Bears head coach Ben Johnson started his postgame speech admitting a loss for words. He had nothing new for his team following a 24-20 victory over the New York Giants.

“I feel like I’m on repeat,” he said.

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That’s because the Bears seemingly find a way to win late in the fourth quarter each and every week.

They did so against Las Vegas in Week 4, Washington in Week 6 (after a bye), Cincinnati in Week 9 and again against the Giants in Week 10.

This time the Bears erased a 10-point lead in the final six minutes to emerge with the victory.

“Did you waver for even one second?” Johnson said. “You knew exactly – we had them right where we wanted them.”

Winning this way isn’t sustainable, especially against good teams. Johnson knows his team must be better early in games and work towards more complete performances, but there are positives aplenty to analyze.

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It’s also prudent to check unbridled optimism, which we’ll do here in these Bears overreactions.

The Bears are a legit NFC playoff contender

Overreaction? Nope.

It’s fair to wonder if the Bears could pull out victories the way they have over tough teams. They haven’t been able to do so thus far, without a win over a team currently above .500. As a matter of fact, they’ve only played one team with a winning record in nine games.

That’s not their fault. You play who’s on the schedule. I’ve always said that playoff spots can be earned by consistently beating bad teams and going .500 against everyone else.

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The Bears have followed that formula to this point, stacking six wins. They’ll be a 10-win team by going .500 (4-4) the rest of the way. That’s possible, and 10 wins will likely snag one of the NFC’s seven playoff seeds.

[MORE: NFL playoff picture 2025: Bears’ updated NFC standing after Week 10 win]

They’re currently in the No. 7 slot past the season’s halfway point. So, back to the original point, yes, the Bears are a legitimate playoff contender. They can sustain that title down the stretch, though the road gets tougher from here. Six of the eight games left are against teams with a winning record.

They control destiny in every sense, with four NFC North games on the docket and a key game at San Francisco, the team sitting just outside the playoff picture. How they manage the home stretch will determine if they quality or not, but they are certainly in contention.

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The C.J. Gardner-Johnson signing was Ryan Poles’ best in-season addition

Overreaction?: Yes

There’s some recency bias in that statement. And while C.J. Gardner-Johnson has been excellent since signing with the Bears roughly two weeks ago, that’s not a true statement.

One only has to go back two seasons for a better one, when GM Ryan Poles traded for Montez Sweat just before the NFL trade deadline. The veteran defensive end was on a tear that season. He had 12.5 sacks that year, including six sacks and 14 quarterback hits after coming to the Bears. Poles was also able to extend Sweat, who had a so-so 2024 campaign — he was dealing with injuries in the season’s second half – but has cranked it up this season.

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[MORE: C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s playmaking skills making impact for Bears]

Gardner-Johnson has been a huge asset, with 15 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble in two games. The team’s slot cornerback also allows coordinator Dennis Allen to open up the playbook and call pressures and stay in sub packages on rushing downs as he does with Kyler Gordon.

Gordon’s on injured reserve the next two games at least, and having Gardner-Johnson gave the defense a huge spark. The Bears will have a good problem when Gordon returns, but a talent surplus is never a bad thing.

[READ: Caleb Williams continues clutch play in Bears’ Week 10 win over Giants]

Luther Burden should become the Bears primary slot receiver

Overreaction?: Yes, for now

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Veteran Olamide Zaccheaus has been the primary slot receiver since training camp, developing a great rapport with quarterback Caleb Williams. There’s a trust there that Williams enjoys, and he often looks to Zaccheaus in gotta-have-it moments.

Second-round rookie Luther Burden has been more of a fringe contributor thus far, but he’s electric with the ball in his hands. That was evident a few times against the Giants, most notably on a 27-yard catch-and-run. That coincided with Zaccheaus’ worst game as a Bear, with one five-yeard catch and three drops, including one in the end zone.

Fans want to see more of Burden, and for good reason, but a full-scale role swap isn’t in the card after one game. Featuring Burden is a smart thing, but Zaccheaus is a savvy veteran who has found ways to win throughout his career. Everyone has a bad game – Rome Odunze had one last week – and that should be factored into depth chart decisions. If the struggles continue, then it might be time for a bigger conversation about playing time.

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