If there was any question about how seriously the Bears are taking their regular-season finale, coach Ben Johnson erased it on Monday. With his former team, the Detroit Lions, coming to Chicago, Johnson made it clear that playoff positioning matters and that resting players isn’t part of the plan.
“We’re going out there to win,” Johnson said, leaving no room for interpretation.
While Detroit is already locked into its playoff spot and has little at stake, Chicago has plenty to play for.
The Bears are focused on securing the No. 2 seed, which would give them an extra home game if they advance past the opening round. There may also be some added emotion with Johnson facing the organization he once worked for, especially after the Lions handed Chicago a lopsided loss earlier in the season when Johnson returned to Ford Field.
This time, the roles are flipped.
Detroit entered that Week 2 matchup as the defending NFC North champions. Now it’s the Bears who sit atop the division and control their postseason path. A win Sunday would likely set up a first-round home game against Green Bay. A loss, combined with an Eagles victory, would leave Chicago hosting a different opponent depending on other results around the league.
Quarterback Caleb Williams echoed Johnson’s mindset, emphasizing the importance of maximizing every possible advantage.
“You always want to put yourself in the best situation you can, whether that’s being at home or having better matchups,” Williams said. “We’re preparing for this game like we do every week, and we’re excited to compete.”
Following Sunday night’s 42–38 loss to San Francisco, Johnson had an opportunity to criticize his defense after the 49ers piled up yards and points. Instead, he chose to take responsibility on the offensive side and highlight the defense’s positive contributions.
“I didn’t think our offense helped them enough early on,” Johnson said. “We couldn’t sustain drives, and that put them in tough positions. They still came up with a pick-six and forced a couple of punts. If we execute better in the red zone, the outcome feels very different.”
Johnson acknowledged San Francisco’s offensive firepower while stressing that improvement is necessary, particularly against the run. Chicago has surrendered nearly 400 rushing yards over the last two games and allowed a season-high 496 total yards against the 49ers.
“It always comes back to fundamentals,” Johnson said.
“Gap control, assignments — those things matter. We also faced one of the hottest offenses in the league, and that needs to be recognized.”
Cleaning up those issues will be critical this weekend, especially with Detroit’s backfield duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs looming as the next challenge.
