Lions win paves way for Bears to interview Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn this week

The Lions’ Sunday night win against the Vikings guaranteed them a bye in Round 1 of the playoffs — and clarified the Bears’ interview timeline.

The Bears are expected to interview Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn this week. NFL rules state the interviews must be done virtually and must be conducted between Wednesday and the end of the final Round 1 playoff game Monday.

Johnson’s Lions finished first in the NFL with 33.2 points per game and second in the NFL with 409.5 yards per game. Glenn’s defense withstood a barrage of injuries to allow 20.1 points per game, the seventh-fewest in the NFL.

The Bears cannot interview anyone employed by another NFL team in person until Jan. 20. They must abide by the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which mandates that they interview two people of color and/or women for the position in person. Those rules mean the Bears’ coaching search is likely to take weeks.

The Lions beat the Vikings 31-9 on Sunday night to clinch first in the NFC and earn a first-round bye. The Chiefs earned a bye in the AFC.

Bears running back D'Andre Swift, who played with the Lions from 2020-22, called the two assistants elite last week.

“Hell of a bunch of coaches,” Swift said. “I obviously can tell they have the respect on their side of the ball. As far as head coaches, I don’t know how that would look. In terms of me being there and seeing how they led their group, they did a phenomenal job."