With the NFL setting a record for fewest punts per game in 2025, wild-card weekend was filled with fourth-down fun and silliness as bettors were mostly spectators, especially Chicago’s Tory Taylor, who never left the sideline in the Bears’ comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers.
Overall, teams completed 15 of 29 fourth downs during Wild Card Weekend when they punted just 41 times, nine of which came in the Houston Texans’ 30-6 win over Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night.
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First-year Bears coach Ben Johnson was particularly aggressive, running the offense six times in Saturday night’s Game 4, including two in the first half that backfired, leading to two Green Bay touchdowns and leaving the Bears trailing 21-3 at halftime.
Kaleb Williams was intercepted on fourth-and-6 from the Packers’ 40-yard line, leading to an 18-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Love, and Williams threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-5 from his own 32-yard line. The pass led to Love’s touchdown on fourth-and-1 from the Bears’ 2, giving Green Bay an 18-point halftime lead.
The Packers were unable to capitalize on another Chicago fumble before halftime, as Brandon McManus missed a 55-yard field goal attempt on the final play after Williams threw an incomplete deep ball on fourth-and-4 from the Green Bay 37.
When Prime Video sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung asked the Bears coach about his aggressive approach and how he plays on fourth down multiple times on his own field, Johnson responded: “Yeah, we want to maximize our possessions, we want to run on fourth down.”
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Her follow-up was about slowing down Green Bay’s high-performing offense.
“That’s a big reason for us to be aggressive on offense so we can extend our offense and score points ourselves,” Johnson insisted. “This is a really good offense that we’re going against.”
Although the Bears converted just two of their six fourth downs — Green Bay went 3-for-3 on fourth downs — the strategy ultimately paid off. Williams threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Rome Odunze at the Packers 30-yard line to pull Chicago to 27-24 with 4:21 left.
Johnson said the game plan was characterized by a positive fourth-down mentality, “and I think that’s misconstrued because when you do that, you lack confidence in your defense. I think it’s the opposite, and I think it’s because I have confidence in our defense and their ability to stop teams from getting into the red zone.”
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Johnson added: “I will never apologize for being aggressive or doing something that might be a little unorthodox if we think it’s in the best interest of us to win a game.”
Johnson served as the Lions’ offensive coordinator after the 2023 season ended when Detroit blew a 17-point halftime lead and lost 34-31 to San Francisco. In that game, Lions coach Dan Campbell attempted twice in field goal range on fourth down and failed, and later said he would do it again if he could.
Those failures haven’t diminished the Lions’ aggressive fourth-down offensive philosophy, which Johnson brought to Chicago when he was hired by the Bears a year ago.
He had plenty of company over the weekend, and the regular-season trend continued. Each team is averaging just 3.55 punts per game this season, and that number dropped in the first round of the playoffs, when teams averaged just 3.41 punts per game.
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The Panthers and Rams had an interesting game on Saturday, with early fourth-down turnovers leading to touchdowns for both teams.
Trevor Lawrence thought he had the first pick when the Jaguars went on fourth-and-2 at the Buffalo 9, only to find his shin hit the ground well short of the first-down mark, a fourth-down faux pas that proved crucial in Jacksonville’s 27-24 loss to the Bills.
The Bills twice went on fourth-and-1 in Jaguars territory. Josh Allen had a 4-yard keeper on first down and advanced the ball 9 yards on a stunning push that also led to a Buffalo touchdown.
The 49ers didn’t attempt a single fourth-down conversion in their 23-19 victory over Philadelphia, while the Eagles went 3-for-5 on fourth down.
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The Patriots capped off a field goal on their only fourth-down drive on fourth-and-4 from the Chargers’ 30. When the Chargers delayed the game and punted from midfield after failing to call an offsides call, NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth said, “I think Jim Harbaugh has been watching this weekend’s game.”
When Steelers coach Mike Tomlin opted to go for three points on a 32-yard field goal at the Houston 14 on Monday night instead of going for a fourth-and-3 opportunity, ESPN analyst Troy Aikman commented: “We all know we’re in an era where a lot of offense is going to happen… but points are going to be at a premium. You’ve got two defenses that can shut down the opponent. When you can, get ’em.”
Well, points were certainly at a premium for a Pittsburgh team that held steady for much of the game before the Texans’ 23-0 fourth-quarter blitz that could have been Rodgers’ farewell game.
If that’s the case, Rodgers’ final pass was a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown to safety Calen Bullock on… you guessed it, fourth down.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
