Everybody knows what week it is. If you don't, it's about time you start paying attention. This is Packers week. For the Chicago Bears, the season starts now.
The season starts now for two reasons. First, the very last current NFC Wild Card team also has nine wins. Absolutley nothing is guaranteed right now, and Ben Johnson understands that.
Secondly, this week marks the first of two matchups with the Green Bay Packers, both coming late in the season when it counts more than ever.
“It’s a big week, we know how important this rivalry is. … It’s one of those that lives in NFL history," Johnson told the media.
Ben Johnson has been preparing for his first Bears-Packers matchup long before he was hired in Chicago
This week is obviously a pivotal matchup. If Chicago loses this weekend, there is a chance that they drop from the no. 1 seed all the way down to the no. 7 and final spot in the NFC playoff standings. But Johnson has been preparing for this moment for a very long time.
Johnson wasn't shy about his love for beating Matt LaFleur and the Packers during his opening press conference, just after the Bears hired him. Bears fans ate that up, obviously. But let's look a little deeper here.
Back in January of 2024, Johnson was interviewed as a head coaching candidate. He was a hot candidate, too.
Yet, he opted to return to Detroit rather than taking a head coaching job with either the Washington Commanders or Seattle Seahawks. Why would he do that?
He looked ahead. The Bears were going to keep Matt Eberflus, and next year, there was a very good chance they'd end up with their quarterback of the future, whether it be Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, or one of the other top prospects.
Johnson didn't want Washington or Seattle. He wanted Chicago. He wanted to stay in this division.
And now, we fast forward almost two full years, and he gets the opportunity he's long-prepared for. It's Packers week. It's the first of, hopefully, many more Packers weeks to come.
Johnson understands the rivalry. Many previous head coaches seemed to talk the talk and tell us they understood. But, in reality, they didn't seem to take it as seriously as the city would have liked.
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This time around, Chicago can rest assured that Johnson is taking this as seriously as possible. This is where the real football begins.