Coach Ben Johnson's Chicago Bears are 7-2 and now have the most wins in the NFC North after an ugly Week 9 win against the Buccaneers that was riddled with Caleb Williams interceptions. Williams called himself out after the Bears outlasted the Bucs by a score of 27-24 in Chicago.
Johnson shared his take on the less-than-perfect win after the game, in a way that only he could.
“They know that we didn't play as well as we're capable of playing. But I believe the best is yet to come in terms of our football in the back half of this season,” Johnson said.
Johnson's notion should be scary to opposing teams as the Bears have found ways to win games without several key players including Kyle Monangai, who missed the contest. D'Andre Swift had just 31 yards rushing while Williams was forced to carry the Bears at times.
The Bears star QB passed for 279 yards and two touchdowns but was harshly critiqued for four interceptions that nearly gave Baker Mayfield's crew the juice it needed to pull a big upset.
Mayfield was intercepted twice and sacked four times as the Bears' defense came to play on a charged night in Chi-Town.
Chicago is knee-deep in a campaign to bring home its second consecutive NFC North title, giving Johnson plenty of motivation as the season continues into its second half. The Vikings still lead the division, but there is a sense that the Bears are the favorite, even with the Lions and Packers lurking in the background, ready to pounce.
Johnson's crew is not perfect, but they are good enough to beat anyone in the NFL, even when they aren't exactly on their game as was the case in Week 9.