The Bears couldn’t be more different under coach Ben Johnson than they were under Matt Eberflus. Everything about them has changed, and a lot of it has to do with Johnson enforcing high standards and high expectations.
The same team that always seemed ready to find a way to lose just can’t stop winning. The Bears were down 10 in the final minutes against the Packers, but they did it again with a late rally to win 22-16 in overtime.
“This is a special group,” Johnson said. “I felt that early in the season. You get with some of those wins, the Raiders game and the Washington game, and you start feeling the belief coming. It’s rare. It really is. I can’t say enough good things about the people in this building.
“[General manager Ryan Poles] has done a great job bringing this collection of people together. They’re mentally tough. They’re physically tough. We’re going to fight you for 60 minutes, and a game like that, even though the odds are against us that late, we’re going to keep on swinging and make some plays.”
At 11-4, the Bears need any Lions loss or tie the rest of the season to clinch a playoff spot. They also are on the brink of clinching the NFC North over the 9-5-1 Packers.
A year ago, the Bears were finishing out their schedule near the bottom of the NFL and playing for interim coach Thomas Brown after the Bears fired Eberflus. Now they’re in a tight playoff race, and that’s good for everyone.
For quarterback Caleb Williams, especially, these high-pressure games are essential. He spent most of his rookie season playing games that didn’t matter.
And other than some veterans the Bears brought aboard this season, their roster is full of young players who haven’t been on this stage. Not only are they proving ready for it, but it’ll make them better in the long run.
“It’s good for our entire team,” Johnson said. “We have a lot of guys that don’t have playoff experience or don’t have meaningful-games-in-December experience. It’s a little bit foreign territory for a number of them. We talk about keeping our poise and what it takes to win these games, and we’re going to continue to get better and learn how to handle them.”
On that note, Johnson was annoyed that the Bears committed four personal fouls: linebacker D’Marco Jackson had an unnecessary roughness, defensive end Austin Booker roughed the passer twice and safety Jaquan Brisker had an unnecessary roughness.
“We could have done a better job just making sure we didn’t commit those and that would have helped us a long way,” Johnson said. “Especially with the weather being the way it was, every yard mattered in a game like this.”
That objective view has been key to the Bears’ improvement under Johnson. He celebrates the wins, but he’s clear about what needs to improve.
