Even with the loss to the Detroit Lions in their regular-season finale, the Chicago Bears still locked down the second seed in the NFC after the Philadelphia Eagles also lost to their division rival, the Washington Commanders.
Part of the reason the Bears lost to the Lions was their slow start and their failure to score until the fourth quarter, but they still had a great chance to win, as they lost on a game-winning field goal.
The Bears have had a great season that many did not see coming, winning 11 games and the NFC North, and are hosting a playoff game for the first time since 2019, in which they will face another division rival, the Green Bay Packers. Still, before his team takes the field on wild-card weekend, head coach Ben Johnson sent a message about his team through 17 games.
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Ben Johnson still believes there's more to be seen from the Bears
During his press conference on Tuesday, Johnson made it clear he thinks the Bears have not come close to reaching their full potential.
"We have not put together a full 60 minutes yet," Johnson said, and looking back on the Bears game this season, it is hard to argue with the first-time head coach.
There were multiple games in which Chicago was either down for most of the game or in a close match when opportunities presented themselves to take control.
Chicago has six comeback wins this season, with all of them coming after trailing in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, and one of those victories was against the Packers in Week 16, where they defeated them in overtime.
Ironically, aside from that game-winning throw-and-catch by Caleb Williams and DJ Moore, the Bears have trailed for every second of both games they've played, which strongly supports Johnson's comments. However, if they can play a complete game, the Bears can have a long postseason run.
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