The Chicago Bears’ agenda this week couldn’t be more clear: Beat the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday and clinch the NFC North Division.
It will take a Bears win or a Green Bay Packers loss (or a tie from each) during each team’s remaining schedule for the Bears to win the division for the first time since 2018.
The team took a moment Tuesday to celebrate three of their own — safety Kevin Byard III and offensive linemen Joe Thuney and Drew Dalman — being named to the Pro Bowl, but their focus is locked on one of the tough opponents they’ll see all season.
“We’ve got a tall task ahead of us,” coach Ben Johnson said. “I know our guys are looking forward to the challenge. A lot of stuff (is) going on this week with distractions potentially and things of that nature, but I think it’ll be a good thing for us to go on the road and really focus in on this game.”
Here are five things we learned on Tuesday.
1. The Niners put on a showcase on “Monday Night Football.”
The Bears didn’t need a reminder of how daunting the perennial playoff contender can be, but they got one anyway during the 49ers’ 48-27 road win over the Indianapolis Colts in prime time.
San Francisco produced 440 yards of total offense and 28 first downs, while dominating time of possession 33:05 to 26:55.
“They’re playing high-level football,” Ben Johnson said. “Last few weeks, (they’ve had) what, a five-game winning streak? I think they’re averaging over 30 points a game over that span (34.4, to be exact); 48 last night. They haven’t punted the ball in a bit.”
The Niners have had 19 consecutive possessions without punting, dating back to Week 13’s 26-8 win over the Cleveland Browns (they had a Week 14 bye and ended one Week 15 drive against the Tennessee Titans with a lost fumble).
“I think (49ers Head Coach Kyle) Shanahan is one of the best, if not the best, in the business in terms of doing this, calling plays at a high level for as long as he has,” Johnson said. “He’s probably the first to truly marry that run game and pass game as well as you see some of these other teams doing it now.
“You always like to turn on that San Francisco tape each week, whether you’re playing them or not, just to look at some of the stuff that they’re doing.”
Kevin Byard admired the versatility of Shanahan’s system:
“When you talk about Christian McCaffrey, (who has) been one of the best running backs in this league, running the ball — and I think he’s more dangerous out of the backfield, being a receiver,” he said. “George Kittle being one of the most versatile tight ends in the league, blocking, catching, doing all those good things. And then obviously, Kyle Juszczyk, who they say he’s a fullback, but they use him a lot of different ways: as a tight end, good receiver.
“So I’ve got a lot of respect for Kyle Shanahan and what he’s done this year.”
2. Caleb Williams went full “Rudy” at the podium Tuesday.
It’s a classic scene from the movie “Rudy.”
Motivational janitor Fortune (played by Charles S. Dutton) chastises everyone’s favorite underdog, Rudy Ruettiger (played by Sean Astin), for quitting the Notre Dame football team despite defying the odds: “You’re 5 feet nothin’, 100 and nothin’, and you’ve got hardly a speck of athletic ability. And you hung in with the best college football team in the land for two years.”
When asked about taking any personal satisfaction in the team’s success, Williams must’ve been channeling “Rudy,” because he skipped right past all the draft pundits who called him a generational talent two years ago and honed in on the naysayers.
“I’ve said it in a couple of speeches that I’ve had before that I wasn’t the biggest, I wasn’t the strongest, I wasn’t the tallest, fastest, whatever the case may be. I get drafted here, (and I’m) told that I’m not a special player, told that I’m not a good fit here, told that Coach (Ben Johnson) and I won’t work. I’m told I can’t win here.
“And so I know that’s going to keep going on, but I do take a little satisfaction (in) being able to help this team, help this organization, (being) a part of it to get to the playoffs. And my goal isn’t to just get to the playoffs, my goal is to win and win big.”
3. D’Marco Jackson apologizes for his “crowd-surfing” penalty.
Ben Johnson has been tight-jawed when asked about the 10 penalties the Bears committed during their 22-16 win against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday.
“Those 15-yard penalties, they really add up,” Johnson said Monday. “We ended up having four of them on the game.”
Two were for roughing the passer, but the other two were for unnecessary roughness, which was grating to Johnson.
“All the other 15-yarders, as far as I’m concerned, those are all preventable and at times egregious,” he said. “We can’t do that.”
On Tuesday, D’Marco Jackson explained what was going through his mind when he led off the game with an unnecessary roughness penalty while covering the opening kick return.
He jumped on top of the scrum that formed around returner Bo Melton and drew a flag.
“You’re talking about my ‘crowd-surfing?’” Jackson asked. “That’s what everybody around me’s calling it. Man, I hate I put the defense in that situation, that field position, the ball starting on the 50.”
The Packers started on their 47-yard line, but the point is taken.
“I just had a lot of emotion going into that game. … You ever seen that game where you’re trying to catch the …”
Whac-a-Mole?
“Yeah, I just seen that little yellow helmet popping up and I tried to get me some,” Jackson said.
But he said whichever unit he’s on, special teams or defense, the goal is to eliminate penalties.
“It ain’t good football being played, so we’ve got to do better about being more disciplined,” Jackson said.
4. Kevin Byard picked up two awards on Tuesday.
When Kevin Byard stepped onto the podium to talk to reporters Tuesday, he already knew he had been named to the Pro Bowl, but he was surprised when informed of another honor.
He was presented with the Jeff Dickerson Good Guy Award for exceptional cooperation with the media, given by the Chicago chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America. He was a unanimous choice.
“Thank you to everybody who voted for me, that’s definitely an awesome award,” Byard said. “Honestly, every single day I just try to be as authentic as I possibly can. I try to be a good human being and just try to be the same person every day. “
The award is named for the ESPN reporter who covered the Bears for two decades and died of colon cancer in 2021.
Byard turned to Dickerson’s parents, who were in attendance.
“I honestly didn’t know I was getting the award,” he said. “I didn’t know the award was named after your son. Actually, this past week my wife and I have worked with the Rally Foundation. It funds cancer research for children’s cancer. … For the holidays, we hosted a milk and cookies party for the children.
“We have worked with them for the past nine years and it’s been an awesome thing. So I definitely know the impact of what cancer can do to people.”
For winning the award, Byard will receive a $1,000 donation to the charity of his choice from the Vaughn McClure & Jeff Dickerson Foundation.
5. Byard has his pick of picks.
The Bears free safety has a league-leading six interceptions, including picks against the Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders (two), New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles.
Asked about his favorite, or most impactful, Byard chose his third-quarter interception against the Eagles in which he hunted the ball down from the deep middle of the field and caught it near the sideline.
“The pick I had in Philly was probably the more special one just because obviously I’m from Philly,” he said. “(Eagles quarterback) Jalen Hurts hadn’t really turned the ball over a lot, at least up until that point, and just the range I was able to show to go get it.”