Ben Johnson’s fiery postgame reaction reflects the energy the Bears need to continue to have following their first win of the season
A moment this team won’t forget anytime soon.
In the NFL, nothing brings a team closer together than getting a win. And no win feels sweeter than a win that gets the team out of a slump. That’s exactly what the Chicago Bears pulled off in Week 3 against the Dallas Cowboys to earn their first win of the season.
After the game, you can see the raw reaction from head coach Ben Johnson in the locker room and how much this game meant to him after a 0-2 start to his head coaching career, even if he remained calm and collected while speaking with reporters.
Johnson was awarded a game ball after giving two of his own to the top performers from the game. Seeing the team rally around him after that moment, chanting together, and the energy that oozed from that locker room showed what football is all about.
“It’s awesome,” quarterback Caleb Williams said after the game. “The trust and belief and hard work. Being able to have that moment for him and his family, the historic organization. To be able to have this moment for him and us, it’s really important.”
It wasn’t just winning the game, it’s how the Bears won and what went into it that makes it even more important for this team. Johnson challenged his players to step up going into this game, and the players answered in a big way for their coach. That’s the first step toward creating a winning culture.
Bears need to use Week 3 as a learning moment for how things are supposed to be done
“The first two weeks did not go the way we wanted to,” Johnson told reporters after the win. “It’s early, but we got to get the issues fixed. I thought the guys were committed to that here this week. We had a good week of preparation, and they came out and played inspired football today. Good things happen when you’re playing hard, you’re playing physical, and you’re playing for the guy next to you. I thought that’s what happened here today.”
Playing inspired to that level is something the Chicago Bears haven’t experienced in a while, and even though it was just one game, things certainly felt different in the locker room.
Williams noted, during his rookie season in 2024, that the best teams are player-led teams. But it takes having a strong head coach and supporting staff to create and enforce a high standard for those players to rise up to as well.
“We have so many guys that care, and it’s something that Coach Johnson and I talk about,” Williams added. “There’s so many guys that care about us as teammates, but also just us as winning. I know that we started off 0-2, but the belief was still there, the trust was still there. It’s just us being able to go out there and do it and execute it.”
It’s just one win, and there’s a lot of football left to be played, but it seemed like Sunday was finally the first real step forward for this organization, and it gave a taste of the optimism this new era can bring.
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Ben Johnson’s message landed with the Bears and his young offensive core looked especially promising in the Week 3 win over Dallas
That’s the game we’ve expected to see all along.
