It's been a long time since the Chicago were last in the playoffs; five years to be specific, but their head coach Ben Johnson has been in it the past two years.
Johnson led one of the NFL's best offenses with the Detroit Lions as their offensive coordinator, reaching the NFC Championship game in 2023. Now with the Bears, he knows exactly what it's going to take to make it happen and has just one focus going into their Wild Card showdown against the Green Bay Packers.
"We’re mentally prepared to play for five more weeks. That’s our intent. How do you do that? You go out and win the first one," Johnson said via 670 The Score's Chris Emma. "We’re going to go all out for this game, and we’ll worry about the future when the time comes."
Ben Johnson will have the Bears ready to play vs. Packers
This has been a great season for the Bears, as they finished with an 11-6 record, won the NFL North, and earned the number two seed in the conference. It was the team's best season since 2018, when they went 12-4 and won the division.
As for postseason success, the Bears have not had it, as they are looking for their first playoff win since 2010, when they made it to the NFC Championship game. Since then, it's been a combination of losing seasons and early postseason exits.
The messaging at Halas Hall has been much different from what the fan base has heard over the last few years. There is confidence from Johnson and the Bears' franchise quarterback, Caleb Williams. Johnson and Williams have made it clear that even though there might be concerns with Williams making his first postseason start, he was built for these moments.
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In the third matchup of the season with the Packers, the Bears are looking to make it two straight wins against them and send a clear message to the league that they are officially here to stay for a long time.