Chicago is pumped about the Bears. People are chanting “Good, Better, Best” for reasons that are unclear. You want to join the fun, but haven’t been paying attention. Here’s what you need to know:
Is this the best Bears team ever?
Stop. No. The best football team ever was the Super Bowl-winning 1985 Bears. They’re the ones who are famous for “The Super Bowl Shuffle” music video. Ask old-timers about the ’85 Bears, and they will wax poetically and never stop. You’re here to learn about the 2025 Bears, so let’s stay on point.
Why are fans so excited about the 2025 Bears?
So many reasons!
- The Bears have an 11-5 record and have won their division, the NFC North, which also includes the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions. They haven’t won their division since 2018. Last season, they were 5-12 and finished in last place.
- They’ve been successful in historically dramatic fashion. They have won six games that they were losing with two minutes left to play. No other NFL team ever has more that five come-from-behind wins like that in one season.
- The Bears are in the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 season.
- They will host a playoff game for the first time since January 2019.
- They have star power in their quarterback and a new coach who has turned around the team’s offense.
Do the Bears have a chance to win the Super Bowl?
They must get there first. To do that, they must win three playoff games. Round 1, the Wild Card Round, is the weekend of Jan. 10-12. Round 2, the Divisional Round, is Jan. 17-18. And the Conference Championship is Jan. 25. The champion of the National Football Conference, the NFC, plays the champion of the American Football Conference, the AFC, in the Super Bowl on Feb. 8 in the San Francisco 49ers’ home, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
The Bears have a chance to win the Super Bowl, but they are a young, inexperienced team that needed to win a lot of games with late heroics. It’s hard to do that every week, as we saw when they came up just short against the 49ers on Sunday. The Bears don’t dominate their opponents.
Who’s Caleb Williams?
He’s the star quarterback, the first overall pick of the 2024 draft. In his second season in the NFL, he’s the guy leading all those comeback wins.
Who’s Ben Johnson?
He’s the Bears’ new head coach. He’s the mastermind of a Bears offense that’s averaging 26.6 points a game, 10th best in the NFL. Last season, without Johnson, they averaged 18.2 points, fifth-worst in the NFL. His relationship with Williams is one of the keys to the Bears’ success.
Who’s Refrigerator Perry?
You’re getting confused. He was famous on the 1985 Bears. Google him.
Why were fans so excited about the win over the Packers on Dec. 20?
Two reasons, but first watch this video.
- The rivalry between the Bears and the Packers: It’s the NFL’s oldest. Before the most recent game, the Packers had beaten the Bears 109 times going back to 1921. The Bears had won 96 times. They’d tied six times. But the Packers had really dominated this century. Since 2009, the Packers were 29-5 against the Bears. There’s a reason Bears fans are pissed about cheeseheads.
- The Bears’ 22-16 win on Dec. 20 was dramatic. The Bears were losing 16-6 with less than two minutes left in the game. Cairo Santos kicked a field goal to make it 16-9 with 1:59 left. Then, Caleb Williams threw a touchdown pass to Jahdae Walker to tie the score with 24 seconds left. The game went into overtime, and Williams threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore for the win. It’s one of only 29 passes out of 370,000 thrown since 2006 that have received a “plus-two” grade from Pro Football Focus.
P.S. As has been noted on many a social media post, bears are referenced 14 times in the bible. Packers? Zero times. (Not fact-checked.)
Which current Bears have been on the team the longest?
Tight end Cole Kmet and kicker Cairo Santos, who joined the Bears in 2020.
What’s “Good, Better, Best”?
“Good, Better, Best” is part of a saying that coach Ben Johnson learned from his high school football coach in Asheville, N.C. Johnson uses the chant in the Bears’ locker room after games. The full saying goes like this: “Good, better, best! Never let it rest, until your good gets better, and your better is best!” Yes, Johnson has somehow gotten professional athletes excited about something he picked up in high school. And, yes, that’s weird.
This video is short. Stick with it:
What’s “Bear Down, Chicago Bears”?
“Bear Down, Chicago Bears” has been the team’s fight song since 1941. It’s sung at games, in bars, wherever you find a Bears fan.
Yes, you should learn the lyrics:
Bear down, Chicago Bears! Make every play clear the way to victory.
Bear down, Chicago Bears! Put up a fight with a might so fearlessly.
We’ll never forget the way you thrilled the nation with your T-formation.
Bear down, Chicago Bears, and let them know why you’re wearing the crown.
You’re the pride and joy of Illinois! Chicago Bears, bear down!
Here’s Lyric Opera’s Bryan Griffin singing “Bear Down, Chicago Bears.”
What’s all this talk about the Bears leaving Chicago?
Soldier Field is old, and the Bears want a new stadium. They’ve tried to get the city of Chicago and state of Illinois to help fund a stadium in the city. They’ve tried to get public funding for a stadium in Arlington Heights. Now, they’re making noise about moving the team to Indiana. Owners have threatened to move the team before, and it could happen. The economics and politics of professional sports stadiums is complicated, and the Sun-Times has covered this story comprehensively. Read more about the Bears stadium.
Why do people say “Da Bears”?
That’s how Chicagoans talk. “Da Bears.” “Da mayor.” “Da pope.”
Those 1985 Bears
We did try to keep you focused here on the 2025 Bears. But you really do need to know about the ’85 team. Read columnist Steve Greenberg’s “40 years later: A look back at the 1985 Super Bowl Bears.”