And just like that, the Chicago Bears' time of sneaking up on opponents is over. All remnants of that notion were shredded away after Week 13 presented the surging team with their biggest test yet: beating the defending Super Bowl champions on their home turf, as they were coming off a tough divisional loss. To the horror of the fans at Lincoln Financial Field, Chicago passed with flying colors behind D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai. The pair became the first Bears' running back duo to each rush for 100+ yards since Walter Payton and Matt Suhey in 1985.
The win now puts the Bears' record at 9-3 and the team at the top of the NFC North, half a game above the Green Bay Packers (8-3-1). Safe to say, then, that head coach Ben Johnson's now-viral post-game celebration was well-deserved (you can show that video to anyone who doesn't believe him to be a part of Dan Campbell's coaching tree).
Ben Johnson's trash talk comes back around
The win comes at a poetic time in the Bears' season. After beginning the 2025 campaign 0-2 with both losses coming from divisional opponents, Chicago has been one of those teams to scrappily claw its way back to the top of the division, to find its rhythm at the right time. The team is now 9-3 against the spread as full underdogs, and with a chunk of their defense still out with injuries to boot. And now, with an emotional win in the books, the Bears face a Week 14 matchup that brings their season full circle in more ways than one.
Johnson's shirtless celebration after the Bears' Black Friday week isn't the first time he's let his emotions come to the forefront. No, that started all the way back before the team even played a game. It was during his introductory press conference as the team's newest head coach where Johnson started puffing out his chest about his prowess as a play caller and coach in Detroit:
"And to be quite frank with you, I kind of enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year," Johnson said.
Bears and Ben Johnson can get the last laugh (twice) against Packers
Johnson's next test is to back those words up as the Bears still have to face the rival Packers twice in their remaining five games of the regular season. And the stakes are incredibly high — but it also appears as if Chicago and it's head coach are now ready for the task in a way they might not have been just a couple of months ago.
To be clear: if the Bears had faced LaFleur and the Packers earlier in the 2025 season, it would have ended badly. But now, with more tape and an inconsistent Green Bay offense that has sputtered against the Eagles and Panthers, Johnson has a chance to make good on his trash talk.
The Week 14 matchup between Chicago and Green Bay sees them both coming off big wins against Philadelphia and Detroit, respectively, making it and their Week 16 rematch the likely deciders of who finishes at the top of the NFC North. We'll see if Johnson can continue the tradition he grew fond of in Detroit — and if he does, it'll be a moment of pure catharsis in the Windy City.