Bears preparing for intense atmosphere in playoff opener -- on the field and in the stands

Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune on Jan 6, 2026

Published in Football

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CHICAGO — Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson hasn’t heard from a lot of old colleagues about making the playoffs as a first-year head coach, nor has he given himself a second to pat himself on the back for the achievement.

It’s a short week before the Bears face the Green Bay Packers on Saturday for the third time in six weeks — and in a wild-card playoff game, no less.

“Just really focused at the task at hand,” Johnson told reporters Tuesday at Halas Hall. “We’ll worry about the reflection, we’ll have plenty of time to do that when the season’s over. We’re not ready for that, you know?

“Just like I told those guys after the game (Sunday), we’re mentally prepared to play for five more weeks. And so that’s our intent.”

The players were equally intense about getting ready for a playoff game.

“It’s everything,” said defensive end Montez Sweat, who has spent the last 2 1/2 seasons with the Bears. “You’re usually packing the cars up, sending everything back home to home base and getting ready for the offseason. So it feels good preparing for the postseason right now.”

Quarterback Caleb Williams, who will be playing in the NFL playoffs for the first time, harked back to his college and high school days.

“All the big games are the same to me,” he said. “I think the mindset of it just changes a little bit because you know you don’t have another game if you go out there and you don’t accomplish the goal.”

The Bears last made the postseason in 2020, led by coach Matt Nagy and quarterback Mitch Trubisky. They lost 21-9 to the Saints on Jan 10, 2021, in New Orleans.

They last hosted a playoff game on Jan. 6, 2019, a 16-15 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles — the infamous “Double Doink” game.

As much of a downer as that was for a stunned Soldier Field crowd, Bears players this season have noticed an uptick in the home crowd’s intensity over the last month.

“It’s awesome,” safety Kevin Byard III said. “These past few games have been feeling like playoff atmospheres. … This city, it deserves a winner. It deserves a team that’s going to be able to make this run.”

Bears players witnessed raucous crowds as visitors to hostile Lambeau Field in Week 14, when they lost 28-21 to the Packers, and again on their home turf in Week 16, when Soldier Field erupted after Williams connected with DJ Moore on a 46-yard touchdown pass in overtime for a 22-16 victory.

So a third game against the hated Packers at Soldier Field?

Could it get any rowdier?

“I wouldn’t expect nothing less,” Byard said.

“But at the same time, we have to be smart enough, and that’s when you talk about just the playoff experience, understanding that the personal foul penalties almost hurt us in the last game, so we can’t have that this week.”

In the rematch at Soldier Field, an amped-up Bears defense committed two roughing-the-passer and two unnecessary-roughness penalties, which nearly undermined their chance at victory.

“That’s something that we’re going to be talking about as a team,” Byard said. “But the intensity level is going to be there. It’s Green Bay at Soldier Field. The emotions are going to be high. It’s going to be a super exciting atmosphere, but also understand it’s playoffs. The refs are probably going to call it a little tighter.

“More eyes on the game. It’s going to be a nationally televised game, so just understanding all those elements and make sure you’re playing smart, taking it all the way up until that line. Don’t cross the line, but take it all the way up there because that’s the intensity that’s going to be needed to win this game.”

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