Undoubtedly, the thrilling comeback by the Chicago Bears over the Packers in the NFC Wild Card will live on forever. It had everything one could ask for in a playoff game.
The back and forth, a down-to-the-wire finish, and of course, a historic rivalry. From the Bears' side, defeating the Packers in the playoffs before the home crowd at Soldier Field was as good as it got.
After the 31-27 win, head coach Ben Johnson screamed to the heavens, “f*** the Packers” in the locker room. Now, one would expect that Johnson's boss, chairman George McCaskey, would have wanted him to tone things down.
However, Johnson said he spoke with McCaskey, who shares those sentiments, per Courtney Cronin of ESPN. After all, it is the Packers.
“There’s a rivalry that exists between these two teams. Something that I fully recognize and am a part of…I don’t like that team. [Chairman] George [McCaskey] and I have talked, and we’re on the same page.”
The Bears now face the LA Rams in the NFC Divisional Playoff on Sunday. Los Angeles comes in with a 13-5 regular season record and defeated the Carolina Panthers in their Wild Card game 34-31.
Meanwhile, the Bears, 11-6, are the NFC North Division champions for the first time since 2018.
The Bears are lucky to have the vitality and energy of Ben Johnson
Since he was hired, Johnson has brought significant passion, and that has rubbed off on the Bears. He has brought out the best in the team and the fans writ large.
Every time the Bears win, he is in the locker room, getting everyone charged up and taking off his shirt at the right time.
Regardless of whatever happens from this point on, the Bears can hang their hat on the fact that they beat their most significant rival in the postseason.
