PHILADELPHIA \u2014 Postgame vibes like these are difficult to come by. They\u2019re the kind derived from a groundswell of unity and belief, a collision of confidence and purpose.<\/p>\n
On Friday afternoon in the recesses of Lincoln Financial Field, the NFL\u2019s hottest team gathered inside the visitors\u2019 locker room with the music bumping and their satisfaction overflowing. Like a prizefighter standing over a dazed knockout victim, the Chicago Bears felt their swelling ferocity and the adrenaline rush that came with it. They felt every last ounce of satisfaction from this devastating uppercut to the jaw of the Philadelphia Eagles, a 24-15 thumping<\/a> that sent vibrations across the NFL.<\/p>\n \u201cYou always treat every game like just another game,\u201d team captain Kevin Byard said. \u201cBut I would say this meant just a little bit more.\u201d<\/p>\n This, folks, was a statement. It was a defeat of the reigning Super Bowl champions. On the road. In a short week. For a Black Friday audience on Prime Video.<\/p>\n The notice delivered to the rest of the NFL came through loud and clear: The Bears are for real.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the same message we\u2019ve been sending every week,\u201d Bears coach Ben Johnson said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to compete our tails off for 60 minutes. That\u2019s what I know about our group. They have a lot of belief in what we\u2019re doing. They have a lot of belief in themselves. They have a lot of belief in this coaching staff. And so that confidence just starts to develop and continues to bubble over.\u201d<\/p>\n At this point, doubt at your own risk. Use the Bears\u2019 lackluster point differential (plus-six through 12 games) if you feel so compelled. Acknowledge their unimpressive strength-of-victory data (.364) if you must. Criticize the inconsistency and dipping completion percentage of quarterback Caleb Williams (.581). Feel free to point out the team\u2019s difficult stretch through the finish line of the regular season.<\/p>\n Also understand, however, with no qualifiers needed, that as December arrives, these Bears are as hot and as dangerous as any team in football. They have won nine of their last 10 games and are loaded with a combination of special attributes that make a deep run in January very plausible.<\/p>\n That was all on display Friday as the Bears pummeled Philadelphia with their bruising running attack, frustrated an edgy home crowd with a pair of second-half takeaways and, as they\u2019ve done all season, put their stamp on the fourth quarter. They did it all by following the direction of a passion-fueled head coach in Johnson, whose spirited \u201cGood, better, best\u201d exhortations got a new twist in Philly.<\/p>\n