Ben Johnson has reinvigorated the Chicago Bears. Most people expected him to be a good coach. They didn’t expect this. In the span of 10 months, the 38-year-old took a 5-12 team to a 9-3 record, the 32nd offense to 6th, and the 25th rushing attack to 1st. Caleb Williams is operating more and more like a professional each week. His play-calling prowess is somehow better than advertised. However, it’s been his infectious energy and intensity that has gotten the locker room to buy in.

Never was it more evident than after the Bears smashed their way past the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday night. Johnson, sensing the moment, decided to honor a bet with legendary local restaurant The Wiener Circle by taking off his shirt for the cameras. The celebration was as raucous as you’d expect.

Yet amidst the joy, a mystery has surfaced. The national cameras didn’t catch it, but a photographer did. During Johnson’s striptease, a Bears player was seen in the background punching a literal hole in the ceiling of the visitor locker room.

Ben Johnson certainly got the reaction he wanted.

If you’re so excited about a coach taking his shirt off for the cameras that you punch a hole in the ceiling, that is buy-in. As to who it is? Ceilings in a locker room typically measure at least eight feet high. You see Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland in the photo. Both are 6’6. Based on the distance between the ceiling and their heads, we can assume it’s probably nine or ten feet high. That means whoever punched the hole had to be tall with long arms. He’s too thin to be an offensive lineman, but bigger than a skill position guy . I believe we’re looking at a linebacker or defensive lineman.

Montez Sweat? Not enough tattoos. Austin Booker? The hair is too short. It will be interesting to see if the culprit comes forward at some point later this season. Maybe Ben Johnson can get him to react like that again. Whatever the case, this photo is a perfect encapsulation of how far the Bears have come.

For years, the Philadelphia Eagles seemed to have a massive advantage over the rest of the NFL thanks to their Tush Push. Any time they were in a short-yardage situation, they would line up multiple guys behind Jalen Hurts and follow their big offensive line forward. It always resulted in a first down. Many teams grew so frustrated with the play that they literally tried to introduce legislation to ban it. They failed. Left with no other choice, defensive coaches around the NFL spent countless hours searching for possible weaknesses in the play. The Chicago Bears found it.

Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen first noticed the vulnerability when watching a game between the Eagles and New York Giants a few weeks ago. During a tush push, Giants defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux came in from the outside and went straight for Hurts, stripping him of the ball. It was too late at the time as the play had been blown dead. However, the opportunity was there. Sure enough, when Philadelphia lined up for the tush push against Chicago on Friday, Allen was ready.

The tactic worked flawlessly, halting the push and giving Chicago possession of the ball. It was proof of concept. The rest of the NFL is almost guaranteed to adopt the strategy moving forward. That is probably why multiple Eagles fans said after the game that the Bears just killed the Tush Push for good.

The Chicago Bears don’t take credit for inventing the strategy.

That belongs to Thibodeaux, even if the defensive end didn’t spend hours crafting it. It was a spur-of-the-moment inspiration. Still, the Chicago Bears coaching staff deserves tons of credit for identifying the potential weakness and taking full advantage. It has been a long time since this team had coaches capable of doing something like that. The last known instance was probably in 2018 when Vic Fangio found a way to stop the Rams’ dominant rushing attack, which New England then copied to beat them in the Super Bowl.

Allen has been a revelation as the Bears’ new coordinator. Despite a bevy of injuries and other setbacks, he’s pieced together a unit that is smart, energetic, and finds ways to make plays when it matters. Philadelphia was another such example.

Caleb Williams hasn’t progressed in ways many expected. Most envisioned big numbers on the stat sheet. While his numbers have been more than adequate to help the Chicago Bears reach 9-3, the true revelation is the quarterback’s mental evolution. His maturation this year is a crucial part of the team’s success. It starts with his growing mastery of the offense, where he is able to get everybody lined up properly and diagnose what defenses are doing. The other part is the one people haven’t acknowledged nearly enough.

His leadership.

The knock on Williams coming out of USC was that he was perceived as more of a me-first player. He wasn’t putting in the time to be a true leader of the team, despite the insistence from teammates that was far from the case. His questionable body language and lack of vocal presence as a rookie only exacerbated the situation. A lot has changed in the past year. Going into a huge game against the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles, Williams had a moment in the tunnel where he faced his teammates with a message.

Cameras caught the exchange.

Caleb Williams’ presence was felt.

Whatever he said must’ve worked because the Bears came out firing in that game. They bullied the Eagles for all four quarters, piling up 281 rushing yards and allowing just two sacks. Caleb Williams didn’t have a great statistical day, continuing to battle through accuracy issues and drops from his receivers. However, he once again saved his best for the final minutes. It started with his gorgeous 28-yard touchdown pass to Cole Kmet, putting the Bears up 24-9. Then he managed to wilt away the clock with a key scramble for a first down and drawing the Eagles offside on a hard count.

The numbers aren’t there yet, but Williams is in full control of this football team. They heed his voice and follow his lead. It hasn’t been that way for a long time. Justin Fields and Mitch Trubisky tried. Jay Cutler never fully embraced it. Ironically, Kyle Orton felt like the last Bears QB who had a true leadership voice. Imagine what he could’ve been if he’d had Williams’ talent.

The Chicago Bears are one of several sports franchises in the city. All are beloved by its residents. However, don’t get it twisted. Chicago is a football town. It has been for the past century. That hasn’t changed even as the franchise has struggled in recent years. If you’re looking for evidence of this, look no further than a game between the Blackhawks and Predators. It was a big rivalry game. One would think all of the attention would be on the action on the ice, especially since it was 3-2 in the 3rd period.

However, after the Bears closed out their incredible upset of the Philadelphia Eagles, a chant broke out at the United Center. Except it wasn’t one you’d expect. Not “Let’s go Bears” or anything like that. It was something much more deeply-rooted.

Hatred of the Green Bay Packers is ingrained within every Bears fan. Everyone in that building was aware of the situation. Following their win in Philadelphia, the Bears will travel to Lambeau Field for their first matchup against the Packers. The two teams will meet twice over the next three weeks. That stretch will likely decide the fate of the NFC North.

The Chicago Bears won’t arrive passive.

Yes, the Packers are still the cream of the crop and have been for a long time. It doesn’t change the fact that this Chicago Bears team has been groomed to be unintimidated by anybody. Head coach Ben Johnson has built a mentality of toughness, violence, and physicality. He wants to own the line of scrimmage and bust you in the mouth. Green Bay is a talented, well-coached team. They’ve been playing some of their best football lately—no doubt they’re expecting to humble the Bears in that game.

One thing is clear. Fans will be ready for war. This is a game everybody had circled on the calendar for months. Green Bay is desperate to reassert control of the rivalry. They have a more balanced team on paper. Will that make the difference? The Bears are eager to test that theory.