PHILADELPHIA — Postgame vibes like these are difficult to come by. They’re the kind derived from a groundswell of unity and belief, a collision of confidence and purpose.
On Friday afternoon in the recesses of Lincoln Financial Field, the NFL’s hottest team gathered inside the visitors’ 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 that sent vibrations across the NFL.
“You always treat every game like just another game,” team captain Kevin Byard said. “But I would say this meant just a little bit more.”
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.
The notice delivered to the rest of the NFL came through loud and clear: The Bears are for real.
“It’s the same message we’ve been sending every week,” Bears coach Ben Johnson said. “We’re going to compete our tails off for 60 minutes. That’s what I know about our group. They have a lot of belief in what we’re 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.”
At this point, doubt at your own risk. Use the Bears’ 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’s difficult stretch through the finish line of the regular season.
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.
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’ve 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 “Good, better, best” exhortations got a new twist in Philly.
Johnson went shirtless this time, activating an October-promised promotion from Chicago’s “The Wieners Circle” after the well-known hot dog stand vowed to provide free grub for fans if the Bears coach bared his chest during a victory celebration.
Wish granted.
Indeed, this has fast become a team that’s easy to like and easier to admire. Consider some of the most significant stamps applied to Friday’s signature triumph.
Running back D’Andre Swift, in his return to Philadelphia, averaged 6.9 yards per carry and chewed up 125 yards against a proven Eagles defense. Even with that breakout, Swift still wound up as his team’s second-leading rusher. Rookie Kyle Monangai (22 carries, 130 yards) helped the offense plow to 281 total rushing yards, the third time this season it’s topped 200.
“We knew we were going to win this game behind our O-line and their effort,” Monangai said. “And they showed up for the task. They dominated. Then me and ’Dre were able to do what we do best.”
With December and January ahead, a strong running game always travels. That has become the core of the Bears’ identity. They are averaging 153.8 yards per game on the ground and, on Friday, jumped past the Buffalo Bills as the league’s top rushing team.
“We can wear defenses down, just consistently popping them, popping them,” said right tackle Darnell Wright. “Eventually, that adds up. Our backs trust that. We trust that. It’s just everybody handling their assignment and doing their jobs.”
Defensively, Byard boosted his league-leading interception total to six after a diving pick in the third quarter. Byard’s interception was just the second that Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has thrown this season in 342 pass attempts. So yeah, it was a big one.
“I looked at his stats before (this),” Byard said. “I took it as a challenge to try to go get one. And if you watch the film on mine, I had to really go get it.”
Not to be outdone, cornerback Nahshon Wright recorded his eighth takeaway of the year two possessions later, boosting the Bears’ team total in that category to 26. That, too, is unrivaled in the NFL, six higher than the current runners-up, the Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Wright’s latest contribution to that takeaway pile could not have been more timely or come in more emphatic fashion, either, against Philly’s renowned tush push on third-and-1 late in the third quarter. With the Bears’ defensive front holding its own, Wright snuck around the left side of the Eagles’ line and spied a football that wasn’t fully secured. He clawed into Hurts’ arms, ripped the ball out, then dove to the bottom of a massive pile to retrieve it.
“As soon as I pulled it loose, I saw it drop between somebody’s legs,” Wright said. “And I was able to get my hands on it. I don’t know who I was down there (grappling) with. But he wasn’t strong enough.”
Added Byard: “There’s a reason we’re the best in the league at taking the ball away.”
In that moment, the Eagles had so much momentum, down just 10-9 and inside the red zone with a chance to convert an ugly Williams interception into a back-breaking go-ahead touchdown drive. Instead, Wright tore Philadelphia’s plans to shreds.
Monangai followed with the Bears’ longest gain of the day on the next snap: 31 yards through a hole paved by Wright and right guard Jonah Jackson. The Bears rolled forward on an 87-yard touchdown drive that put the game firmly back in their control.
The Eagles’ fourth three-and-out of the afternoon followed. Chicago’s offense quickly turned around to cash in again, with Williams’ 28-yard touchdown pass to Cole Kmet with 6:19 remaining sealing the upset.
Safety Jaquan Brisker called this a legitimizing win.
“This,” he said, “was a spark.”
In January, when Johnson proclaimed at his introductory news conference that he believed the Bears could “win and win now,” it felt like obligatory red meat tossed to a hungry fan base and eager players. Now? It feels like every possibility is on the table as players continue feeding off their head coach’s enthusiasm and direction.
“When Ben first came in, he changed the whole energy,” Brisker said. “It’s the way he talks to the group. He’s serious with every word he says. He’s just real. That’s the type of coach you can ride for on the field.”
After all the deafening doubt that showered down upon the Bears after an ugly 0-2 September start, they are about to be hit by an even louder cacophony of commendation as the outside world begins debating this team’s Super Bowl chances. After Friday’s performance, with the Bears finishing off an undefeated November in resounding fashion, it’s a discussion with merit.
Scarier still? The Bears’ 9-3 record and grip on first place in the NFC North mean less to them than the idea that they still haven’t played their best football.
“There’s no secret, man,” Johnson said. “There are no shortcuts. We’ve got to go out next week and put in the same amount of work, and we have to continue to get better.”
Still, the Bears were fully aware of what Friday’s performance signified. Perhaps most notably, one of the league’s most surprising teams this season wasn’t surprised by its accomplishment at all.
“We have shown we can play with anyone,” Darnell Wright said. “That’s for sure. And when we handle our business, we’ll have a chance no matter what.”