Remember the days of your team being on Monday Night Football being a big deal? Now it seems like everyone wants their relaxing, cushy noon kickoff. Not me.
Are you ready for some football?!
Are you ready for Jeffery Simmons–Chicago Bears football?!
STRESS-FREE
Isn’t it fun getting to watch football on Sunday without the stress?
Those Thursday night wins are the best because you get to sit back the rest of the week with that win already banked. Ah, the good life. Monday Nights are fun, too. You get the Monday morning reaction of the rest of the league while your team takes center stage.
The best part of your team being on prime time is that those big moments seem that much bigger.
BEN JOHNSON LIKES PRIME TIME
Johnson is 6-3 in prime time – including the playoffs – as head coach of the Bears. He’s 2-0 already this season, with wins against the Eagles on Monday Night Football and last Thursday’s 30-24 win against the New England Patriots.
Even in the losses – like against the 49ers last December or against the Rams in the NFC Divisional Round – his team tends to show up big when the lights are the brightest.
In Detroit as the offensive coordinator, Johnson went an astounding 11-1 in prime time games, including 6-0 in his final season with the Lions. He always has his guys ready for the bright lights.
THE PERFECT TEMPERAMENT
I think part of the reason for his success is Ben Johnson’s attitude towards pressure. He doesn’t run from it but runs toward it. His players take after their coach, too.
“There’s no other time we’d wanna play rather play than primetime,” Bears tight end Colston Loveland told reporters at Halas Hall. “The biggest stage, everyone watching. Make plays in primetime games you become a legend. It’s pretty cool.”
Prime time breeds storylines and creates pressure. “How does your team handle that pressure?” In Chicago, more often than not, the pressure folds many failed teams of the past because – let’s face it – the talent wasn’t good enough.
Sometimes it’s more than that. Sometimes it’s because the team doesn’t have the right temperament. But it seems like Johnson knows how to push the right buttons at the right time.
Look at how this team responds to losses. Look at how this team performs in prime time. Look at how this team rallied against the Packers with all the chips against them at halftime, down 21-3, in the playoffs at their own house. They show up.
MY FAVORITE MOMENTS
I think about the Black Friday game against the Eagles last year. I think about the Rams coming to Soldier Field in 2018. I think about the games where the Bears found themselves in a moment where they had to “prove it” to the rest of the world. Some memorable games. Some legendary.
That’s what is always at stake when the lights come on. But the one game I keep thinking about is from 2006. Not the Monday Night Miracle in Arizona but another prime-time affair on an October night featuring two of the top teams in the NFC: The Bears and Seahawks.
Both teams were undefeated but like many Bears teams, they still had much to prove to the rest of the world that they were legitimate. The Bears went on to win in dominating fashion, 37-6.
They proved themselves for that week, remained undefeated and went on for a Super Bowl run.
FOR THAT WEEK
Notice I threw that outlier in there.
It should be noted that after the Bears won convincingly against the Seahawks, questions still remained about the Bears. Rex Grossman won NFC Player of the Month, and yet, the NFL didn’t think he was good enough to get to a Super Bowl. T
They doubted the Bears all the way to the NFC Championship against the Saints. And ultimately, the doubters were proven right as the Bears lost in the final minutes of Super Bowl XLI to Peyton Manning and the Colts.
The point is, there’s no signature win for this year’s Bears team capable of keeping the doubters from doubting. Let ’em.
MEASURING STICK
As much as I like to deem everything either a “must-win” or a “house money” game, I have to hand it to Adam Hoge: this is the measuring stick game.
Win or lose, they are going to know exactly where they stand. How does your offense handle an environment like Lumen Field in Seattle and a defense like the Seahawks?
If they can pass that test, there’s no telling where this season might go. Regardless, while both teams will be in the thick of it until the end, this game could swing the pendulum for the top of the NFC the rest of the way. A true heavyweight bout. A Monday night party!
CHANGE OF PLANS
Full disclosure, I wrote this on Wednesday night. You know, only a few hours before Bears general manager Ryan Poles took a leap and sent two first-round picks to the Tennessee Titans for All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
Here’s how I wrapped things up on Wednesday night:
“If Caleb Williams can continue his red-hot momentum since returning from injury on the road against the reigning Super Bowl champions, it not only would give the Bears the upper hand in the NFC but it might also force the hand of Ryan Poles to swing big at the trade deadline.”
Life comes at you fast. The last time Jeffery Simmons played a prime-time game was Nov. 2, 2023. Now he will be center stage in back-to-back weeks for your Chicago Bears.
Get your popcorn ready.
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