Bears make biggest 'statement' since the Ditka era

The Bears-Eagles game was branded as a defining moment for Ben Johnson and the 2025 Bears and it certainly was that. Their convincing 25-19 victory — on a short week, on the road, against a defending Super Bowl champion Eagles team motivated to atone for a loss to the rival Cowboys five days earlier — turned into a classic "statement" game.

But just how big of a statement was it? The Bears have won "statement" games before, but none in recent Bears history has had much staying power in the big picture — often signaling an arrival that was soon followed by a too-quick departure. That's why the Bears haven't had more than two consecutive winning seasons or more than two consecutive playoff seasons since 1984-88.

My Sun-Times colleague Pat Finley called the upset of the Eagles a top-five game in his 13 seasons on the Bears beat. Former Bears director of college scouting Greg Gabriel said it was the Bears' biggest win since 2006, the year the Bears went to the Super Bowl.

I'll take it one step further. This will end up being looked upon as the Bears' biggest statement game since 1985 when the Bears got the NFL's attention as a Super Bowl contender by beating the defending Super Bowl champion 49ers 26-10 at Candlestick Park in Week 6 and as the Super Bowl favorite by obliterating the Cowboys 44-0 at Texas Stadium.

Why is this statement game different from all other statement games? Because even if the Bears don't have all the pieces in place, they have the right pieces in place. This is the closest they've been to following the template of consistent winners of this era: the coach, the quarterback and an offensive line with continuity.

• For all the attention Johnson gets for his inventiveness, play-calling and trick plays, his success is rooted in the run game. The Bears are the No. 1 rushing team in the NFL after rushing for 281 yards against the Eagles on Friday. Their average of 179.6 yards in eight games after the bye is nearly 30 yards better than the next best team (the Ravens at 151.8). Johnson isn't Sean McVay yet, and he'll have his moments. But unlike Marc Trestman and Matt Nagy before him among Bears coaches who had first-year success, Johnson is likely to get better before he gets worse.

• Caleb Williams is far from a finished product, but he's a better product in his second NFL season, and in Johnson's hands has the potential to reach that elite level. Even if he doesn't get there — his footwork remains an issue that impacts his accuracy and lowers his ceiling — Williams still makes the Bears a threat in every game, including the playoffs. The Bears are 8-0 and averaging 27.6 points when he completes less than 60% of his passes. They're 4-0 and averaging 23.5 points when he has a passer rating below 75.0. And — knock on wood — he's been durable. His 29 consecutive starts are the third most for a Bears quarterback in franchise history. Jay Cutler's best streak was 23 games.

• The offensive line not only is benefitting from offseason upgrades — left guard Joe Thuney, center Drew Dalman and right guard Jonah Jackson, plus right tackle Darnell Wright better in Year 3 than in Years 1 and 2 — but much-improved continuity. The Bears' starting line combination of Theo Benedet, Thuney, Dalman, Jackson and Wright have played 89.8% of the offensive snaps this season — up from 81.1% in 2024. The only changes have been at the weakest position — left tackle. So replacing Braxton Jones with Theo Benedet and Benedet with rookie Ozzy Trapilo has been virtually seamless.

The Bears actually only needed two of those three foundation factors to beat the Eagles. Even with Williams struggling — completing 47.2% of his passes (17 of 36) for 154 yards, with a rare interception — the Bears dominated time of possession (39:18-20:42) by rushing 47 times for 281 yards and two touchdowns. They scored 24 points on offense with a 56.9 quarterback rating against a defense that came in ranked eighth in the NFL in points allowed (20.5 per game). That's a statement with the potential for long-term staying power.

That puts the Bears' victory over the Eagles pretty high on the list of Bears "statement" games in the Super Bowl era. Defining a statement game is subjective, but here's a top-10 list, with history to provide perspective on all but the most recent one. That is yet to come.

10. 2018 — Bears 25, Vikings 20 at Soldier Field

The Bears were 6-3 in Matt Nagy's first season after going 14-34 in three seasons under John Fox and playing the 5-3-1 Vikings for first place in the NFC North. Mitch Trubisky wasn't very good — 20 of 31 for 165 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for a 61.5 passer rating. But Vic Fangio's defense held Dalvin Cook to 12 yards on nine carries and applied the clinching blow with Eddie Jackson's 27-yard interception return for a touchdown that gave the Bears a 22-6 lead in the fourth quarter.

9. 2018 — Bears 15, Rams 6 at Soldier Field

The Rams came in 11-1 and averaging 34.9 points a game. The Bears were 8-4 and leading the NFC North with a defense that led the NFL in takeaways (30) and fourth in points allowed — but were coming off a 30-27 overtime loss to the Giants with Chase Daniel in place of Trubisky, who was injured. Trubisky was rusty in his return — three interceptions and a 33.3 passer rating. But Fangio's defense was the star of the show — intercepting Jared Goff (19.1 passer rating) four times and scoring on a safety when Eddie Goldman sacked Goff in the end zone.

It was a game that had Super Bowl implications, but just not involving the Bears. The Patriots use the framework of Fangio's template to shut down the Rams' offense in a 13-3 victory in Super Bowl LIII.

8. 2010 — Bears 20, Packers 17 at Soldier Field

After missing the playoffs in three consecutive seasons following their Super Bowl appearance in 2006, the Bears were 2-0 and loaded up with quarterback Jay Cutler and defensive end Julius Peppers. Cutler wasn't particularly good — 221 yards one touchdown, one interception and a modest 82.5 passer rating. But Smith's defense contained Aaron Rodgers (316 yards, but only one touchdown and one interception for a 92.5 passer rating). But special teams and defense came through in the fourth quarter. Devin Hester returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown and, with the game tied 17-17, Brian Urlacher stripped James Jones for a fumble that Tim Jennings recovered, setting up a drive for Robbie Gould's game-winning 19-yard field goal.

The Bears won the NFC North at 11-5, but missed a chance to eliminate the Packers in Week 17 at Lambeau Field, and paid the price for that failure when the Packers won 24-14 in the NFC Championhip Game at Soldier Field.

7. 2005 — Bears 13, Panthers 3 at Soldier Field

The Bears were 6-3 and picking up steam under Lovie Smith after a 1-3 start (and 6-14 in Lovie's two seasons) with five straight victories. The Panthers were 6-3 under John Fox, with six consecutive victories. Rookie Kyle Orton (136 passing yards, 68.7 rating) wasn't very good, but the Bears' defense dominated — sacking Jake Delhomme eight times (three by Adewale Ogunleye) and intercepting Delhomme twice (both by Nathan Vasher).

It was a statement that Smith's rebuild was the real deal, but also that his defense couldn't stop Steve Smith, who had 14 receptions for 169 yards. That would come back to haunt the Bears in the playoff rematch, as Smith was even better — 12 receptions for 218 yards and two touchdowns in a 29-21 victory at Soldier Field. Still, the Bears were on their way to better things.

6. 1984 — Bears 17, Raiders 6 at Soldier Field

After winning five of their last six games in Mike Ditka's first full season in 1983, the Bears were 6-3 in 1984 when they faced the defending Super Bowl champion Raiders (7-2) at Soldier Field. Jim McMahon (3 of 11, 68 yards 15.0 passer rating before leaving with a bruised kidney) and Steve Fuller (4 of 5, 27 yards) were't very good, but the Bears' defense took center stage with an assault that would be their trademark — sacking Marc Wilson six times before knocking him out of the game with a big hit, then sacking David Humm three times before knocking him out of the game with a big hit.

It was a watershed moment for the Bears, with the Raiders — still known for their relentless and over-the-top aggressiveness, complaining that the Bears were the cheap-shot artists. The Bears were 7-3 for the first time since the 1963 championship season, and the best was yet to come.

5. 2006 — Bears 26, Packers 0 at Lambeau Field

The Bears were coming off an 11-5 playoff season and aiming to take the next step with a healthy Rex Grossman to start the 2006 season. They already had started to turn things around against Brett Favre and the Packers under Lovie Smith — winning three of four in 2004-05. But the season opener was the giant leap Bears fans were looking for. The Bears dominated from start (Grossman's 49-yard touchdown pass to Bernard Berrian on the sixth play from scrimmage) to finish (rookie Devin Hester's 84-yard punt return in the fourth quarter that gave the Bears a 26-0 lead). Favre, who was 18-2 against the Bears in the 10 seasons before Smith was hired, was 15 of 29 for 170 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions (Charles Tillman, Danieal Manning) for a 40.9 passer rating.

It was the beginning of a glorious start for the Bears — they were 7-0 and outscoring opponents 221-69 before losing to Nick Saban and the Dolphins. They finished 13-3 and won their first NFC championship since 1985 before losing to Peyton Manning and the Colts 29-17 in Super Bowl XLI.

4. 2025 — Bears 24, Eagles 15 at Lincoln Financial Field

A bit of a projection here because who knows what the future holds for Ben Johnson and the Bears — they could lose to the Packers on Sunday at Lambeau Field and play the Packers again at Soldier Field in Week 16 before finishing the regular season with the 49ers (9-4) at Levi's Stadium and Lions (7-5). And every team is at the mercy of the football gods when it comes to injuries and deflections and the officials in today's NFL. But their ability to control the game with their running game against the defending Super Bowl champions when Williams was subpar was a statement in itself. Their 281 rushing yards are the second most against a Vic Fangio defense in Fangio's 25 years as an NFL coordinator/head coach. Trestman in 2014 and Nagy in 2019 went backward instead of forward in Year 2. Johnson has a better chance to succeed in Year 2 where his Bears predecessors failed.

3. 1984 — Bears 23, Redskins 19 at RFK Stadium

The Bears were seven-point underdogs with Steve Fuller starting for an injured Jim McMahon in their first playoff game since 1979. "I have a gut feeling that we're going to win the game," coach Mike Ditka said. The Bears relied on their top-ranked defense, which sacked Joe Theismann seven times — Richard Dent had three, Dan Hampton had two and intercepted him once (Mike Richardson) without allowing a touchdown pass. And they got a bonus: Fuller not only didn't make an error (no interceptions), but threw touchdown passes to Willie Gault (75 yards) and Dennis McKinnon (16 yards).

But it was running back Walter Payton who sparked the upset, first with a 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Pat Dunsmore that gave the Bears a 10-3 lead at halftime, and also by rushing for 104 yards on 24 carries against a Redskins defense that ranked second in rushing defense and had allowed just one 100-yard rusher all season.

2. 1985 — Bears 44, Cowboys 0 at Texas Stadium

The Bears were 11-0 — already clinching the NFC Central — and already had everybody's attention, but took it to another level with a stunning display of dominance against the 7-3 Cowboys, who were past their prime as Super Bowl contenders under Tom Landry but still very much "America's Team." Quarterback Steve Fuller wasn't very good — 9 of 24 for 164 yards and an interception for a 44.4 passer rating. But the defense was dominant — with six sacks (Richard Dent had two) and four interceptions against Danny White and Gary Hogeboom and a fumble recovery. Dent started it with a deflection, interception and one-yard return for a touchdown. Mike Richardson had a 36-yard interception return for a touchdown and a fumble recovery.

It was the worst loss in Cowboys history and stamped the Bears as Super Bowl favorites. Despite a 38-24 loss to the Dolphins two weeks later, they did not disappoint — as dominant in Super Bowl XX against the Patriots as they were against the Cowboys.

1. 1985 — Bears 26, 49ers 10 at Candlestick Park

The rout of the Cowboys is the game everyone remembers — it was the marquee game nationally, with Pat Summerall and John Madden calling the game and it made the cover of Sports Illustrated. But this was the game that marked the Bears (6-0) as contenders — against the defending Super Bowl champion 49ers, who not only had beaten the Bears 23-0 in the NFC Championship game but rubbed it in with a taunt of "bring an offense next time." They did, with 372 total yards, two touchdowns and a dominant 36:37-23:23 edge in time of possession. Jim McMahon wasn't great — 18 of 31 for 186 yards and an interception. But Walter Payton was — with 24 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns. And the Bears defense was just warming up — sacking Joe Montana seven times (Richard Dent and Wilber Marshall two each) and two fumble recoveries without giving up a touchdown (the 49ers scored on a pick-6). "We remembered to pack our offense this time," Jimbo Covert said. And they left a calling card — William Perry finished it off with two carries for four yards.

The Bears were 6-0 for the first time since 1942. And ready for prime time.

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