CHICAGO — After a Chicago Bears victory, fans across the city keep hitting refresh on their social media feeds. It usually takes an hour or so for the Bears’ social media team to prepare the video, bleeping out the swear words and whatnot.

When coach Ben Johnson’s postgame speech hits social media, it’s a must-watch. Johnson’s victory speeches have become a huge part of this team’s and its coach’s identities. It all culminates with Johnson’s now-signature “good, better, best” chant.

After an 18-point comeback victory against the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round of the playoffs, Johnson opened his postgame speech with a passionate: “F−−− the Packers, man.” Bears fans everywhere can easily fill in the blanks.

The coach even doubled down on his comment a few days later, saying, “I don’t like that team” with regard to Green Bay.

The Bears have become the NFL’s darling. With the win over Green Bay in the first round of the playoffs, the Bears now have seven fourth-quarter comebacks this season. After being an afterthought for years, they have seemingly morphed into the country’s favorite plucky, young team with a passionate new coach and a promising young quarterback.

When they win, the locker room oozes with that passion as Johnson steps in front of his team for his postgame speech.

When did ‘good, better, best’ start?

The first time the “good, better, best” chant caught the attention of Bears fans was after Johnson’s first win as coach in Week 3 against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 21.

Fans typically don’t see much emotion out of Johnson during games. The coach is locked in for four quarters. As the play caller for the offense, Johnson is always thinking one or two plays ahead. He can’t afford to let his emotions sway his decisions or his tactics.

When the Bears hired Johnson a year ago, the notion in Chicago and across the country was that they were hiring an offensive guru, a whiz kid with a math background.

Johnson is that, but both Chicago and the NFL at large underestimated how much fire Johnson coaches with. The players learned early on. Even during those first couple of games, it wasn’t as apparent to the outside world because he’s typically so stoic on the sideline. That’s at least part of why his first victory speech turned some heads.

Johnson was wearing his emotions on his sleeve in the postgame locker room with his players. It’s not the same demeanor he shows on the sideline or in his postgame media sessions.

Johnson first did the “good, better, best” chant after a preseason win against Buffalo, but the Bears didn’t show it to the world until the Week 3 win in the regular season. After beating the Cowboys 31-14, Johnson told his players to bring it in. He even set it up by saying, “Repeat after me now.”

As the 2025 season wore on and the Bears won more and more games — 11 in all during the regular season and the NFC North division title — Johnson didn’t have to ask his players to repeat it. They knew what was coming.

All of Chicago did.

How does the chant go?

Johnson gives his speech after a victory, usually playing off his postgame adrenaline. He hands out several game balls to players who stood out during the game. All the while, the players circle up and hang on his every word. General manager Ryan Poles and team President and CEO Kevin Warren are typically standing right behind Johnson as he speaks. Each player who earns a game ball will say a short speech.

Once Johnson has handed out all the game balls, he brings the team in for the emotional finale. He shouts each line, and the players shout it back at him.

Good, better, best!

Never let it rest!

Till your good gets better!

And your better gets best!

Bears on three — one, two, three, BEARS!

Not so long ago, a coach’s postgame speech was considered sacred. Anything that happened in the locker room stayed in the locker room.

But the media landscape has changed. This season, the Bears’ social media team posted Johnson’s postgame speech after every victory, culminating in the “good, better, best” chant.

In Chicago, it has become a must-watch phenomenon.

Where does the chant come from?

For Johnson, the chant goes back to his days at A.C. Reynolds High School in Asheville, N.C., where Johnson quarterbacked the Rockets to a state championship in 2002.

The Rockets celebrated their victories with the same chant.

“Just a fond memory of mine growing up, postgame in that locker room,” Johnson said. “Shoot, even before I was wearing that uniform because my dad was an assistant coach on that team before he got into high school administration. So I remember being in that locker room, and that was just the rallying cry at that time. And I think there’s something to be said when a group of men they’re all believing the same thing, they’re saying the same thing. It’s one heartbeat, one voice, and I think our guys have enjoyed it.”

Johnson went on to become a walk-on quarterback at North Carolina from 2004-07 before embarking on his coaching career. Years later, he brought the “good, better, best” chant with him to Chicago.

‘Good, better, best’ takes the city by storm

The chant is everywhere. Even quarterback Caleb Williams can’t avoid seeing ads for “good, better, best” T-shirts when he scrolls social media.

“To say the least, it’s definitely sparked something good here, something fun, and we want to keep that going,” Williams said.

After a win against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in November, Johnson punctuated it by ripping off his shirt for the celebration. Thanks to a social media bit, the city earned free hot dogs from The Wieners Circle on the North Side.

“It was unexpected and I think we’re always super excited when we win the game coming into the locker room,” safety Kevin Byard said. “We just never know what Ben’s going to say, what he’s going to do before, obviously, we get to the good, better, best.”

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