Ben Johnson’s Bears Are Rolling-and So Is His Shirt (Right Off)
Come for the @ChicagoBears victory speech, stay for Ben Johnson going tops off to fire up the squad 🤣 #BlackFridayNFL pic.twitter.com/3mo7nHmUdf
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) November 28, 2025
The Chicago Bears are 9-3 and sitting atop the NFC as the No. 1 seed heading into Week 14. If that sentence made you do a double take, you’re not alone. But it’s very real-and so is the energy around first-year head coach Ben Johnson, who’s quickly becoming a galvanizing figure in one of football’s most passionate cities.
The Bears’ latest statement came in a 24-15 win over the defending champion Eagles on Black Friday, and it wasn’t just what happened on the field that had everyone talking. After the win, Johnson gave a fiery postgame speech in the locker room-and capped it off by ripping off his shirt, much to the delight of his players. The moment went viral almost instantly.
“My wife was just laughing, that’s about it,” Johnson said on Monday when asked about his family’s reaction. “My 2-year-old was watching the TV screen back at home and she’s like, ‘No shirt, no shirt!’
She’s pointing to the screen, ‘No shirt!’ My wife had no idea what was going on.
That’s really about how that went.”
Is Ben Johnson gonna give us the right type of trick plays? Because if not he’s gonna have to go topless in his locker room speech, if he wants to feed an entire city
— The Wieners Circle (@TheWienerCircle) November 9, 2025
Bear down! https://t.co/qVBe8Wejkx
Turns out, this wasn’t completely out of the blue. Back in October, The Wieners Circle-a legendary Chicago hot dog stand known for its brash humor and deep roots in the city’s sports culture-posted on social media that they’d give away free hot dogs if Johnson ever went “topless” during a locker room speech. Johnson was asked about it during a press conference on October 24 and acknowledged that he’d seen the post.
Since then, Chicago has rattled off five wins, and Johnson decided the Black Friday win over the reigning champs was the right time to deliver. “That was a spur-of-the-moment deal, I guess,” he said. “I figured the sooner, the better because I’m not in the weight room very much anymore.”
It’s easy to laugh at the moment-and plenty of people did-but there’s something deeper happening here. Johnson’s not just coaching a winning football team; he’s building a connection with the city.
And he knows it. “I hate to draw attention from our players, but the intent was to bring up the city of Chicago,” he said.
“Hopefully it gave them a little excitement. They’re a big part of this journey.”
He added, “I think any time you get to feed a city, you want to do it. A man of the people.”
‘The city of Chicago is hungry too’
— The Wieners Circle (@TheWienerCircle) November 29, 2025
-Ben Johnson https://t.co/hcOMuk2NB6 pic.twitter.com/tZXWKcYrfz
And feed the city he will. On Tuesday, The Wieners Circle is making good on its promise-free hot dogs for Chicago, courtesy of a shirtless celebration and a team that’s got the city believing again.
At 9-3, the Bears are no longer a feel-good story-they’re a real contender. And in Ben Johnson, they’ve got a coach who’s not only delivering wins but bringing the kind of energy that resonates far beyond the locker room.