D’Andre Swift was incredulous.
“I never really believe in trap games,” the Bears running back said. “What is a trap game?”
Google it and the first answer to pop up might as well read: Bears vs. Browns, noon Sunday, Soldier Field.
Last week was a Bears-Packers game. Next week is a Bears-Packers game. In between is a matchup against a three-win team in single-digit temperatures.
Perhaps that’s why head coach Ben Johnson was so emphatic in his focus this week, both publicly and in meeting rooms. The Bears, at 9-4, believe they need to win at least two of their four remaining regular-season games to make the playoffs for the first time in five years. No game will be easier than the one this week. The final three are against playoff contenders.
“We have goals, and we know what’s out in front of us,” Johnson said. “It’s just that awareness that every game matters. . . . [When] you go from an emotional rivalry game like we just played, this week is equally important.
“We need this win. We desperately need this win.”
When the Bears hired Johnson in January, they praised his play-calling prowess but didn’t know how he’d handle the leadership responsibilities as a first-time NFL head coach. His Bears, however, have lived in the moment all season, not letting the previous week impact the next.
Previous head coaches couldn’t say that. Matt Eberflus had a hand in the Bears’ two longest losing streaks — 14 games from 2022 into ’23 and 10 last year. Matt Nagy had losing streaks of four, five and six games.
The Bears have lost consecutive games just once this season — the first two in September against the Vikings and Lions. That’s impressive for a team with so little winning experience that in Week 7 against the Saints, it was favored for the first time in 344 days.
“The playoff mentality, the championship mentality — that’s where we want to be,” quarterback Caleb Williams said. “That’s where you want to be every year. . . . And then managing those expectations and managing actually being possibly in that position . . . that’s going to take experience. That’s going to take trusting in [Johnson]. That’s going to take us just trusting the process.”
Johnson has prepared his players for the final stretch of the season, declaring as far back as September that he planned for them to play their best football in December. As the Bears went undefeated in five games in November, he acknowledged the reality of playing for positioning in the postseason but didn’t dwell on it.
That resonated with players.
“That’s what it’s all about,” Swift said. “You never want to look too far ahead. That’s what it should be in life.”
The coaches and veteran players have helped the locker room stay focused on what’s important, Johnson said.
“It helps when the younger players are hearing that constantly — that they do the best that they can to avoid the distractions,” he said. “I think it’s harder [in] this day and age than ever before. It’s so easy to get caught up on what’s being said outside of the building. But we just try to keep the focus on how we see it — the truth that we see — and how we can continue to get better.”
The Bears have about a 70% chance to make the playoffs. A win Sunday increases their odds by seven percentage points — but a loss drops their odds by 16.
“I don’t necessarily want to call it a must-win,” safety Kevin Byard said. “But we have to keep stacking wins. . . . That’s what we’re focused on. We’re focused on this week, and then obviously Green Bay when Green Bay comes.”
First they have to step over the trap.
“Everybody knows the bigger picture here,” wide receiver DJ Moore said. “But we have Cleveland first.”
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