It has felt more like a celebration in Chicago over the past week after the Bears' success, but not everyone is ready to take part in that.
The Bears are currently in first place in the NFC North and NFC after their 24-15 win over the Philadelphia Eagles and the Carolina Panthers' win over the Los Angeles Rams. When asked about being the NFC's No. 1 seed, Bears head coach Ben Johnson was honest and didn't even give it a second thought, as it doesn't mean much right now.
"No. It doesn't mean anything. There are five games left. So we have a long ways to go. We have not been guaranteed a spot in the tournament yet. We have to earn that right. And the only way you can earn that right is by finding a way to win that next game. So that's where our focus is."
Bears keeping the focus on winning the next game
This is perfectly put by Johnson as the Bears can't afford to lose focus. Chicago has won nine of the last 10 games and has been victorious in many of them by winning close ones.
After much criticism about the Bears not beating good teams, they managed to take down the 6-4 Pittsburgh Steelers and the 8-3 Eagles in each of the last two weeks. These were statement wins by the team, officially declaring that they have arrived on the scene and aren't going anywhere.
The job is nowhere close to being done, though, as they have five weeks left with many still non-believers in the Bears. Chicago still has to play the Green Bay Packers twice, the Detroit Lions, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Cleveland Browns. As crazy as it sounds, none of those are 100% locks to be Bears wins.
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There's no doubt the Bears are going to have to earn these wins and show the league once more why they should be in the conversation for the Super Bowl. At least the head coach has the right mindset for his team. That statement he made is a big reason why the culture in Chicago is precisely where it needs to be compared to the previous regime.