{"id":330133,"date":"2025-12-04T14:44:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T14:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/330133\/"},"modified":"2025-12-04T14:44:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T14:44:10","slug":"the-chicago-bears-are-winning-for-the-first-time-in-years-their-shirtless-coach-is-a-big-reason-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/330133\/","title":{"rendered":"The Chicago Bears are winning for the first time in years. Their shirtless coach is a big reason why."},"content":{"rendered":"

\n Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson<\/a> acknowledged his burgeoning reputation as, according to his quarterback<\/a>, a \u201cman of the people\u201d on Monday.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI think anytime you get a chance to feed the city, you want to do it. So, man of the people,\u201d Johnson said in his press conference.\n <\/p>\n

\n He meant that literally.\n <\/p>\n

\n By tearing off his shirt in machismo-riddled jubilation, Johnson had delivered unto Chicago a feast \u2014 or, at least, roughly 2,000 free hot dogs<\/a>. But the sentiment \u2014 quelling a craving, fueling a fervor, feeding the psychic hunger of a fanbase famished for reasons to celebrate ostentatiously \u2014 is applicable more broadly, too.\n <\/p>\n

\n Three hundred and sixty-five days after the Bears \u2014 then a lowly laughing stock en route to a third-straight last-place finish in the NFC North \u2014 fired Matt Eberflus<\/a> as head coach, Johnson\u2019s Bears bested the reigning champion Philadelphia Eagles over Thanksgiving weekend. It was a decisive, 24-15 victory on the road to bring their record to a division-best 9-3.\n <\/p>\n

\n In the span of a year, the Bears stopped being losers and moved atop the NFC standings. If you\u2019re wondering what changed, it starts with the guy wearing the headset calling plays.\n <\/p>\n

\"Ben<\/p>\n

\n A clip of Johnson roaring shirtless in the postgame locker room went viral. The visual alone is striking, but the act also triggered a giveaway foretold over a month before when The Wiener\u2019s Circle, a Chicago street food institution, promised free hot dogs<\/a> in exchange for just such a display.\n <\/p>\n

\n It\u2019s not incidental that Johnson\u2019s hypothetical antics were chosen \u2014 via X poll \u2014 as an avatar for the team\u2019s success.\n <\/p>\n

\n Twelve games into his first season as a head coach and he\u2019s being heralded as an underpaid \u2014 at reportedly $13 million annually \u2014 creator of a championship-like culture. Or maybe just a brilliant offensive mind who has buoyed the Bears\u2019 scoring from 28th last season to eighth this year\n <\/p>\n

\n A recently rudderless franchise that trained its fans to expect disappointment is now earning plenty of reasons to believe.\n <\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\n Their reputation as collapse artists followed them through the start of the season. Eight weeks into the campaign, with a 4-3 record, both ESPN and The Athletic ranked them 16th out of 32 teams \u2014 the lowest of any team with a winning record. But even then, as the experts remained skeptical it would translate to results, ESPN wrote that under Johnson, the accountability, buy-in, and culture \u201cfeels different than other seasons.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n The Bears haven\u2019t lost since.\n <\/p>\n

\n And their latest win, over the defending Super Bowl champions on the road, was worth more than just 1,000 feet of frankfurter (we did the math). It ensured a winning record for the first time since 2018 and should help to dispel some of the skepticism that the Bears success so far this season has been built by cruising through a comparatively easy schedule.\n <\/p>\n

\n Because, as they enter a critical stretch where they\u2019ll play the second-place Green Bay Packers in two of their next three games, the question plaguing the Bears is: Are they just lucky, or is this what it looks like when a team is clutch, confident and well-coached?\n <\/p>\n

\"Bears<\/p>\n

\n Their +6 point differential is eighth in the conference, exactly average, and more than 60 points worse than division rivals Green Bay and Detroit. That\u2019s largely the fault of the defense, which is bottom-third in the league.\n <\/p>\n

\n That soft schedule? Only the Patriots have had an easier strength of schedule rating.\n <\/p>\n

\n Sophomore quarterback and 2024 first-overall draft pick, Caleb Williams was a disappointment last year and the stats say his passing game has only gotten worse this season, landing him last among qualified QBs in pass completion.\n <\/p>\n

\n But, as Johnson himself said this week, \u201cWe\u2019re winning in spite of our passing game.\u201d He meant that as a critique and, in fact, was forced to later clarify that he\u2019s still happy with his quarterback.\n <\/p>\n

\"Bears<\/p>\n

\n And yet, the tension captured in that comment is illustrative of a dynamic that has made the Bears exciting and fun to root for this season.\n <\/p>\n

\n Chicago built an improved offensive line and Johnson designs plays to cater to Williams\u2019 strengths, or at least to minimize his deficiencies. Along with rushing the ball (an area in which they\u2019re second in the league), they succeed by forcing turnovers (the otherwise lackluster defense is tops in takeaways) and surrendering very few of their own.\n <\/p>\n

\n Williams, who could have languished as a top pick that proved to be a bust, has developed a reputation as clutch and cool under pressure as the Bears have mounted a number of fourth-quarter comebacks.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trailing late in games isn\u2019t exactly reflective of a dominant team that\u2019s necessarily destined for greatness. And it\u2019s not clear that the Bears are a great team, at least not yet anyway. They\u2019re probably a little lucky, caught on the cusp between \u201cbad\u201d and \u201cgood\u201d where the right calls and the right confidence can sway things just enough toward success that begets more success.\n <\/p>\n

\n It\u2019s fun. And for now it\u2019s working.\n <\/p>\n

\n The Bears are winning, they\u2019re likely headed back to the playoffs for the first time since 2020, and on Tuesday, fans lined up around the block<\/a> in 20-degree weather for a hot dog that\u2019s normally not even $7 \u2013 all because it was bestowed upon them by the coach who changed the culture of football in Chicago.\n <\/p>\n