No one was expecting year one of the Ben Johnson era to end in a Super Bowl for the Chicago Bears, but the 2025 season went better than most fans could have expected. But even so, it felt like it ended too soon. The loss in the NFC Divisional Round against the Los Angeles Rams stung because they had worked their magic again, battling back to tie the game with just 19 seconds left.
A Rams three-and-out to start the overtime period, and the Bears were in position to win.
But this was not their time.
The end was disappointing, but the season truly felt like the start of something special, and 89% of of fans feel the Super Bowl window is open.
Ben Johnson changed the trajectory of the franchise.
His partnership with Caleb Williams had a rough start, by design, and it got better and better as the year wore on.
Chicago finished ninth in points scored and sixth in total offensive yards. The Bears’ top-ten finish in those two categories has occurred only three other times since 1985.
Including his three years as offensive coordinator in Detroit, Johnson’s offense has never been out of the top ten in either of those two categories.
The arrow is pointing up on the offense, and if the Bears attack the defense this offseason as they attacked the offense last year, that side of the ball will more than hold its own in 2026.
Our partners at FanDuel Sportsbook have the Bears odds to win next year’s Super Bowl at +2700.
The window may be open, but Johnson won’t take it for granted.
“There is no building off of this,” Johnson said at the end of the season press conference. “We go back to square one. We’re back at the bottom again.”
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