Do you remember? The 21st night of September? The Chicago Bears certainly will.
Much like the Earth, Wind and Fire classic track remains as a classic in our hearts, Sept. 21, 2025, now sits in the annals of Bears’ history.
It marks Ben Johnson’s first win as the team’s head coach. The sought-after head coach, who was hired to elevate Caleb Williams into a superstar and turn the Bears into winners, did so on Sunday.
Long-term success remains to be seen. Especially with a head coach who was ready to move on to Las Vegas as he was ready to celebrate his first NFL win. Johnson kept the facts in front of him.
“It will be fun for tonight and we’re on to the next one,” Johnson said. “We’re behind the 8-ball here. We’re 1-2, and we’ve got to get back to .500 here.”
Reaching a winning record will be the goal.
But, just for the first couple of days this week, Bears’ fans can take solace in how the coach that was hired to make the Bears a winner did so in one of the most satisfying of ways.
Not only did Johnson earn his first win. Johnson beat the Cowboys. That’s “America’s Team,” a moniker the franchise hasn’t embodied since the 1990s. Not only did Johnson beat “America’s Team,” he beat them by a sound 17 points.
Johnson’s offense carved up ex-head coach Matt Eberflus’ defense behind the player Eberflus was given as the No. 1 overall pick in 2024. Not only are the Bears over their ex, but they also flaunted how much better off they were with a new flame who just made the old flame look silly.
The Bears’ rode Williams’ four-touchdown day, which included a 65-yard flea-flicker touchdown to rookie Luther Burden III and a fourth-and-goal score to DJ Moore that put the icing on the cake.
The Bears had the Earth, Wind and Fire to pummel Eberflus’ defense. It was satisfying as much as it was a way to firmly move on from the last era, which was disappointing. Players were asked about facing the Eberflus defense all week and seeing former coaches, and most made it clear they weren’t dwelling on the reunion.
When asked about beating Eberflus’ defense, Williams basically said it doesn’t matter who it is. He just wants to execute against that defense.
“I don’t think it really necessarily matters who when you are able to have a game as effective as we were able to have on offense,” Williams said. “It feels great, to be honest, whether it was Matt or it was any other defensive coordinator.”
He hasn’t forgotten about the Eberflus era. It’s just officially become irrelevant. The Ben Johnson era has its first official win.
Williams was able to deliver it personally with his stellar day. The offense followed through with clean operations in the form of no pre-snap penalties and the defense won the turnover battle 4-0.
“I’ve been able to have that moment for him and his family, the organization, this historic organization,” Williams said. “It’s just a constant growth mindset that we’re on, but to be able to have this moment for him and us is really important.”
Eberflus wasn’t a despised character in Chicago. He wasn’t rude, nor was he a mean person in any regard. But, his coaching tenure was something the Bears’ faithful long to distance themselves from. They were able to do that on Sunday.
Sunday’s offense was the culmination of a few offensive growing pains where the Bears’ offense was tested against what could be two of the better defenses in the NFL in Minnesota and Detroit. Dallas was a different story, but earning a win over a struggling team is what the Bears need to do.
There are teams you have to beat and teams you want to beat. The Bears did the former Sunday.
“It’s important for us as a team, organization, to be able to keep building this momentum and have this growth that we want to go on and this run that we want to go on,” Williams said.
Growth means sustaining the momentum next week in Las Vegas. The Raiders got beat up 41-24 by the Washington Commanders.
There’s a real chance the Bears can be 2-2 going into their bye week, where they can rest and recover before the halfway mark of the season hits.
Still, the Bears can’t get to that 2-2 mark without first earning win No. 1. They did exactly that Sunday.
Throwing a win over the Cowboys and a former coach in blowout fashion together should be enough to make Monday a happy day all around for the Bears.