Bears coach Ben Johnson already calling for greater urgency after a remarkable Year 1 run

It’s been a while.

It has been a while since the Chicago Bears had this much to puff their chests about, a long while since the Bears were this competitive and this successful. It’s been a while since a football-crazed city came alive like this, behind a team like this, a tough, resilient and galvanized group that mashed the gas to win 11 games, a division title and then an unforgettable playoff clash with the rival Green Bay Packers.

Naturally, after a resurgence so impressive, after a season that has inspired so many goosebump-inducing highlight montages, the positive vibes inside Halas Hall aren’t difficult to detect. There’s energy, momentum and confidence percolating.

But …

The messenger of this whole operation, 39-year-old firebrand Ben Johnson, isn’t in the mood for a victory lap.

Johnson isn’t here for high-fives or commendation for awakening one of the NFL’s charter franchises and stimulating Chicago’s imagination. He is here to stalk a second Lombardi Trophy for this organization. And he remains relentless with that focus.

For those into three-word reviews, Johnson’s blunt assessment of the Bears’ 2025 season really packs a punch.

Wasn’t good enough.

Those were his exact words on Wednesday morning at Halas Hall.

“It was really hard to accomplish what we accomplished,” Johnson said. “And it wasn’t good enough. It’s going to be that much harder to put ourselves in that position again next season. So (there is) a lot of work coming up.”

Just 365 days after being introduced as the Bears’ coach and introducing Chicago to his passion-fueled approach, Johnson was equally emphatic with his messaging Wednesday. All those adrenaline rushes from this past season? All those late-game miracles? All those wins?

“There is no building off this,” Johnson declared. “We go back to square one. We’re back at the bottom again. That’s really (for) all 32 teams. If you feel otherwise, you’re probably missing the big picture.”

That sentiment felt sobering but timely as Johnson crosses the bridge toward his second season, intent on retaining his team’s attention and purpose.

Through that perspective, Sunday’s 20-17 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC divisional round really left a mark. Four other teams remain alive in this year’s playoffs. The Bears, having squandered a golden opportunity, are left as spectators.

For a while there, as the Bears built their identity and then a reputation as late-game assassins behind quarterback Caleb Williams, Johnson was justifiably convinced this season could end under a confetti storm at Levi’s Stadium at Super Bowl LX. Alas, Sunday’s loss at Soldier Field dashed those dreams.

“We’re one of the 31 other teams that fell short,” Johnson said Wednesday. “If anything, that just rejuvenates me and makes me want to push harder and longer than what we did this past season. I’m already looking ahead to 2026 myself.”

That message felt striking but far from surprising, some reality-check motivation for players, coaches and fans alike.

Don’t get it twisted. There’s plenty Johnson is proud of and plenty he believes in as the Bears begin charting their future with an understanding of how much of a minefield the NFL can be. (We’ll discuss the head coach’s team testimonials here shortly.)

But it’s significant that, less than 72 hours after such a fun and remarkable season ended, Johnson was so emphatic in establishing organization-wide awareness for how difficult it will be to even match that success.

“We’ve got to dig a little bit deeper,” he said. “We’ve got to work a little bit harder. We’ve got to give a little bit more if we want to take this thing over the top.

“If you’re trying to lose weight and trying to lose 50 pounds, the first 30 is the easiest 30. The last 20 is the hard part. We did a nice job this year, but it’s not enough. We’ve got to do more.”

General manager Ryan Poles backed that sentiment with his own experience inside the Kansas City Chiefs’ front office as a navigation system. Poles has ridden in a Super Bowl parade and seen everything that goes into making a journey like that possible.

“We didn’t reach the goals we wanted to hit,” Poles said of this year’s Bears. “And that’s to be a championship-caliber team. That will never change.”

Nor will the approach.

“I am proud of the progress we’ve made,” Poles added. “Knowing that, we can’t be complacent. We’ve got to keep pushing forward.”

The Bears will push forward with an understanding of how much heavy lifting they have ahead to fortify and stabilize their roster. A ton of improvement across all three phases is needed.

The first-place schedule the Bears received as division champs brings them 2026 games against the Seahawks, Eagles and Jaguars. The other three teams in the NFC North all finished above .500, too.

In a nutshell, next season’s sustainability test will be incredibly difficult. Still, Johnson will prepare his team with confidence in what was established over the last 12 months.

Start with the offense’s continuity. Players. Playbook. Et cetera. The Bears won’t be able to carry any of their 11 wins forward into next season. But they should be able to build on the offensive system that, even in its early stages, produced 7,144 total yards and 52 touchdowns from Week 1 through the playoff loss.

“We did a number of really good things on offense,” Johnson acknowledged. “And yet we haven’t even scratched the surface of what we’re fully capable of yet.”

That’s encouraging, particularly with Johnson’s sincere belief in Williams as his quarterback.

Johnson also has conviction that the Bears will continue to strengthen their team identity, which this season met his goals of being physical, fundamentally sound and poised. To that last quality, there’s something truly admirable about the way these Bears fueled their success.

“We handle pressure better than most,” he said.

That’s how the Bears turned so many heads with so many ridiculous heart-stopping victories. It’s also not a way of life they’re interested in retaining.

Said Poles: “I’d rather not be ‘The Cardiac Bears.’ … I don’t think you want to be living on the edge all the time.”

Still, like Johnson, Poles loved that he had a group able to live on that edge with a shared belief that the Bears could excel under even the most dire circumstances.

“Guys made plays when they needed to be made,” Poles said. “I don’t think that’s a characteristic that you should ever shy away from.”

Nor should the Bears shy away from the climb ahead. For an organization that hasn’t enjoyed three consecutive winning seasons since the late 1980s, reminders shouldn’t be needed about how unforgiving this league can be or how difficult sustaining success truly is. But Johnson is more than happy to provide the necessary nudging.

The start of organized team activities this spring may feel like a long way off. At the same time, Johnson’s urgent attitude on Wednesday also made it feel like those sessions were already ringing the doorbell.

After a year of watching Johnson push all the right buttons, Poles was glowing on Wednesday when describing his coach’s methodology and messaging.

“It moves the team,” Poles said. “And they’re locked in. They listen and they take it back to the locker room and to the field. The buy-in was incredible.”

Confirmed. And yet?

It wasn’t good enough. The Bears are back at the bottom. Back to square one, with the only destination that will satisfy Johnson — a destination that had been within arm’s reach last weekend — suddenly so far off in the distance.