The Good, Better, Best Chant › Timeline
Every Time the Bears Have Chanted It
The Bears only chant after wins, so this is also the complete record of the Ben Johnson era. Updated after each game.
Want the details? Every win now has its own page with the score, the key plays, who got game balls, and the team's locker-room video. Browse the chants game by game →
19 chants so far: 13 in 2025 (including one preseason and one playoff) and 6 in 2026 through Week 8. Johnson's regular-season record entering Week 9: 17–8.
2026 season
| Date | Game | Opponent | Result | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 13, 2026 | Week 1 | at Carolina | W 59–37 | The chant returns for 2026. One player yells "I need it!" before Johnson starts. game page · source |
| Sep 28, 2026 | Week 3 | vs Philadelphia | W 27–7 | Monday night. game page · source |
| Oct 4, 2026 | Week 4 | vs NY Jets | W 23–12 | game page · source |
| Oct 18, 2026 | Week 6 | at Atlanta | W 31–23 | game page · source |
| Oct 22, 2026 | Week 7 | vs New England | W 30–24 | Thursday night. game page · source |
| Nov 2, 2026 | Week 8 | at Seattle | W 34–17 | Monday night. Bears move to 6–2. game page · source |
2026 losses (no chant)
| Sep 20, 2026 | Week 2 | vs Minnesota | L 3–9 |
| Oct 11, 2026 | Week 5 | at Green Bay | L 7–31 |
Still to play
| Nov 8 | Week 9 | vs Tampa Bay (SNF) |
| Nov 22 | Week 11 | vs New Orleans |
| Nov 26 | Week 12 | at Detroit (Thanksgiving) |
| Dec 6 | Week 13 | vs Jacksonville |
| Dec 13 | Week 14 | at Miami |
| Dec 19 | Week 15 | at Buffalo |
| Dec 25 | Week 16 | vs Green Bay (Christmas) |
| Jan 3 | Week 17 | vs Detroit |
| Jan 9–10 | Week 18 | at Minnesota |
2025 season
| Date | Game | Opponent | Result | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17, 2025 | Preseason | vs Buffalo | W 38–0 | The first one. Johnson gathers the team at Soldier Field and tells them to repeat after him; Kevin Byard later admitted it felt a little corny. game page · source |
| Sep 21, 2025 | Week 3 | vs Dallas | W 31–14 | Johnson's first regular-season win. The team posts the locker-room video; the public hears the chant for the first time. game page · source |
| Sep 28, 2025 | Week 4 | at Las Vegas | W 25–24 | First road chant, in a one-point game. game page · source |
| Oct 13, 2025 | Week 6 | at Washington | W 25–24 | Monday night, another one-point win; the chant becomes a weekly fixture on the team's social accounts. game page · source |
| Oct 19, 2025 | Week 7 | vs New Orleans | W 26–14 | Third straight win. game page · source |
| Nov 2, 2025 | Week 9 | at Cincinnati | W 47–42 | Down 42–41 with 52 seconds left; the comeback that turned the chant into a citywide thing. game page · source |
| Nov 9, 2025 | Week 10 | vs NY Giants | W 24–20 | game page · source |
| Nov 16, 2025 | Week 11 | at Minnesota | W 19–17 | Revenge for the Week 1 loss; the chant in the visitors' room at U.S. Bank Stadium. game page · source |
| Nov 23, 2025 | Week 12 | vs Pittsburgh | W 31–28 | game page · source |
| Nov 28, 2025 | Week 13 | at Philadelphia | W 24–15 | Black Friday, against the defending champions. Johnson paused eight seconds, flung his shirt off, and led a shirtless rendition in the Lincoln Financial Field visitors' room. game page · source |
| Dec 14, 2025 | Week 15 | vs Cleveland | W 31–3 | game page · source |
| Dec 20, 2025 | Week 16 | vs Green Bay | W 22–16 (OT) | Overtime over the rival; clinched a winning record. game page · source |
| Jan 10, 2026 | Wild Card | vs Green Bay | W 31–27 | First playoff win since January 2011, from 21–3 down. Johnson's game balls and the chant go viral again; also the speech with the words about the Packers that made national news. game page · source |
2025 losses (no chant)
| Sep 8, 2025 | Week 1 | vs Minnesota | L 24–27 |
| Sep 14, 2025 | Week 2 | at Detroit | L 21–52 |
| Oct 26, 2025 | Week 8 | at Baltimore | L 16–30 |
| Dec 7, 2025 | Week 14 | at Green Bay | L 21–28 |
| Dec 28, 2025 | Week 17 | at San Francisco | L 38–42 |
| Jan 4, 2026 | Week 18 | vs Detroit | L 16–19 |
| Jan 18, 2026 | Divisional | vs LA Rams | L 17–20 (OT) |
Final 2025 record 11–6, NFC North champions, lost in the divisional round. Scores from Wikipedia's 2025 season page and 2026 season page; notes from the linked reports.
Milestones
- Aug 17, 2025 — First chant, after a preseason shutout of Buffalo (ESPN).
- Sep 21, 2025 — First public chant, posted after the Dallas win (Tribune / KDH).
- Nov 2, 2025 — The 47–42 Cincinnati comeback; the chant goes citywide.
- Nov 28, 2025 — The shirtless Black Friday chant in Philadelphia (ESPN).
- Jan 10, 2026 — First playoff chant, after the comeback over Green Bay (SI).
- Sep 13, 2026 — Returns for year two in Charlotte (Sun-Times).
The speeches themselves, with what Johnson said before the chant each time, are on the speeches page. For the words, see the full text.
FAQ
How many times have the Bears done the good, better, best chant?
19 times through Week 8 of the 2026 season: 13 in 2025 (including preseason and the wild-card win) and 6 so far in 2026.
Do the Bears do the chant after every game?
Only after wins. There is no chant after a loss.
When was the first good, better, best chant?
August 17, 2025, after a 38–0 preseason win over Buffalo. The first one fans saw was September 21, 2025, after beating Dallas.
Did the Bears chant after the playoff win over Green Bay?
Yes. January 10, 2026, after coming back from 21–3 down to win 31–27, their first playoff win since January 2011.
What is Ben Johnson's record with the Bears?
11–6 in the 2025 regular season plus a playoff win, and 6–2 through Week 8 of 2026.