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With their loss to the San Francisco 49ers knocking them out of contention for the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff picture, questions have come up about the plans for the Chicago Bears in Week 18.
At best, the Bears can finish with the No. 2 seed with a win over the Detroit Lions or a Philadelphia Eagles loss to the Washington Commanders and would wind up playing the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field during the wild card round. At worst, Chicago would be the No. 3 seed and face the Los Angeles Rams or 49ers in the first round.
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It's a marquee matchup between the Bears and Lions with head coach Ben Johnson facing his former team and looking for revenge after their 31-point loss to Detroit in Week 2. On Monday, Johnson was asked about his mindset going into a game where the best they could get is the No. 2 seed, and the Bears head coach did not hold back, sending a clear and direct message about his plans.
"We're playing to win this week," Johnson said, indicating starters will indeed be playing in Week 18 with playoff seeding on the line.
While this team has not shown that there are individuals who only care about themselves, there are plenty of player milestones at stake. The biggest milestone at stake between all players on the team is without a doubt quarterback Caleb Williams breaking the single-season franchise passing record and possibly becoming the first 4,000 yard passer in Bears history.
More importantly, Johnson will have his team ready to go and play in Week 18, still putting an investment into the final game of the regular season as there's another potential playoff home game at stake with the No. 2 seed still up for grabs.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears HC Ben Johnson sends clear message about plans in Week 18
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