The Chicago Bears earned by far their most impressive win of the Caleb Williams era on Black Friday with a 24-15 triumph over the defending-champion Philadelphia Eagles. And the victory means many will have to rethink their views on these new-look Bears.
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The Bears are now 9-3 and sitting in the No. 2 seed in the NFC. They have won five in a row and nine of their last 10. Since the 1970 merger, it’s Chicago’s second-best start (excluding those glory years of the late 1980s) after 2006, when they went all the way to the Super Bowl.
Rookie head coach Ben Johnson seems to have created a real culture with the Bears, going into a toxic place like Philadelphia on a holiday and coming out with an upset win. Not many outside of the Windy City would have predicted this before the season.
With the offseason changes, many believed they would improve on their 5-12 record from last year, but not this quickly and not to this extent. One who did believe in the Bears wholeheartedly before their recent run of success was Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson. And with the Bears earning their signature win on Friday night, he’s now looking to find the receipts.
“How do I find the clip from Nightcap before the season started about the Bears?” Johnson tweeted after the Bears beat the Eagles.
Of course, it didn’t take long for a fan account to find the clip of Ochocinco predicting a big season for the Bears. And Johnson was clear as day before the campaign: watch out for Chicago.
“I’m going out on a limb, I’m gonna say it before the season even gets here. The two teams that I think are the darkhorses to go and surprise everybody, and make a run, and have a playoff appearance: the Chicago Bears and the Carolina Panthers. I’m tellin’ you. … Watch, and when it happens? Don’t call me Ocho-Damus. I just know. I just understand how things are gonna play out,” said the former wideout.
This man Ochocinco knew the Chicago bears were gonna make the playoffs before season even started 😭😭😭
🎥: @NightcapShow_ https://t.co/pewGx8N8Ix pic.twitter.com/UX2YAnt0UL
— Shannonnn sharpes Burner (PARODY Account) (@shannonsharpeee) November 28, 2025
And not only did he predict a good season for the Bears, he predicted that the lowly Carolina Panthers would come on strong in 2025 as well. Even fewer people would have predicted that. They have not won more than seven games in a season since 2017. But they are currently sitting at 6-6 and very much in the playoff picture. Ocho definitely deserves a pat on the back for that little segment.
The Panthers could figure into the playoff picture, but it’s clear now that the Bears definitely will. They are not just fighting for a playoff spot, but the No. 1 seed at this point. The Los Angeles Rams take on those same Panthers this week, and they are likely to win to go to 10-2, leaving the Bears just one game behind.
Still, nothing is guaranteed yet. The Bears have the fifth-toughest remaining strength of schedule, with two games against the Packers, one against the Lions, and one against the 49ers. At this point, however, one more win likely secures them their first playoff trip since 2020.
