The Ben Johnson Effect has been undeniable this season. The Bears beat the Packers twice in three tries — including the wild-card playoff game last week with a stunning fourth-quarter rally the Packers and Aaron Rodgers usually pull off against the Bears. The Bears' offense improved from 28th to ninth this season and won games despite allowing 23 or more points after going 0-25 when allowing 23 or more points in the Matt Eberflus era. The Bears, who didn't know how to win und

The Bears obviously haven’t run out of miracle finishes, but has Ben Johnson’s offense peaked?  As the Bears were recovering from an 0-2 start with eight victories in nine games, Johnson kept the big picture in focus — for the Bears to be playing their best football in December. And as the final month began, the Bears were living up to that.  After going down to the final play in a loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field on Dec. 7, the Bears responded with a convincing 31-3 vict

“Fuck the Packers”? There’s a new culture indeed at Halas Hall.  Bears chairman George McCaskey’s aversion to swearing is so strong that when “Hard Knocks” came to Halas Hall last preseason, the editors excluded any foul language from every segment.  It diluted the impact of the show and absolutely contradicted the “reality” aspect of “Hard Knocks” that made it what it is. But no matter. Respect for the McCaskeys trumped the reality foundation of the show’s format.  That’s h

I've covered Packers losses before — including a playoff loss to the Giants in 2012 after a 15-1 regular season, and the gut-wrenching overtime loss to the Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game in 2020 when Brandon Bostick stuck around to answer every question after botching an onside kick that could have clinched a berth in the Super Bowl. But I've never seen a Packers locker room clear out like Saturday night at Soldier Field. After coach Matt LaFleur talked to reporters in

Like Jay Cutler before him, former Bears cornerback Jerry Azumah provided a public service announcement for Bears fans this week on Twitter before the Bears’ wild-card playoff game against the Packers on Saturday at Soldier Field: “When the Bears Offense is on the field, please be quiet so they can work! That any Bears fans have to be reminded of this is an indictment of the Bears’ woeful history of offensive football, of course. But it’s also a positive sign. Under Ben Johns

Ben Johnson opened his tenure as the Bears’ head coach with a shot at Matt LaFleur and now has to back it up with the Bears’ playoff lives on the line. The football gods hear everything. Beating the Packers in the playoffs is the ultimate test of The Ben Johnson Effect. Johnson’s rejuvenating impact in his first season has been undeniable. The Bears were 11-5 in 2025 after going 3-14, 7-10 and 5-12 in three seasons under Matt Eberflus. Their offense improved from 28th to n

Seven players who made the biggest impact in the Bears' 19-16 loss to the Lions on Sunday at Soldier Field: 1. Amon-Ra St. Brown Ben Johnson's offense turned the 2021 fourth-round draft pick into a star, and Dennis Allen's defense solidified St. Brown's status as not only the best receiver in the family but one of the best in the NFL. St. Brown had 11 receptions for 139 yards Sunday, including nine receptions for 110 yards in the first half (including four catches for 60 yard

When Mike Ditka’s 1984 Bears played the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, their 23-0 loss at Candlestick Park might not have seemed like a prelude to greatness — the Bears’ put up a fight in the first half but never really threatened with Steve Fuller at quarterback. But to Ditka it was a statement game. And he literally made it. “We will be back,” Ditka said confidently after that game.  Those Bears famously kept that promise, of course, and set a standard for success th

Seven players who made the biggest impact in the Bears' 42-38 loss to the 49ers on Sunday night at Levi's Stadium. 1. Brock Purdy Threw a pick-6 on the 49ers' first play from scrimmage but never flinched and — like J.J. McCarthy in Week 1 against the Bears — got off the mat and responded with a superior performance that almost made you forget he threw the pick-6 in the first place. Despite playing without tight end George Kittle and Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams (who wa

This week’s version of The Ben Johnson Effect: A year after the Bears were burned by the fickle finger of football fate with a Hail Mary loss to the Commanders that sent their season careening into unprecedented ignominy, they are just about even with the football gods.  The Bears earned their 22-16 overtime victory against the Packers on Sunday by making plays. But the one play that set it up was a mathematical fluke. Onside kicks had worked just five times in 48 tries (10.

Seven players who made the biggest impact in the Bears' 22-16 victory over the Packers on Saturday at Soldier Field: 1. Josh Blackwell Last season, Blackwell burned the Packers with a 94-yard punt return on the ol' Dave Toub decoy play in a 24-22 victory in Week 18 at Lambeau Field. The fourth-year pro from Duke inflicted a lot more pain with another key play Saturday night — recovering Cairo Santos' onside kick with 1:59 left in the fourth quarter. Without it, the Bears los

Bears-Packers rivalry stories never get old no matter how cliche they become — the history of the rivalry is that good. But this week's Bears-Packers game is particularly enticing. Not only are both teams battling for the NFC North title in Week 16 (a rarity in the series), but the head coaches have a frosty relationship and the teams are playing for the second time in three weeks, when memories of the previous game — including the cold postgame handshake between Ben Johnson

Tracing the roots of the Bears’ rebuild that has them in position to finally “take the North” — possibly this weekend — after a disastrous 2024 season wracked by discombobulation is pretty easy:  Lovie Smith’s Texans beating the Colts in Week 18 in 2022 to give the Bears’ the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft.  General manager Ryan Poles parlaying that pick into a haul from the Carolina Panthers that ultimate include the 2024 No. 1 overall pick the Bears used to get quarterback

Seven players who made the biggest impact in the Bears' 31-3 victory over the Browns on Sunday at Soldier Field: 1. Caleb Williams He didn't take a giant leap but avoided disaster (the only way the Bears could lose this game) and was productively — if modestly — efficient in a workmanlike performance. Williams completed 17 of 28 passes for 242 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 112.5 passer rating. That's the second-highest rating against the Browns' defense in

The Bears 2025 rookie class came in with all sorts of potential because the first three picks were offensive players chosen specifically for Ben Johnson's offense — tight end Colston Loveland (1-10), wide receiver Luther Burden (2-39) and offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo (2-56). That plan worked well for the Lions in 2023, when two rookies made a big impact — first-round running back Jahmyr Gibbs (182-945, 5.2 yards per carry, 10 touchdowns) and second-round tight end Sam LaPort

As Shedeur Sanders was free-falling in the 2025 NFL Draft, he had a friend in Tom Brady.  “I texted Shedeur because I know him very well,” Brady told Logan Paul of the “Impaulsive” podcast following the draft. “And I said, ‘Dude, whatever happens, wherever you go —  that’s your first day. Day 2 matters more than the draft.  “I was [No.] 199 — so who can speak on it better than me, like what that really means. Use that as motivation. You’re gonna get your chances, go take adva

After a 17-16 loss to the Chargers at Soldier Field in 2019, Bears coach Matt Nagy appeared mystified and a little miffed at being questioned about his decision to have Mitch Trubisky kneel to set up Eddy Pineiro for a 41-yard field goal attempt that failed on the final play. Why not run another play to make it a little easier for the first-year kicker, who had previously hit the upright on a 33-yarder in that game?  “I’m not even going to get into that,” Nagy huffed. “I ha

Seven players who made the biggest impact in the Bears' 28-21 loss to the Packers on Sunday at Lambeau Field: 1. Jordan Love This game did not settle the Jordan-Love-or-Caleb-Williams debate one way or the other. Love can't make plays out of the pocket Like Williams, but with adequate protection, his experience in Matt LaFleur's offense (five seasons, 46 starts) gives him the edge for now. Love blinked early with a confounding interception thrown right to C.J. Gardner-Johnso

When the 1985 Bears established themselves as Super Bowl favorites with a stunning 44-0 rout of the Cowboys at Texas Stadium in Week 11 — the Cowboys were two-point favorites, believe it or not — the eyes of the NFL were on them like never before. The 11-0 Bears were 16-point favorites against the Falcons the following week at Soldier Field and had that spread covered by halftime in a 36-0 rout.  The 2025 Bears are not the ’85 Bears, but as statement-game follow-ups go, their

Paying proper respect to the Bears-Packers rivalry is always tricky for newcomers at Halas Hall, most of whom have no idea what it's about. Lovie Smith turned it into a cliche when he said his No. 1 goal was beating the Packers (I'll assume winning the Super Bowl was No. 2) at his introductory news conference. Future coaches avoided the obvious pandering, until Ben Johnson took it a step further and made it personal at his introductory press conference in January when he punc