By Moses Joshua 
After back-to-back losses to close the regular season, Kevin Byard III cut through the noise with honesty, accountability, and a reminder that the playoffs reset everything.
The Chicago Bears limped into the postseason, not with champagne and celebration, but with frustration still clinging to their pads.
Two straight losses — first to the 49ers, then a gut-punch 19–16 defeat at the hands of Detroit — left the NFC North champions staring down uncomfortable questions about their readiness for January football. The locker room felt it. The fan base felt it even more.
And then Kevin Byard III, the Bears’ $15 million captain, finally said what everyone needed to hear.
“We’re Going to Have to Reset”
Byard didn’t dodge reality or soften the moment. He owned it.
“We’re going to have to reset,” he said. “Losing two games going into the playoffs is not a good feeling whatsoever. I think as a team we got to make a decision on, we got to play better football, and that’s really the bottom line.”
No clichés. No false optimism. Just truth.
For a defense that had surrendered 42 points and nearly 500 yards to San Francisco a week earlier, then allowed Detroit to move the ball with ease, that kind of blunt accountability hit harder than any film-room critique.
A Defense That Took It on the Chin
Byard knew exactly where the Bears came up short against the Lions.
Amon-Ra St. Brown carved up the secondary for 11 catches and 139 yards. Jameson Williams added six more grabs. Jared Goff completed 27 of 42 passes for 331 yards, tossing a touchdown to Jahmyr Gibbs — even if Byard himself managed to pick him off once.
That single interception couldn’t hide the bigger picture: Chicago was being pushed around.
And after allowing 496 total yards to the 49ers the previous week, the Bears weren’t just struggling — they were spiraling.
The word “reset” suddenly felt less like coach-speak and more like survival.
Turning the Page — Together
Head coach Ben Johnson didn’t argue with his captain’s assessment. In fact, he echoed it.
“We’ve got to play better going forward,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to coach better going forward as well. We’re turning the page, though. We’ve got the number two seed. We’ve got a home game next week, and we’ve got a new season on the horizon… the opportunity to go 1-0 this next week.”
That’s the message Byard delivered to fans without sugarcoating: nothing that happened in the regular season matters anymore — not the division title, not the seeding, not the losses that sting right now.
What matters is whether the Bears actually do what Byard said they must.
Make the decision.
Reset.
Play better football.
Because if they don’t, the season they worked so hard to build will disappear in one cold afternoon at Soldier Field.