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Another notable exchange from that moment was the handshake between McVay and Johnson, which has been in people’s minds since last week’s “hug” with Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. Johnson gave McVay some words of encouragement during the brief exchange. “What a job, man. Go win one,” Johnson told McVay. “Yeah, appreciate it, man,” the Rams coach responded. There were some cordial greetings about McVeigh’s friendship with LaFleur.
While it wasn’t enough to push the Bears into the next round of the playoffs, the defense got the job done and Allen deserves credit for his coaching job. To McVay’s credit, he recognized this immediately and backed up the Bears.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears DC Dennis Allen gets praise from Sean McVay after loss to Rams
