Bear Digest

Two shocking Week 13 upsets launch the Bears to the top of the NFC

The first year of the Ben Johnson era is already proving to be a massive win for the Chicago Bears.
Pete Martuneac|
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Don't look now, but the Chicago Bears are currently the No. 1 seed in the NFC. No, not the NFC North division, although that is also true. I'm talking about the entire National Football Conference. A triumphant Week 13 win over the defending champs, the Philadelphia Eagles, propelled the Bears to 9-3 on the season and into second place in the NFC, behind only the 9-2 Los Angeles Rams.

That all changed on Sunday afternoon. The Carolina Panthers pulled off a shocking upset win over the Rams, winning by a score of 31-28. Quarterback Matt Stafford, who is considered by many to be the leading candidate for MVP, was driving the Rams into the red zone late in the fourth quarter to either tie the game or take the lead. Instead, he fumbled the ball, and the rest is history.

Ben Johnson already a resounding success for Chicago Bears

If you had told Bears fans back in August that they would win nine games by Week 13 and hold the top spot in the NFC, they would have laughed you out of the building, but that is the reality we currently inhabit. There's no more question about whether the Bears are contenders or pretenders; they are firmly in the 'contender' category.

The fact of the matter is that, back in August, expectations for the Bears were muted at best. Most fans and analysts would have set the bar for a successful season under first-year head coach Ben Johnson at eight or nine wins and remaining in the playoff hunt by mid-December. But here we are on the weekend after Thanksgiving, and two upset victories, the Bears over the Eagles and the Panthers over the Rams, have the Bears in the driver's seat of the entire conference.

One team may be able to tie things up with the Bears, and that's the 8-3 Seattle Seahawks. As of this writing, their Week 13 game against the Minnesota Vikings has yet to start. They are heavily favored and should pick up the win to pull even with Chicago. However, Week 13 has already proven to be dangerous for the favored team. If the Vikings can pull off the improbable, Chicago will remain in sole possession of the NFC crown for a full week.

Go crazy, Bears fans. You have your head coach and quarterback of the future, and they're just getting started.

Ben Johnso
Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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