Bears Blitz: Bears gear up for Black Friday showdown against the Eagles
Bears Blitz: Bears gear up for Black Friday showdown against the Eagles
Bears are gearing up for their Black Friday matchup against the defending champs. Cassie, Lou and Anthony preview the marquee matchup; how should the Bears attack Vic Fangio's defense, can the Bears limit Philly's star weapons and how winnable is this game for the Bears? The Blitz crew breaks it all down!
When Ben Johnson was asked about last year’s Thanksgiving, he said he doesn’t recall a lot.
"Shoot, I don't remember much about last year," Johnson said. "I don't remember much about last week, to be honest with you."
Then, he was the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions. Now, as the head coach of the Chicago Bears, he recanted what sounded like the bare minimum.
It was a 23-20 final score. The Lions held off the Bears.
"That was a heck of a game, it came down to the wire," Johnson said. "Being on the opposing sideline there, it was a good one for Detroit that week. That's about all I remember, though."
That’s a very bland way of saying it was the final moments of the Matt Eberflus era and ushered in Johnson’s tenure.
Big picture view:
One year ago, the Bears fired Eberflus.
It came one day after a mishandled ending in a loss to the Lions and a confusing Black Friday, where Eberflus spoke to the media and was officially fired just a few hours later.
It’s only been one year, but it might feel like a few years rolled together. The forefront of that amalgamation of metaphorical years is an 8-3 Bears team that’s closing in on doubling its win total from 2024 and a playoff berth.
At a Thanksgiving that’s more than just a holiday around Halas Hall and to Bears faithful, the Bears can take inventory of the remarkable turnaround that’s become one of the biggest stories of the 2025 NFL season.
"Just thinking about it, I think at that point last year I definitely couldn't see this far for sure," Bears safety Kevin Byard said.
What’s amazing about where the Bears are in 2025 isn’t just how the team is atop the NFC North.
The most amazing feat has to be how the Bears have successfully washed out the feeling from last season. There’s no lingering from a 10-game losing streak. Johnson’s coaching staff has eliminated every aspect of the past. It’s why he rarely mentions it.
Going around the Halas Hall locker room in 2025 during the weekday, the difference is palpable.
Players always have energy. Even after a 0-2 start to the season and a midseason loss to the Ravens, the Bears have always have energy.
Sure, it's easy to keep those vibes high when the Bears have won games in stunning fashion in plenty of ways. That has permeated to games and makes a roster with a very similar makeup to the 2024 team look completely different.
"You talk about where we were from at that point last year, I don't remember what the losing streak was at that point," Byard said. "To be on the win streak we're on now, eight out of the last nine, it feels great. We want to be able to keep that going for sure."
A lot of it is thanks to Johnson.
The head coach has ushered in a short-term memory that’s become the reason the Bears have won games. The players haven’t forgotten what 2024 season felt like, but that feeling doesn’t grip the team like it did last season.
"When you have a certain amount of belief between all three phases, from the players and special teams, defense and offense, that belief becomes contagious," quarterback Caleb Williams said. "That's something that Ben has provided in us and the other coaches have provided in us and instilled in us, is that belief, and in the coaches."
What's next:
The Bears have a chance to keep that going now in the most important part of the season.
One day, the Bears can look back on 2024 and not recall the struggles that come with it. That might be soon.
Either way, the Bears can take a page out of their head coach’s book and stay where their feet are at. They still have the playoffs.
"I turn the page pretty quickly, but those are things maybe during the summertime and I get a chance to have a beer on a nice warm day," Johnson said. "I can reflect and think back on things from the days in the past. But yeah, it was a long time ago it feels like at this point. Really happy with where we are here and what we're building here right now."
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