The hype is real in Chicago with the Bears rolling strong going into Week 12 after winning seven of their last eight games.
Chicago left Week 11 with an impressive 19-17 road win against NFC North division rivals Minnesota Vikings after nailing a game-winning field goal as time expired. The victory put the Bears at a 7-3 record and in sole possession of first place in the NFC North, just one game ahead of the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers.
Bears fans can't help but get consumed in the madness of a potential postseason appearance, but head coach Ben Johnson is nowhere close to being ready to talk about the playoffs yet.
"We are way far away from that. We are in the third quarter of the season."
Johnson's perfect mindset should be where every Bears fans' is at
As much as residents of the Windy City are going to hate to hear this, the Bears still need to do one thing this season to earn the respect of the NFL and the mainstream sports media: beat a team with a winning record. Chicago shouldn't be punished for it, but all seven of the Bears' wins are against teams that currently have a losing record. They have struggled against the top teams like the Lions and the Baltimore Ravens.
Johnson's approach is more about taking things week by week, which is the right way to go about it. A lot can change in the NFL season, and once teams start thinking about the postseason too early, those are the ones that end up missing out and create more questions in the offseason.
Chicago has a grueling schedule to close out the season, as they still have to play the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, and Green Bay Packers twice. Getting wins in half of those games might be enough for the playoffs, but it would also be enough to get the attention of the NFL.
Read more: Caleb Williams's critical trait vs. Vikings helped Ben Johnson defend Bears QB
The Bears are in a very good position to make the playoffs, but they must win at least half of the rest of their games to be comfortable enough to be in the postseason for the first time since the 2020 season.