There’s no hiding from what happened against Green Bay. The Bears had a chance to create separation in the NFC North and let the Packers pull ahead again. Instead of a cushion, Chicago sits as the No. 7 seed with four games left.
But here’s the beauty — the NFC is razor thin. If the Bears win next week and Green Bay loses, Chicago is right back in first place. That’s how tight the race is. And that’s exactly why Ben Johnson’s message should be everywhere through every hallway of Halas Hall.
“We will be a playoff team once we earn enough wins to become a playoff team. Right now we are a 9-win team and I don’t think 9 wins is going to get you in this year, so we have to do what we can to get enough wins to find a way into the tournament.”
No excuses. No pity. No scoreboard-watching. Johnson isn’t interested in projections, only production and wins. The Bears aren’t talking about “being a playoff team.” They’re talking about earning it, one week at a time.
With four games remaining, the formula is simple: beat Cleveland. Then beat Green Bay. Then keep climbing. Nothing else matters. Johnson’s mentality, one game, one win, one step closer, is exactly the message a young, hungry locker room needs in December.
Chicago can still take the division. They can still be the team nobody wants to see in January.
But it starts with one thing: Earn your way in.
