One of the most exciting matchups last Sunday featured two 1-2 teams: the Las Vegas Raiders and the Chicago Bears. Sin City had the home-field advantage, and it truly showed in the first half.
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Bears safety Kevin Byard picked off Geno Smith not once, but twice before halftime … both times near the Raiders’ red zone. But the visiting team could only convert those turnovers into field goals. And by the time the third quarter rolled around, the score was 14-9. Things weren’t looking great for Da Bears.
With the game slipping away, head coach Ben Johnson even had to face the mic, and CBS sideline reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala threw in a cheeky question that caught us fans off guard. “Do you need to change what you’re doing?” she asked Johnson.
For some coaches, a question like that could be the tipping point … mic slamming, storming off, a little halftime drama. But not Johnson. He stayed composed and wrapped up the interview without missing a beat.
On the field, his team followed suit, coming back to win the game. Jon Gruden, naturally, loved how Johnson handled himself. He’s not really a fan of live sideline interviews during halftime (no coach is going to give away anything meaningful), but seeing someone keep their cool like that? He says it was worth applauding.
“First to say, I hate those sideline interviews. Now they’re doing live interviews with coaches during the game. Can you imagine: ‘Hey, Coach Gruden, it’s third-and-6, you’ve punted three straight series. How are you feeling? For Ben Johnson not to take that microphone and slam it on the ground, it’s a real credit to him,” Gruden told Dave Portnoy via Wake Up Barstool.
Gruden also threw a warning shot at those sideline reporters, saying, “Some of these broadcast teams should think clear- what do we wanna ask the coach. And what do we really think the coach is gonna say.”
.@BarstoolGruden on the Ben Johnson interview that went viral
"For Ben Johnson not to take that microphone and slam it on the ground, it's a real credit to him." https://t.co/C5LmVcAD0b pic.twitter.com/fdjz6f2hSS
— Wake Up Barstool (@wakeupbarstool) September 29, 2025
“We’re going to be just fine,” Johnson told the sideline reporter …. and he wasn’t kidding. Byard picked off Smith again in the second half, and this time Chicago capitalized, scoring their first touchdown of the game.
Caleb Williams didn’t have the same fireworks he showed against the Cowboys last week, but he still managed to drive the offense down the field in the final minutes, setting up the Bears’ win. Now they’re 2-2, a huge improvement over that rough 0-2 start.
After a Week 5 bye, the Bears will hit the road to face the Commanders. They’ll need that extra week to get ready for Jayden Daniels and co., but if they pull it off, the Bears might finally have a real shot at contending this season.
