Same Old Bears? Not Anymore — Chicago Steals a Win and Protects Its Culture

For most of Monday night’s game against the Washington Commanders, Bears fans held their breath, doing everything they could to ignore that creeping sense of “same old Bears” that hung over Northwest Stadium like fog.

Two weeks ago in Las Vegas, Ben Johnson and veteran safety Kevin Byard called their 25–24 victory over the Raiders a “culture win.” It wasn’t just about the score — it was about belief. About proving to themselves they could finish.

“The book on this team is that if we get the game close, we’re going to lose,” Byard said after that Raiders game, moments after a blocked field goal saved the day.

Culture on the Line in Washington

But culture is fragile. Everything they claimed to have built in Vegas could have evaporated in one ugly second half under the primetime lights.

And for a while, it looked like Bears fans were watching a horror movie they’ve seen a thousand times over.

A botched snap on 3rd and 1. A blocked field goal. Untimely defensive penalties. Questionable officiating. What started as a comfortable 13–0 lead morphed into a 24–16 deficit because of self-inflicted wounds. Northwest Stadium felt it — the Commanders had seized every ounce of momentum.

The Bears blew a similar game when they had control in the season opener against the Vikings on Monday Night Football. Even as Chicago crept back into the game, it had shades of Green Bay in 2024, when Cairo Santos’ kick was blocked in Week 11 and he didn’t get redemption until a meaningless finale. It even echoed the Double Doink — primetime, bad weather, field goal range, and a kicker nobody fully trusted.

But instead of folding, Chicago fought back.

Bears Bounce Back

Caleb Williams dropped a 55-yard strike to D’Andre Swift to pull within two. The defense grabbed their third takeaway of the night. And Jake Moody — pulled up from the practice squad before the game — stepped into the rain and drilled the game-winning kick to seal a 25–24 win.

That kick didn’t just steal a game. It protected something. It kept the momentum from Vegas alive. It proved that the so-called “culture” wasn’t just a buzzword.

Ben Johnson became just the second Bears coach since 2014 to win a game coming out of the bye week.

Caleb Williams became the first quarterback in franchise history to throw for 200+ yards and at least one touchdown in each of his first five games to open a season.

And instead of watching their identity crumble, the Bears stacked belief on top of belief.

At 3–2 in a loaded NFC North, Chicago isn’t a favorite to make the playoffs — but that almost misses the point. Monday night wasn’t about standings. It was about a team refusing to become a rerun.

Over the next month, the Bears face the Saints, Ravens, Bengals, and Giants. There are winnable games in that stretch. There is a real path to mattering in November. That alone is a breath of fresh air in Chicago.

It’s hard to fully put into words what Monday night meant. The revenge over last year’s Hail Mary collapse. The Caleb vs. Jayden storyline. The kicker drama. It’s all relevant.

But strip all that away and one thing still becomes very clear:

Brick by brick, something is being built. And for once… it feels like the Bears are on the right track.