Why Ben Johnson Thinks the Bears’ Early Bye Week Could Change Their Entire Season

With the 2025 NFL schedule out, Bears head coach Ben Johnson discovered something intriguing: his squad’s bye week lands in Week Five — the earliest break on the docket this season. Now, you might wonder if that’s a blessing or a curse — but Johnson’s actually embracing it. For a first-year coach navigating fresh faces and new schemes, getting a solid month of gameplay before hitting pause seems like just the breather the team needs to recalibrate. Johnson shared on The Herd how this early timeout gives his staff a crucial window to diagnose what’s clicking — and what isn’t — setting the stage for a focused push through the season’s final stretch. It’s a bold strategy in a league where many covet late-season respites, but Johnson sees this early breather as a game-changer for the Bears’ playoff aspirations. Intrigued? You’re about to find out why patience and timing might just reshape Chicago’s path forward. LEARN MORE

Johnson said on The Herd that assessing his team for a month and then getting a week for the coaches to evaluate what they need to work on should be ideal for a first-year staff.Some coaches prefer a later bye week because they like to give their players some extra rest heading into a playoff run. But Johnson thinks the extra time off early in the season gives the Bears a better chance of being in the playoff hunt at the end of the season.“I actually like where that bye week is, because it usually takes about four weeks into the season to find out who you are as a team, what you do well, what you don’t do well, and that’s a good time so we can reflect on that as a coaching staff so we can hone in on what we want to be for the remaining three-quarters of the season,” Johnson said.When the 2025 NFL schedule came out, Bears coach Ben Johnson found out that his team gets its bye in Week Five, the earliest bye week this year. And Johnson is pleased about that.“It can take up to half the season before they really start to mesh and come together,” Johnson said.Johnson said he knows it will take time for his team, with a new head coach, new assistants and a lot of new players, to be on the same page.