The Chicago Bears’ season came to an end on Sunday evening, and it was certainly frustrating.
So many times this season, it felt like the Bears were down and out, perhaps you even felt like the game was over, and yet, they would come roaring back and win the game. On Sunday, it always felt like the game was in reach, but the Bears couldn’t get the victory across the finish line.
There are definitely a couple of things that transpired in this game that may have gotten some fans hot (myself included),
and if you want to hear those takes, you can check out my Bears Banter Podcast, and you’ll probably get your fill of it right there.
And yes, today is Wednesday, but I wanted to take an extra day this week to catch my breath before I write the final weekly Hot Take Tuesday column of the 2025 season.
Because, despite any frustrations that may have occurred in the loss, in the big picture, they don’t matter as much as the feelings and outlook we should have on the Bears’ 2025 season, and their upcoming seasons with Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams, and that is one of gratitude and excitement.
Thank you, Chicago Bears. Thank you for giving us arguably our most enjoyable season since 2006.
Thank you, George McCaskey. Thank you for opening up your wallet and spending what needed to be spent to get the right head coach and coaching staff in here.
Thank you, Kevin Warren. Thank you for stabilizing the Bears’ franchise and making it one that Ben Johnson felt comfortable joining.
Thank you, Ryan Poles. Thank you for helping bring Ben Johnson to this team and working with him on reimaging this roster, even if it meant seeing some of your guys head out the door.
Thank you, Ben Johnson. Thank you for being the coach we all hoped you could be. Thank you for exceeding many of our expectations. Thank you for embracing this city and bringing joy to millions.
Thank you, coaching staff. Thank you for supporting Ben Johnson’s vision and helping elevate this team. He can’t do it alone, and you were critical in this team’s turnaround.
Thank you, Caleb Williams. Thank you for showing us the quarterback you are and glimpses of the quarterback you will become. Thank you for being your own unique self despite any outside criticisms, and thank you for becoming the leader of our favorite team. You’re the captain now, and we’re excited you are.
Thank you, D’Andre Swift. Thank you for running hard and taking this running game to a new level, despite previous criticisms from me and so many others.
Thank you, DJ Moore. Thank you for giving it all in the Packers regular season game at Soldier Field. Thank you for catching that game-winning drive as you collapsed to the turf in joy and exhaustion.
Thank you, Luther Burden. Thank you for showing your skill and athleticism, and we know you will soon be WR1 here in Chicago.
Thank you, Rome Odunze. Thank you for fighting through pain to finish the season, and thank you for working hard and becoming Caleb Williams’ most reliable target.
Thank you, Colston Loveland. Thank you for working hard and already becoming a top 5 tight end in the league. You’re already a star, and we are excited to see what you will become.
Thank you, Cole Kmet. Thank you for seeing your role change and accepting it. Thank you for bringing your lunch pail to work and working hard, becoming an excellent blocker, and being the leader this team needed.
Thank you, Offensive Line. You worked as a unit, so I’ll thank you as a unit. The best performance we’ve seen from an O-Line in years, maybe decades. You were the heart and soul of this offense.
Thank you, Ozzy Trapilo. You get a special thank you for the effort you showed to get off the field despite suffering a devastating injury. Your heart and determinination was appreciated by all Bears fans.
Thank you, Montez Sweat. Thank you for showing up in key moments frequently, whether they were batted balls, sacks, or pressures. Thank you for anchoring the defensive line.
Thank you, Grady Jarrett. Thank you for playing through injuries most of the year and being a leader on the defensive side of the ball.
Thank you, Andrew Billings. You’ve been a fan favorite for all your years here in Chicago, and we thank you for so many great memories.
Thank you, Austin Booker. Thank you for stepping in and helping stabilize an edge room that desperately needed it.
Thank you, Tremaine Edmunds. You played the best football of your Bears career during the first half of the season, and you were the catalyst for plenty of turnarounds in the fourth quarter.
Thank you, D’Marco Jackson. Thank you for coming out of nowhere and becoming a key contributor to this defense, even earning defensive player of the week honors.
Thank you, Kevin Byard. You turned back the clock and played like the All-Pro we watched in Tennessee.
Thank you, Jaylon Johnson. You battled to get back on the field, even if you weren’t ready, to help a secondary that desperately needed you.
Thank you, CJ Gardner-Johnson. Thank you for stepping in and starting for a decimated secondary. What you did to boost the secondary this year was immeasurable.
Thank you, Kyler Gordon. We missed you all season. We were frustrated, and I’m sure you were even more so, but you got back on the field and played a hell of a game against the Rams. We love that you are here.
Thank you, Jaquan Brisker. Thank you for being the emotional leader the defense needed and stepping up when the bell rang.
Thank you, Nashon Wright. I never would have guessed how much of a ballhawk you were. You created so many critical turnovers during this run.
Thank you, Cairo Santos. You were another player that fans were quick to criticize, but your performance in the elements in December and January was applauded by all of us.
Thank you, entire 53-man roster. I couldn’t thank everyone individually, and I’m sure there are names I missed that should have been singled out. But so many of you stepped up when your name was called and did your jobs to the best of your ability, and those efforts contributed to so many wins.
Thank you, Chicago Bears staff. Whether you work at Halas Hall, Soldier Field, drive buses to the games from the parking lots, or are any of the other countless people who helped bring this great season to the city of Chicago.
And one last one, thank you, Lovie Smith. Thank you for winning a game that your ownership wanted you to lose, which started a chain of events that brought Caleb Williams to Chicago.
There will be time for criticism, there will be time for opinions, there will be time for all of that all offseason long, but none of that is needed now; there’s only one thing that’s needed now.
Thank you, Chicago Bears. For the first time in a long time, we are hopeful and excited about what’s to come.
