The playoff-bound Chicago Bears are on to the next goal: securing a division title with one more win or one more Green Bay Packers loss.

Could achieving that objective cause the Bears to consider resting players for the postseason. The Tribune’s Brad Biggs answers that and much more in his weekly Bears mailbag.

If the Ravens beat Green Bay on Saturday, the Bears clinch the NFC North. When should they start to rest and protect players prior to playoffs? Ben Johnson did state the No. 1 seed as his third goal. — @greggisp

This was a very popular question this week. Securing the No. 1 seed was the third goal Johnson listed Monday when he met with virtually with reporters. The first two goals did not include finding ways to keep key players on the sideline. Johnson doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who would coach scared at any point — ever. Of course, there are times when common-sense decisions need to be made, but if there’s a situation in which players can be rested, you’re talking about only a couple of guys who actually could be pulled out. There just isn’t a whole lot of flexibility with game-day rosters.

Week 16 photos: Chicago Bears 22, Green Bay Packers 16 (OT)

“Step No. 1 was to get to 11 (wins), and the whole reason why that was the number, there’s really only been one 10-win team not to make it,” Johnson said, referring to the seven-team playoff format. “There’s never been an 11-win team to not make it, so we felt pretty good about that being the number going into the season.

“Step 2 is we want to win this division. We want to have at least one home playoff game, and then Step 3 would be clinch a No. 1 seed. So there’s a lot of things still out there to play for.”

If the Bears, who will host the Detroit Lions in Week 18, and an NFC West team are vying for the No. 1 seed, there’s a decent chance the NFL would schedule those games to start at the same time. That’s not a lock but it wouldn’t surprise me. Right now the Bears are one game behind the Seattle Seahawks for the No. 1 seed, but if the Bears win out and Seattle loses one game, Johnson’s team would vault into the top position. Let’s say the Seahawks remain a game up on the Bears going into Week 18 and the games start at the same time. How is Johnson supposed to rest players then?

There’s maybe one scenario I can think of in which the Bears would consider resting a player or two, but it requires a ton of what-ifs. Let’s say the Bears, Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles all lose this week and the Seahawks win. A Green Bay loss would clinch the NFC North for the Bears, and a loss by the Eagles would ensure the Bears are ahead of them at the end of the season. If the Seahawks win, the Bears would not be able to catch them in Week 18. So then you’re looking at the Bears being locked into the No. 2 seed. Perhaps it becomes a discussion for them at that point.

Can you break down what needs to happen for the Bears to regain the No. 1 seed? — @bearsfanpete

The Bears are one of four teams in the hunt for the top seed in the NFC along with the Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams. Here’s the current order:

Seahawks (12-3 overall, 7-3 in NFC). Remaining: at Panthers, at 49ers.
Bears (11-4, 7-3). Remaining: at 49ers, vs. Lions.
49ers (11-4, 8-2). Remaining: vs. Bears, vs. Seahawks.
Rams (11-4, 6-4). Remaining: at Falcons, vs. Cardinals.

Let’s assume there are no ties involving these teams in the final two weeks. The Bears would need to win out and have the Seahawks lose at least one game. The Bears would win a tiebreaker with Seattle and get a first-round bye and home-field advantage through the NFC playoffs.

The good news is the Bears are in a good position to secure at least the No. 2 seed. They would win the division with one victory or one loss by the Packers, who host the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday and close the season at Minnesota. Winning the division would ensure the Bears a top-four seed and at least one home playoff game. The Eagles also have an outside shot at the No. 2 seed. They would have to win out and the Bears would have to lose their final two games.

With the great cornerback play from Nahshon Wright, do you think there is a scenario where the Bears sign him to an extension and move on from another cornerback in the group? — @zelenikt

Cornerback Nahshon Wright celebrates after the Bears stopped the Packers on fourth down in overtime Dec. 20, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Wright has been a fantastic story this season and one that should only get better for him in the offseason. I imagine the Bears will want to bring him back. I also believe he will have a solid market in free agency. If Wright isn’t involved in another takeaway this season, he’ll go to market as a guy who had five interceptions, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. A lot of teams would love to have a cornerback with that kind of ball production and length. He also has been a willing tackler against the run.

Wright hit the jackpot being the right guy in the right spot at the right time, and he has maximized his opportunity in just about every way you can imagine. He has a close relationship with passing game coordinator/secondary coach Al Harris, who was in Dallas when the Cowboys drafted Wright. I’m sure Wright would love to stick around with the Bears. Generally speaking, “hometown discounts” apply in free agency only when the discount is really, really small. Wright turns 28 next September, and this will be his chance at a contract that can set up him and his family for the rest of his life.

We’ll see what happens. After a number of years of having a wide-open salary-cap situation, the Bears will have to be more selective in 2026. First they’ll have to rate what their needs are and then assess what’s available. I imagine they will look for a way to retain Wright. It will be really interesting to see what kind of market there is for him because he didn’t do much in his career until this season. Given a chance, he has proved he’s a starter capable of making big plays.

I don’t know that the Bears would look to shed any cornerbacks. That’s a position where you want depth, and as you’ve seen at the nickel position, it’s needed. Kyler Gordon isn’t going anywhere. They just paid him. It has been a disappointing season for Jaylon Johnson because of health issues. The guaranteed money in his deal is up, but I’d imagine the team will bet on a bounce-back season.

Your opinion on Austin Booker, his performance this year and can he be the solution to the edge rusher issues? — @john_vent2

Bears defensive end Austin Booker tackles Packers quarterback Jordan Love in the first quarter Dec. 20, 2025, at Soldier Field. Booker was called for roughing the passer on the play. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Booker can be part of the solution. He’s not the kind of player who will lift a pass rush by himself. To be fair, only a small handful of players across the league can do that on a consistent basis.

Booker is coming off two very impactful games. He would have been credited for 1½ sacks against the Packers if he hadn’t been called for roughing the passer on the hit that knocked Jordan Love out of the game with a concussion. Tough play there for Booker, but he can’t lower his head when making contact in that situation. He had two sacks the previous week against the Cleveland Brown and he has five quarterback hits in the last two weeks — six if he hadn’t been dinged for the penalty.

I like Booker. He has a high motor on the field and really pushes himself to improve. Healthy over a full season, it’s easy to envision him as the kind of guy who can produce eight to 10 sacks. He’s also young. He turned 23 this month and there’s no question his best football is ahead of him. He just doesn’t have the high-end traits to be a game wrecker each and every Sunday, and that’s the kind of player you’re alluding to when you talk about the team needing a solution.

Montez Sweat has gotten on a nice heater and has produced 8½ sacks over the last 10 games. That’s a welcome sight for the coaches and front office.

“Since the bye week, he’s playing some of the best ball of his career,” Ben Johnson said. “He would probably tell you the same thing. He’s one of our most consistent run defenders. He’s been racking up, slowly but surely, a sack a game it almost feels like. A guy that we can consistently count on to win one-on-one matchups and pressure the quarterback. I feel really strongly about the way he’s playing right now.

“I feel really strongly about the person too. I love seeing him in the building. He’s one of the many that haven’t really experienced what we’re experiencing right now, where it’s not just winning football but a chance at the postseason and playing meaningful games down the stretch like this.”

I tend to think the Bears will look for ways to boost the pass rush in the offseason. How? We’ll have to see. Let’s focus on the opportunities they have on the field moving into January and keep an eye out for Booker, who is playing well.

If Cairo Santos knocks that field goal in before the two-minute warning instead of on the number, do the Bears still onside kick? — juz44

Bears kicker Cairo Santos celebrates after an overtime victory over the Packers on Dec. 20, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

There aren’t a lot of questions in the mailbag where I pause for a minute and really have to think about it. This is a really good question. While Ben Johnson didn’t specifically touch on the subject, he did make some insightful remarks about the timing of the process and how he wants to be better in the future.

The Bears had two timeouts remaining, and when they snapped the ball on third down, 2:44 remained on the clock. On third-and-9, Caleb Williams completed a short pass in the middle of the field to DJ Moore that went for only 5 yards.

Johnson sent on the field-goal unit, and between that and the officials having to switch out the football — this was definitely a situation in which the Bears wanted the K ball to be in play — a lot of time wound up bleeding off the clock. I asked Cairo Santos about it after the game, and he said that of course he hoped to make the field goal before the two-minute warning, but the delay for the K ball and the desire to make sure everything was right to accomplish the most important goal — making the 43-yard kick — slowed the process.

“We could’ve handled that third down into fourth down better as an offense and as a special teams unit, and that’s on me,” Johnson said. “That is 100% on me. I have to do a better job coaching that with all the players involved, all the coaches involved, and I think we’ll be better for that going forward.”

What was interesting is Johnson went back to his play call on third down in assessing the situation.

“I don’t want to put our field-goal unit in that position to start with, with the clock running like that,” he said. “Ideally, that third-down throw is either past the sticks or it’s clearly going to be out of bounds to where we’re not having a running clock and we’re forcing our field-goal unit out there. I can do a better job communicating that we need to kick that thing as soon as we possibly can.

“That being said, you know, they’re getting the K ball in there — at one point that thing was fumbling around on the ground, and the umpire stood over the ball for a longer period of time than I had hoped for. So we weren’t able to get the kick off nearly as quickly as I had foreseen in my head. So there were a number of things that had happened there.”

Back to your question about the decision to onside kick. If the Bears had the two-minute warning plus their two timeouts, I think they probably would have kicked off if they had made the field goal with 2:20 or so remaining on the clock. In that scenario, with three stops they could have forced the Packers to punt coming out of the two-minute warning. Let’s keep in mind, though, they needed a touchdown, and the math is a heck of a lot different if you require only a field goal in that situation.

Because the Bears needed a touchdown, my guess is they would have attempted the onside kick if the clock was closer to the two-minute warning and there was a chance for Green Bay to possess the ball beyond that point.

The bottom line is an onside kick is a last-ditch resort for coaches to turn to because the odds of a recovery are so low. Fortunately for the Bears, Santos hit a perfect ball and then Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs was way too indecisive before he muffed the recovery.

Interesting that the Bears won the toss in overtime and chose to kick. Looked like a smart move. What did you think? — Bill F., Waynesboro, Va.

Good question. That’s the general trend with the current NFL rules, which guarantee both teams a possession. By kicking off to begin overtime, coaches know what they will need when they get their turn with the ball — a touchdown to win or tie or a field goal to win or tie.

What was interesting about Ben Johnson’s decision is he put his defense on the field first when his offense had momentum and his defense hadn’t stopped Green Bay from moving the ball all game. The Packers had 46 or more net yards on every possession in regulation with the exception of a kneel-down at the end of the second quarter and the sack they took on the lone play of their final possession at the end of the fourth quarter.

Sure enough, the Packers started overtime by moving the ball. They went 43 yards in six plays — including a 31-yard completion from Malik Willis to Jayden Reed — and reached the Bears 36-yard line before the bungled snap on fourth-and-1.

The Bears knew they could win with a field goal, but Johnson dialed up a shot play — probably knowing the Packers would be hunting a big play — and it hit with Caleb Williams’ bomb to DJ Moore.

Olamide Zaccheaus has had a lot of drops, including another one on Saturday when the ball hit him square in the numbers. With Jahdae Walker coming through clutch in that game (a 15-yarder and the game-tying catch), will Walker now be taking snaps from Zaccheaus? — Pat R., Chicago

Bears wide receiver Jahdae Walker catches a touchdown pass against the Packers in the fourth quarter Dec. 20, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

We won’t get an answer on that question until Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III are back in the mix. If Odunze and Burden still are missing Sunday at San Francisco, it will be all hands on deck.

Right now, Zaccheaus probably has a better mastery of the offense as a whole, especially for doing some of the dirty work over the middle, which is where he was when he dropped the pass you’re referring to. But you’ve brought up a good question and it wouldn’t surprise me if the coaches look for expanded opportunities for Walker, who could be in some 12 personnel groupings with DJ Moore.

Zaccheaus played 55 snaps against the Packers and Walker played 17 snaps, mostly in 11 personnel groupings. That discrepancy could become much smaller.

The run defense has gotten better but it’s still a concern. Which player needs to step up? — @noflyzone_1

It’s not a cop-out answer to say they all do. The Packers had a lot of success running the ball, piling up 192 yards, the second-most an opponent has had versus the Bears all season. I asked nose tackle Andrew Billings about it after the game, and he said it was a matter of the defense needing to have better run fits.

My guess is the Bears will have their final full-pads practice of the regular season Wednesday. That’s a chance to fine-tune some of that stuff. The San Francisco running game has been pretty sluggish most of the season, which is a little surprising given coach Kyle Shanahan’s track record, but Christian McCaffrey and the 49ers are capable of going off at any time. All 11 defenders need to be involved for better run defense.

When is Kyler Gordon eligible to return? — @pauliuskase

Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon signs autographs for fans before facing the Commanders on Oct. 13, 2025, at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

The earliest the Bears can open a return-to-practice window for Gordon is Jan. 5, the day after the regular-season finale against the Lions at Soldier Field. That will be the fourth game Gordon is required to miss while on injured reserve with a groin injury.

“It’d be great to get Kyler back potentially in the postseason,” Ben Johnson said. “We’ll see where it’s going. He’ll be down for four weeks and we’ll assess it as we go here. We were always hopeful of that.”

Gordon’s availability is of even greater interest with C.J. Gardner-Johnson now dealing with a knee injury he suffered in the end zone after trailing Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs on a 33-yard touchdown at the end of the third quarter. The Bears turned to Nick McCloud with Gardner-Johnson sidelined, and we’ll see what kind of information is on the injury report later in the week. It’s another instance of Gardner-Johnson being challenged in coverage when he can’t re-route a wide receiver off the line of scrimmage.

As far as Gordon, maybe he can get back on the field, but he has missed nearly the entire season so I’m not sure what the team would expect from him if he is cleared. The good news is Johnson says the team is hopeful, and that indicates there is a chance.

Why does it seem like the Bears are dragging their feet on a stadium when several teams have reached deals so easily? — @2lohaymmah

What to know about the Chicago Bears’ possible move from Soldier Field

Money. Every team’s push for a stadium is about one factor and one factor only: money.

The Kansas City Chiefs announced Monday they are crossing the border from Missouri to Kansas to a new stadium that is expected to be ready for the 2031 season. Kansas is expected to pay nearly $1.8 billion of the estimated $3 billion it will cost for the stadium to be built. Development around the stadium will put the state on the hook for another huge chunk of money, reportedly as much as $975 million — meaning the state could be all in for more than $2.7 billion.

Owning an NFL franchise is good business these days, and it’s even better when public funding supports the cause. To be clear, the Bears have repeatedly said they aren’t seeking public money to construct a stadium. In Arlington Heights, they have been asking for infrastructure support around the stadium, which could run up to $855 million, and they have sought tax breaks.

If the Bears can get Illinois or Indiana to throw around the kind of money Kansas is, I promise you will see their feet moving in a jiffy.

Was DJ Moore’s touchdown catch in spite of pass interference by Keisean Nixon? — Pete J., Kuwait

It sure looked like Nixon had his arms and hands all over Moore before the ball arrived. It was as good of a catch as you’re going to see.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/24/chicago-bears-mailbag-ben-johnson-playoffs/