Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson and players met with reporters at Halas Hall in Lake Forest on Monday, a couple of days after the team’s thrilling comeback win over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card.

Saturday became one of the most memorable playoff wins in the franchise’s history. Quarterback Caleb Williams shined in the spotlight to lead the team’s seventh fourth-quarter comeback of the season. Meanwhile, the defense responded to a rough first half by mostly shutting down the Packers in the second half.

Now the Bears will try to keep their run going Sunday when they host the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC divisional round at Soldier Field. Here are three of the most interesting things the Bears said Monday.

On Caleb Williams’ playoff debut

Williams came through for the Bears in his first career playoff game. He led the team on three touchdown drives to end the game and threw for 361 yards, which broke the team’s playoff record.

It wasn’t all perfect, though. Chicago struggled to find a way into the end zone during the first three quarters, including Williams. He threw for 184 yards in the fourth quarter, more than he had in the previous three combined, along with two interceptions.

But Johnson didn’t feel that meant Williams played poorly for the whole game.

“We kept, like I said, kept chipping away and eventually we broke through that dam and turned field goals into touchdowns there at the end,” Johnson said. “That was just the nature of that game. Yeah, we all want to start faster. I know that’s been a theme here over the last two months of the season, it feels like. But we’re going to go back to work here, and it’s something we address, it’s something we correct, and it’s something we look to get better from.”

Saturday was also the most agitated Williams has seemed in a game this season. The TV broadcast showed Williams yelling at his teammates after a slow offensive first three quarters.

Johnson didn’t have a chance to talk with Williams about that when he met with reporters in the morning and planned to do so later. But he did see value in Williams being authentic to himself when the game wasn’t going the way he wanted.

“There is an accountability factor that goes into it as well,” Johnson said. “When I turn on the tape and I see a few things, particularly in our passing game, that weren’t the way we had talked about over the course of the week, sometimes you do need to get a little bit fired up just to make sure the point gets across and that we play better going forward, so I don’t shy away from that part of it.”

On aggressive coaching

On Saturday, Johnson showed that he brought his aggressive decision-making to the playoffs.

The Bears went for it on fourth down six times and converted twice. Three of those attempts came in their own territory and led to two conversions. Chicago failed to convert on its attempt from its own 32-yard line, its deepest attempt from its own territory, and Green Bay went on to score a touchdown on its ensuing possession.

Johnson didn’t shy away from his approach Saturday. He said the Bears didn’t have as many possessions offensively as he had wanted in the previous games leading up to the playoffs and wanted to maximize those drives Saturday.

“It always comes down to what we feel as a coaching staff is going to give us the best chance to win and put our guys in the right spot,” Johnson said. “And then you go back and you look at it after the game: Hey, was it the right mindset or not? And that’s what happens in this league. And I’m never going to apologize for being aggressive or doing things that might be a little bit unorthodox, if it’s what we deem is best for us to win a ball game.”

It didn’t mean Johnson lacked confidence in the defense to get a stop. The decision to go for it from the Bears’ 32 came after the Packers used nine plays to go 85 yards to score a touchdown on their opening possession.

“I think where it gets misconstrued is there’s a lack of confidence in your defense when you do that,” Johnson said. “I think the opposite. I think it’s because I have confidence in our defense and their ability to stop teams in the red zone that it makes you more willing to pull out a strategy like that.”

On the rivalry with the Packers

If anything became clear during this season’s three games between the Bears and the Packers, it’s that the rivalry is alive and well.

Johnson’s arrival seemed to reinvigorate a rivalry that the Packers have dominated this century. His comments about beating Packers head coach Matt LaFleur twice a season during his introductory press conference drew critiques from Green Bay fans and led to more intense play on the field this season. It also led to a pregame skirmish before Saturday’s playoff-opener.

“This is a rivalry,” Johnson said. “And [for] the city of Chicago, Green Bay – it needs to be a rivalry."

Johnson intensified the rivalry Saturday after the win. He drew some criticism on social media for his quick postgame handshake with LaFleur and for his comments during the team’s postgame celebration that the team shared on social media. It included a part at the beginning of the video when Johnson yelled “f*** the Packers.”

“There is an accountability factor that goes into it as well. When I turn on the tape and I see a few things, particularly in our passing game, that weren’t the way we had talked about over the course of the week, sometimes you do need to get a little bit fired up just to make sure the point gets across and that we play better going forward, so I don’t shy away from that part of it.”

—  Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears head coach

It was a surprising decision for the Bears, a franchise seen as buttoned-up at times, to keep the comments in their video. But Johnson didn’t hear any complaints from the team’s leadership, especially from Bears owner and chairman George McCaskey.

“There’s a rivalry that exists between these two teams, something that I fully recognize and I’m a part of,” Johnson said. “And, yeah, I just, I don’t like that team. So George and I have talked, and we’re on the same page.”

The players appreciated the reaction, too.

“It was definitely a turned-up moment,” linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said. “You could just see the energy in the locker room. Everybody was like, ‘OK, Ben got a little swag about himself.’ Know what I mean? But like, I mean, we all put a lot into this, you know what I’m saying? To be able to act off your true emotions and your true personality, I think that’s what it was for him.”