Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson celebrated a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles by taking off his shirt after his post-game speech in the locker room.
The Bears have won eight of their last nine games, a significant turnaround from the previous season.
Johnson deserves credit for rebuilding the team, particularly by strengthening the offensive line and instilling belief in the roster.
PHILADELPHIA – If Ben Johnson wasn’t yet beloved in all of Chicago, the Bears’ head coach might be by next Tuesday.
Following his team’s 24-15 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Black Friday, Johnson performed the increasingly popular “good, better, best … never let it rest … until your good gets better … and your better gets best” refrain that goes viral with every Bears win, which is becoming more common as the team has won eight of its last nine and five in a row.
This time, though, amid the borderline-rageful excitement he typically exhibits, Johnson ripped off his shirt – coming through on a bet with famous Chicago hot-dog establishment “The Wiener’s Circle” that said it would give away free hot dogs the Tuesday after a victory if Johnson popped his top. (The eatery also gave away free hot dogs earlier this season when Caleb Williams threw four touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys).
“He’s a man of the people,” Williams said. “Let’s say that.”
He’s also the man who is most responsible for the Bears’ turnaround. One year ago this week, the team suffered an embarrassing Thanksgiving Day loss and fired former coach Matt Eberflus. In 2025, they knocked off the defending Super Bowl champions with 281 rushing yards and a stout defensive performance.
“I think it’s the same message we’ve been sending every week that we’re just going to compete our tails off for 60 minutes,” Johnson said after the game. “I think that’s what I know about our group. They have a lot of belief in what we’re doing. They have a lot of belief in themselves. They have a lot of belief in this coaching staff. And so that confidence just starts to develop and continues to bubble over. So, I think we have a really confident group right now and we’re excited for these next five games.”
Shirts will start coming off throughout the Windy City if the Bears keep playing like they did in Philadelphia.
Before Friday’s victory, the Bears could have been considered a cute story. Maybe they’re still outside of serious Super-Bowl contender status. But any wise team would treat them as such. Just ask the Eagles, who shut down the Detroit Lions’ backfield duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs in prime time less than two weeks ago.
Johnson has created this team in his image. He had an elite offensive line during his time as the Lions’ offensive coordinator and replicated that in Year 1 with the Bears by bringing in veteran interior linemen into the picture; the team traded for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and signed center Drew Dalman.
Eagles defensive lineman Jordan Davis credited that trio and their explosive lateral movement specifically for affecting the run game Friday.
“Capturing shoulders, very savvy players,” Davis explained. “It kind of throws us fits because we have to adjust the way we play blocks, take on blocks.”
Add in a second-year quarterback who did not have his most efficient game thanks to some unsuitable (windy) conditions, a defense that leads the league in takeaways and helped the Bears win the turnover battle against the cautious Eagles, and Johnson has plenty to work with.
Of course, he’s given his players the ultimate tools a staff can bestow upon its players – trust, belief, confidence, all those buzzy terms that people use when things are going well.
Expectations are for people outside of Halas Hall, Williams said. For the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, it’s who the Bears have been all season. Critics emerged following the 0-2 start to the season. The adulators are around amid the 9-1 stretch.
“We understand where we are. We understand who we are. We understand where we’re going to be as a team, and you focus on that,” Williams said. “You focus on the betterment of the team as a group, and you come out with these wins week to week and you don’t let the noise, the outside noise, negative moments, shine too bright within us.”
Williams truly believes the Bears’ best ball is ahead of them. That they’re still winning games is what excites him.
“We haven’t hit our pinnacle yet,” he said.
When he watches the film, Williams sees the small details he missed or the explosive plays left on the table.
“In the moment, you want to hit those, you want to have these moments and just hit on all cylinders,” he said. “So that’s coming and we’re going to show our best ball here soon.”
The Bears are definitely good. They’re definitely better than they were last season, or even the start of 2025. But best? Well, that’s for them to decide now. Their coach has already laid out the path.
