Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears took on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, December 28, on the road, and it was a razor-close game, but in the end, the Bears fell to the 49ers in a 42-38 final score. So, even though the Bears are in the playoffs and have plenty to be excited about, because of the 49ers loss, they won’t be able to reach that top seed in the NFC.
But, the Chicago Bears have one more game left this season, and it’s an important one. The Bears will take on the Detroit Lions, Johnson’s former team, on Sunday, January 4, at home. The Chicago Bears have an 11-5 record going into the game, and if they beat the Lions, they’ll earn the No. 2 seed and host the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round.
While this game is about the Bears and Lions, it’s also about Johnson and his former boss, Dan Campbell, going at it on the field. The first time these teams met during the 2025-26 on September 14, the game ended in a 52-21 blowout, with the Bears on the losing end. You can count on Johnson making sure that doesn’t happen again.
The Stage is Set for Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions
After the Chicago Bears’ loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, December 28, the NFL and the franchises announced that the Lions and Bears game for Week 18 will take place at 4:25 p.m. on Sunday, January 4, and air on Fox.
Since the Bears are coming off that close loss to the 49ers, they’re going to have extra motivation to win this one. The Lions, of course, are out of the postseason, so this marks the team’s final game for the 2025-26 season. The Lions were eliminated from the playoffs on Christmas Day, December 25, after a 23-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at home.
Ben Johnson Says the 49ers Did a ‘Good Job’ Against the Chicago Bears
Following the Chicago Bears’ loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, December 28, Johnson talked about the game and fallout.
“They controlled the ball,” Johnson told reporters after the game. “They did a good job building the lead there, down by seven at halftime. We couldn’t stay on the field on offense. We were 0-for-3 on third downs. They were five for seven on third downs in that first half. And yet, [in the] second half, I did feel like we picked up our game a little bit as a team.”
He added, “We closed that gap and made it to where we could potentially win that thing there at the end. So, I was proud of the guys for that, but it just wasn’t enough. And when you go on the road against a good team like that, you got to be on top of your mess the entire time. And we just weren’t.”
Heading into the game against the Detroit Lions, the Bears have plenty of reasons to be proud of what they’ve accomplished this year. Beating the Lions would add one more.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Ben Johnson and Dan Campbell Showdown is Officially Set appeared first on Heavy Sports.