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The NFL is paying tribute Sunday to Mike Ditka.
The Packers, who are hosting the Bears at Lambeau Field, and the Saints, formerly coached by Ditka, held pregame moments of silence for Ditka, the former Super Bowl-winning coach for Chicago. Ditka’s family announced his death Friday.
The Bears are wearing a helmet decal with the No. 89, Ditka’s jersey number as a Hall of Fame tight end.
Bears coach Ben Johnson reportedly played a Ditka tribute video during a team meeting Saturday so players would understand Ditka’s impact on the franchise.
“As far as I’m concerned, Coach Ditka is the gold standard in terms of this place,” Johnson said at a news conference Friday. “I mean, he’s a legend around here as a player, as a coach. His impact is still being felt to this day. And as the head coach of the Bears, I feel humbled to be in that same chair that he was once in.”
During his coaching career, Ditka’s teams went 121–95 across 14 seasons and 6–6 in the playoffs. In 1985, with Ditka at the helm, Chicago went 15–1 during the regular season before winning Super Bowl XX.
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