By Moses Joshua 
After a sobering Week 18 loss to Detroit, Chicago’s head coach made it clear — January football doesn’t care about your résumé.
The Chicago Bears didn’t limp into the postseason. They stormed in as NFC North champions and the No. 2 seed, armed with confidence built over four grueling months. But just when it felt like the hard part was over, the Detroit Lions ripped the comfort right out of their hands.
A 42-yard Jake Bates field goal at the gun sent Chicago to a 19–16 loss Sunday night, a bitter ending that head coach Ben Johnson believes arrived at the perfect time.
“We’re turning the page,” Johnson said. “We’ve got a new season on the horizon.”
In his mind, the regular season is already gone. January is something else entirely.
“There’s No Secret Sauce”
Johnson has preached the same playoff truth all year, but the message landed louder after the loss in Detroit.
Once the calendar flips, the game shrinks. Not in importance — in tolerance for mistakes.
“These are the things that show up the most when the lights are the brightest,” Johnson said. “There’s no secret sauce.”
Blocking. Tackling. Catching the football. Protecting it. Taking it away.
The Bears erased a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit Sunday, showing heart and grit, but they also left drives unfinished and opportunities scattered across Soldier Field. To Johnson, it wasn’t failure — it was a flare in the sky.
A reminder that playoff football punishes hesitation.
Accountability Without Panic
One of the defining traits of Johnson’s first season in Chicago has been his ability to hold the line without lighting a fuse. After the loss, he went straight to the offense. No theatrics. No false comfort.
“These guys are pros,” Johnson said. “I didn’t tell them anything they didn’t already know. The standard is very high.”
But the lecture didn’t linger. With a Wild Card showdown against Green Bay looming, the Bears don’t have the luxury of emotional hangovers.
“We’ll make our corrections and then quickly turn the page,” Johnson said. “We don’t have time to sulk.”
The message: Own it, fix it, move on.
“He Was Built for These Moments”
The playoffs will mark uncharted territory for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, who just authored one of the most remarkable debut seasons in franchise history. He finished the Lions game with 212 passing yards and two touchdowns, capping a year in which he broke Erik Kramer’s long-standing Bears passing record.
When asked about Williams stepping into his first postseason spotlight, Johnson didn’t hesitate.
“He was built for these moments,” Johnson said. “He just needs to be him.”
That belief will be tested immediately. Chicago draws Green Bay in the Wild Card round — the oldest rivalry in football, now with everything on the line. It’s only the third time the Bears and Packers have ever met in the playoffs, and neither side needs reminding what a loss means.
The Margin Is Gone
The Bears earned their seed. They earned their home crowd. They earned the right to be here.
But as Johnson made painfully clear, none of it carries over.
“The season’s not over,” he said. “It’s just starting.”
After Sunday night, there’s no illusion left in Chicago. No soft landings. No built-in advantages.
The postseason doesn’t care how you got here — only how you play now.