Ben Johnson’s 28-3 message changed the Bears forever

Chicago’s postseason breakthrough did not begin under playoff lights. It started months earlier when head coach Ben Johnson chose an unlikely teaching tool.

He played film from Super Bowl LI, a game remembered less for dominance than for collapse and recovery. At the time, the exercise seemed theoretical. By January, it became prophetic.

Two Bears in that room had lived the moment from opposite sidelines. Defensive lineman Grady Jarrett was part of the Atlanta Falcons team that surged ahead 28-3 before unraveling.

Offensive lineman Joe Thuney was a rookie with New England when the Patriots authored the largest comeback in Super Bowl history, winning 34-28 in overtime after Atlanta’s win probability peaked at 99.7 percent. Their perspectives framed a simple lesson. Games do not end when momentum disappears.

Johnson returned to that message Saturday night at Soldier Field. Chicago entered halftime of its NFC wild-card game down 21-3 to the Green Bay Packers, the deepest home playoff hole the franchise has ever faced.

The Bears poured in 25 fourth-quarter points, erased a deficit that once looked decisive and secured a 31-27 victory to reach the divisional round.

“I think it's just a good lesson to be learned that it's 28-3 in the middle of the third quarter, and yet the game still is being played and there is a lot of time left,” Johnson said.

How belief turned into results on the field

The playoff comeback fit a season-long pattern rather than an isolated surge. Chicago’s late-game resilience defined its first postseason win in 15 years, driven by quarterback Caleb Williams and a roster that stayed composed when margins shrank.

Williams delivered his seventh winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime, connecting with DJ Moore for a 25-yard touchdown with 1:43 remaining to flip the game.

“It's no fluke,” Williams said. “It's no, 'Oh, this happened, we're lucky.' We've done it multiple times this year. It's been proven to be for us to be a great second-half team.”

That drive tied Williams with Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix for the most such finishes in the NFL this season and marked the highest total by a Bears quarterback since the 1970 merger.

Chicago also became just the fourth team in league history to win a playoff game after trailing by at least 15 points entering the fourth quarter. The Super Bowl LI Patriots are among the others.

The Packers' collapse mirrored several moments that built Chicago’s confidence.

The Bears overturned deficits against Green Bay twice in the regular season, erased late holes against Minnesota, New York, Cincinnati, Washington and Las Vegas, and repeatedly thrived when probabilities dipped into single digits.

Johnson framed those moments not as miracles but as opportunities.

“Just reminding them that this has been done before, and rather than saying, 'Woe is me,' and 'Oh, crap, we're in a hole,'” he said, “it's more, 'This is a great opportunity for us to turn this around into a game we'll never forget.' And that's what they did.”

That belief reshaped Chicago’s season and, now, its identity.