Dan Bernstein Unfiltered (312 Sports)

Episode: Aftermath of the Bears Embarrassing Loss to the Detroit Lions

Date: September 15, 2025

Episode Overview

In this sharp, no-nonsense postgame episode, Dan Bernstein and longtime producer Matt Abbatacola unpack the emotional fallout and deeper implications of the Chicago Bears’ humiliating loss to the Detroit Lions. The hosts dissect head coach Ben Johnson’s approach, the emotional exhaustion of Bears fandom, organizational failures, and the peculiar drama with Lions fans. Beyond football, they riff on Cubs and White Sox updates, their weekends, and local sports culture, with the signature blend of wit, honesty, and Chicago edge.

Key Topics & Segments

I. Host Updates & Setting the Tone

• COVID, Humor, and the Mood in Studio (00:00–01:38)
  • Dan is broadcasting from home after a positive COVID test and jokes with Matt about “testing positive for being Italian”.
  • “[The COVID test] comes with an Italian beef, though. When you get it, you get a beef.” — Matt (01:27)
  • The tone is sardonic but the pain of the Bears loss is palpable: “It’s hard to smile today after what happened to the Bears…” — Dan (03:38)

II. The Bears' National Embarrassment

• Recalling Recent Bears Humiliations (03:38–05:59)
  • Dan invokes past Bears disasters, especially last Thanksgiving’s national embarrassment.
  • There’s frustration that the Bears’ promised “humiliation-free era” already feels like a broken promise.
  • “To be something other than a national laughingstock is not too high a bar.” — Dan (02:10)
  • The Lions’ sideline mocks, and the crowd’s “F Ben Johnson” chants serve as a backdrop for the city’s frustration.

III. Disappointment with Ben Johnson's Tenure

• Coach Ben Johnson: Out of His Depth? (06:00–13:54)
  • Discussion of Johnson’s failure to stem in-game collapses, puzzling personnel choices (healthy scratches among high draft picks), and questionable play calling (running at strengths, not away from them).
  • “Why did you run consecutive sneaks into the middle of the line if [DJ Reader] is so tough to run against?” — Dan (12:52)

Notable Quotes:

• “When it rains, it pours.” — Dan reviving the postgame mantra (09:52)
• “I don't want to hear after the second game of your head coaching career, ‘these games happen.’ Why did it happen to you?” — Dan (10:38)
• “[Ben Johnson] just doesn’t seem to have anything like that. How is it feasible that two games have gotten out of your control already?” — Matt (12:52)
• “We’re two for two: two games, two games that have gotten out of hand, out of control.” — Matt (11:41)

IV. Conditioning, Excuses, and Defensive Fatigue

• Bears’ Conditioning and Excuse-Making (15:02–17:03)
  • Both point to the team visibly tiring mid-game. Dan expresses worry about the Bears’ overall shape: “Are the Bears in proper shape?” (16:58)
  • Discussion points out that Johnson’s public compliments of opposing defenses ring as lame excuses, not accountability.
  • “We should call these what they are. They're excuses. They're excuses for getting your ass kicked.” — Dan (15:02)

V. The Lions Drama & Ben Johnson "Betrayal"

• Detroit Still Loves Drama (20:09–24:55)
  • Elsewhere, Lions players and fans fixate on Ben Johnson's move, with the Detroit crowd chanting “F Ben Johnson.”
  • “He stayed an extra year… One of 32 people in the world get [an NFL head coaching job]… You’re chanting because he bettered himself?” — Dan (21:02)
  • “This was personal. We felt betrayed. Staff to the players… It was time to get after him.” — Brian Branch via Matt (21:13)
  • Dan and Matt deride the manufactured drama, blaming Dan Campbell for weaponizing it, and ridicule fans’ faux outrage.
  • “Once the game's over, let it go... No, he didn’t betray you. He took a job. He got promoted.” — Dan (24:09–24:57)

VI. Bears Front Office & Draft Failures (25:15–26:45)

• The Poles Record, Hopelessness, and North-Taking Myth
  • Shocking stat: “Ryan Poles has now drafted 34 players as Bears GM… none have made a Pro Bowl. He’s 3-17 against the division.” — Matt (25:15)
  • The “take the North” promise gets mocked, with speculation about which “North” Ryan Poles was even referring to.

VII. Cubs & White Sox Updates (33:08–35:25)

• MLB Recap and Cubs Wild Card Watch
  • Cubs win series over Tampa; Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner highlighted.
  • Cubs have a comfortable wild-card lead; White Sox barrel towards 100 losses.
  • “Just don’t [lose] 100%.” — Matt jokes, referencing both on-field motivation and Ben Johnson dramatics (35:36).

VIII. Notable Lighter Moments

• Banter: Anthony Rizzo’s Post-Cub Life (03:53–04:43)

  • Speculation about him becoming a “retired fat guy” who never pays for meals.

• Dan's Fishing Shirt & Family Roasts (43:32–45:06)

  • “They call it my Republican shirt.” — Dan, on his fishing attire (44:14)
  • “You’re not going to war with those damn fish.” — Matt (45:07)

• Deep Chicago References

  • Who Needs Two Tavern Tour memories, “bubble hockey” tournaments, and South Sudan flag gags.

• Podcast Hosts’ Weekends: Tacos, Tequila, and Lil Jon (50:06–54:56)

  • Matt recaps a quirky festival concert experience: “He [Lil Jon] kind of stands in the middle… and just yells, 'Yeah,' does the song… 30 seconds, next song.”
  • Dan retells his fishing adventure in Wayne and banters about hyper-masculine fishing gear.

IX. Gambling & Picks Segment (40:19–43:12)

• Football Picks and Gambling Advice
  • Matt’s college picks underperform, but Dan nails a prop bet: “My pick cashed… I gave you the under 14.5 for DeAndre Swift's carries, and indeed that came in.” — Dan (41:00)
  • Both dole out Monday Night Football picks, diving into prop bet logic.

Most Memorable Quotes

• “To be something other than a national laughingstock is not too high a bar.”
  — Dan Bernstein (02:10)
• “Why did it happen to you? What did you do about it? What did you try to do about it?”
  — Dan on Ben Johnson’s helplessness (11:41)
• “He took a job. He got promoted… You know better than that.”
  — Dan on Ben Johnson’s supposed “betrayal” (24:57)
• “Ryan Poles has now drafted 34 players… none have made a Pro Bowl. He’s 3-17 against the division.”
  — Matt (25:15)
• “They’re excuses for getting your ass kicked.”
  — Dan (15:04)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00 – 03:38: Dan’s COVID update, Bears mood set, recalling Thanksgiving debacle
• 06:00 – 13:54: Ben Johnson coaching in over his head, playcalling, locker room concerns
• 15:02 – 17:03: Defensive fatigue, conditioning controversies, excuse-making
• 20:09 – 24:57: Lions fans, Ben Johnson betrayal drama, football’s motivational absurdity
• 25:15 – 26:45: Bears’ front office failings, Poles under fire
• 33:08 – 35:25: MLB round-up: Cubs surge, White Sox woes, Rizzo jokes
• 43:32 – 45:07: Dan's fishing shirt anecdote, family roasting
• 50:06 – 54:56: Matt’s Tacos & Tequila fest story, car music debates

Overall Tone & Takeaway

Raw, irreverent, and squarely aimed at Chicago’s long-suffering sports base, this episode combines biting Bears analysis, honest pessimism, gallows humor, and brisk local color. Dan and Matt voice what countless fans feel: This was supposed to be better. Now? It just hurts.

For more Bears deep-dives and therapy, tune in to their Forward Progress post-game show.