Fifty-nine in Charlotte

The Bears beat the Panthers 59-37 on Sunday. Minutes later, coach Ben Johnson was already talking about what the team still hasn't done.

Mediocre is the enemy

Asked about the outburst, Johnson framed it as the baseline expectation of the job rather than a highlight worth savoring.

“We didn't get into this profession trying to be mediocre, average.”

Every decision serves the win

Johnson said the week's choices all run through one filter: what gives the football team the best chance to win that game.

“We make decisions over the course of a week, what's best for our football team to win the game.”

Third-most in franchise history

The 59 points rank third all-time for the Bears and are the most the franchise has scored in 46 years.

A personal best as play-caller

It topped anything Johnson had called before. His 2024 Lions hit 52 twice, against the Titans and the Jaguars.

One game beat whole seasons

The 2022 Bears scored 52 points across their first three games. The 2023 team managed 47, the 2024 team 53. Sunday alone was 59.

Fourth-and-one from the 21

Johnson went for it on fourth-and-one from his own 21 in the second quarter. He said his attitude about mediocrity wasn't what drove that call.

Chasing the 2013 Broncos

He repeated a training camp goal: beat the league record of 37.9 points per game set by Denver in 2013.

Undefeated, and more than one ring

Johnson's stated targets go past a good season. He wants a perfect record and multiple championships, not a single title run.

He just says it out loud

Nearly every NFL coach wants the same things. The difference with Johnson is that he names them in front of a microphone.

“We want to be the highest scoring, we want to have the most wins, we want to win Super Bowls.”