Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears enjoyed a historic season, which saw them snagging the top spot in the NFC North and making it to the NFL’s divisional game. Of course, on Sunday, January 18, the team fell to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL divisional playoff game in a 20-17 loss, which ended their chances of going all the way in the 2025-26 season.
But, that doesn’t take away from this powerful time in Chicago Bears franchise history. In his first year with the Bears, Johnson led Chicago to an 11-6 regular-season record, taking that NFC North title and a wild card playoff win over rivals the Green Bay Packers.
“Our guys fought the entire way, just like they have all season long. I thought this was very much like our team has been, and you’ve got to give the Rams credit,” Johnson told reporters after the team’s loss to the Rams. “They ended up making a couple more plays than we did. That’s why it ended up going into overtime and they ended up coming out on top.”
Johnson added about the loss, “Like I said, disappointing result. Our guys are feeling it right now.”
Now, as the Super Bowl nears, Johnson has gotten some bad news that will make this season a bit more sour.
Chicago Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson Gets Rough News
Johnson has been nominated for the NFL’s coach of the year honor. But, he’s up against some heavy-hitters, including Liam Coen of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mike Macdonald of the Seattle Seahawks, Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers and Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots.
Now, following both the Seahawks and Patriots advancing to the Super Bowl, Johnson’s chances of winning the award have gone through the floor.
Yahoo Sports notes that Vrabel and Macdonald are both heavy favorites to take the honor. Sports Betting Dime adds that according to their research, Vrabel is favored to win, followed by Macdonald and Coen. So, Johnson is a distant fourth.
Even if Johnson isn’t going to win the award, he’s still a hero to those in Chicago.
Ben Johnson is Optimistic About the Future of the Chicago Bears
“They all believed, man. They all believed all year long that we could find a way to win each and every week. So it’s disappointing like that. But I am proud of the group,” Johnson said on Sunday, January 18, after the Bears’ loss to the Rams.
He added, “It’s a special group. I said that a few weeks ago. I believe that to my core, that when you’re with a group of men for the last time in the locker room and you know it’s just not going to be the same going forward that — I appreciate all of them, the men and the women, coaches, players, support staff, everybody that had a role this season. It was a special year.”
So, Johnson is optimistic about where this team is heading. “This will be hopefully a feeling in this locker room that we won’t forget,” he added, “and we’ll be able to use it as fuel going forward.”
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