Disappointed Ben Johnson talks about 'special' Bears feeling after season-ending loss

The Chicago Bears' surprising season ended in heartbreak. This time, the late-game heroics weren't enough.

Right after finding Cole Kmet with the most spectacular pass we'll probably see this season, Caleb Williams threw an interception in overtime to seal his team's fate.

Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams marched down the field to set up a game-winning field goal and move on to the NFC Championship Game.

After the game, a clearly emotional Ben Johnson tipped his hat to his players, praising them for rallying together when no one believed in them.

Ben Johnson is proud of his 'special' Bears

"Disappointing result," Johnson said, per Larry Mayer of the team's official website. "Our guys are feeling it right now. They all believed, man. They all believed all year long that we could find a way to win each and every week. So it's disappointing like that."

Coach Johnson believes this year's success isn't a fluke, and he hopes this feeling only fuels their competitive fire even more.

"But I am proud of the group. It's a special group," Johnson added. "This will be hopefully a feeling in this locker room that we won't forget, and we'll be able to use it as fuel going forward."

The Bears were playing with house money for most of the season. They had seven comeback wins, and not many people expected them to be this good.

Of course, winning with late-game heroics isn't sustainable over time, but that doesn't mean they weren't as good as their record showed.

Finding the right guy to lead a project is crucial. Getting Johnson in the building was the right move, and while they still need to tweak things on defense and Caleb Williams has to work on his accuracy issues, this team has the potential to be a force for years to come. 

They won't sneak up on anyone next season.