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NFL insider reveals what Ben Johnson has already established with Chicago Bears

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer explains what head coach Ben Johnson has already established with the Chicago Bears and why it matters for the team’s long-term outlook.
Bryan Perez|
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Chicago Bears

Believe it or not, but the Chicago Bears are 11-4 and in first place in the NFC North.

Yes, the same Chicago Bears that floundered year after year with Matt Eberflus and his coaching blunders. It's the same franchise that thought Matt Nagy would be the offensive genius who could rebuild a first-round quarterback, only to be duped by a coach who failed every test.

And let's not revisit the days of John Fox or Marc Trestman.

These Bears, the Ben Johnson Chicago Bears, are a different breed. And according to NFL insider Albert Breer, there's one major reason why: this team believes in what their head coach is selling.

Bears players are all-in on Ben Johnson

"The result, as I see it anyway, was on display with five minutes left in Saturday night’s showdown with the Packers, with the Bears down 16–6 and searching for a spark," Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer wrote. "Most teams with Chicago’s recent history would probably be dead in the water, even with a record of 10–4, in that spot. These Bears weren’t—and it goes back to how Johnson hardened them."

Let's face it, the Bears had nothing else but faith when they were trailing 16-9 with less than two minutes remaining in the game.

What ensued was nothing short of a miracle, and culminated with what will go down as the throw of the year in the NFL: Caleb Williams to DJ Moore in overtime to win the game.

Remember: It's all about belief. And that belief spawned from the intense work that Johnson forced the Bears to do during training camp.

“Just making it harder on us at the beginning,” Moore told Breer after the Packers win, “and then in camp you could tell that what his vision was for this team was coming to fruition [as the season got closer]. And then we just had to fulfill it every week. And every week, we try to achieve that and go out there and put our best foot forward.”

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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