Ben Johnson: Bears prepared to play 5 more weeks

Bears coach Ben Johnson said his team is ready for this week — and four more after it.

“We’re mentally prepared to play for five more weeks,” he said before the Bears’ walk-through Tuesday. “That’s our intent. How do you do that? You out and win the first one … we’re going to go out for this game and worry about the future when that time comes.”

The Super Bowl in Feb. 8.

Since the Bears won their only Super Bowl in 1985, they’ve won consecutive playoff games exactly once — at the end of the 2006 season, which ended with a Super Bowl loss to the Colts. They were one-and-done after the 2020, 2018, 2005, 2001, 1991, 1986 and 1987 seasons and lasted two rounds in 2010, 1994, 1990 and 1988.

"We don’t have anything to hold back," safety Kevin Byard said. "We don’t have a guarantee next week. It’s really do or die, so it’s like empty the gas tank with everything that you have for this week, and then you do the same thing again the next week. That’s what I’m mentally preparing for. That’s what I’m going to tell the guys. That’s what we have to be focused on, just every day emptying the gas tank from today, tomorrow, all the way up until Saturday night."