10 Bears Takes: What a Difference a Year Makes

Week 18 came and went, which means the NFL playoffs are right around the corner. Over the last four seasons, the final week of the season has meant one of two things for Chicago Bears’ fans. 

1. We’re gearing up for Black Monday.
2. We’re looking forward to the offseason, where things are actually fun. 

This year, things are finally different. The last few weeks have been hectic. The Bears both clinched a playoff spot and won the NFC North without actually playing in the game that decided it. In Week 17, they clinched the division on a Saturday Night and then lost an offensive slugfest the following evening.

No matter how it happened, fans are just glad to get at least one extra game this season to see where the Bears really stack up heading into another pivotal offseason. Although Sunday’s game didn’t mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things, both head coaches wanted to finish strong, and for Chicago, a chance to lock up the No. 2 seed and host the Packers next weekend was on the line. We’ll talk about all of that, and more, in our final regular-season installment of 10 Bears Takes.

1. Sunday Afternoon’s Season Finale Capped Off An 18-Week Magic Carpet Ride That Started In Disaster, But Ends With More Optimism Than Anyone Expected Coming Into Week 1. 

When I woke up on Sunday, it was the first time in three years that I wasn’t immediately diving into my phone to prepare for Black Monday. Last year, we already knew the Bears would be in the head-coaching mix, but there was little faith that their process would lead to the right choice. A year before that, many fans held their breath, hoping the organization would shock the world and hit the reset button after just two years under former head coach Matt Eberflus. 

Sunday morning (and this entire weekend) has been quite the 180 from all of that, though. Fans were able to tune into a pair of meaningful games on Saturday without any anxiety or the feeling of wishing their favorite team was still in the mix. Although there was seeding on the line for Sunday in Chicago, fans could watch comfortably knowing that their favorite team was guaranteed an extra game next weekend. 

For as fun as this season has been, it sure didn’t start that way. Following a disappointing Week 1 loss at home to the Minnesota Vikings, they were thoroughly embarrassed in Detroit by Ben Johnson’s former team. Despite all of the optimism surrounding the Bears’ future, their 0-2 start felt like a brutal reality check that maybe this roster wasn’t ready to compete for a playoff spot. 

Even if things haven’t always been pretty (or easy) along the way, the Bears reeled off an 11-2 record following their 0-2 start. In a season where a Wild Card spot began to feel like a pipe dream, the Bears clinched their first division title in seven years, and came into Sunday with a chance to lock up the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Not only have things drastically changed over the course of a year, but the team’s transformation over four months should foster plenty of hope moving forward. 

As I’ve noted over the last month, this team’s success should extend far beyond how this season concludes. If all goes well, the Bears should be a perennial contender for years to come. Are there holes? Absolutely. General manager Ryan Poles has his work cut out for him when it comes to creating cap space and, more importantly, identifying and acquiring the right defensive talent to turn that unit around. Even so, Johnson and his coaching staff have been a revelation. Second-year quarterback Caleb Williams is playing the best football of his young career, and most importantly, there’s an overwhelming feeling that no matter who this team plays, they’ll have a chance to win. 

Even if their “real season” starts in the playoffs, I hope that fans took the opportunity to reflect on how much has changed for the better and how far this team has come in a short time. Buckle in, Bears fans, if this goes according to plan, meaningful January football will become a yearly staple. 

2. Following A Big Week 17, Caleb Williams Needed 270 Passing Yards To Become The Franchise’s First 4,000-Yard Passer—Although He Failed To Get There, He Did Break Another Record In The Process.

When the Bears took Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, expectations were sky-high, and rightfully so. After all, the Bears and good quarterback play have rarely belonged in the same sentence over their 100-plus-year existence. 

Following a disastrous rookie season that saw his offensive coordinator and head coach fired before December, this past offseason was about as critical as it gets. The Bears answered those calls by hiring the best play-caller of the cycle, four new starting offensive linemen, and three new pass catchers. As a result, Williams was finally put in a position to succeed.

Williams’ Year 2 progression was far from linear, and there were points in the season where it was fair to wonder how much this new marriage was working. In the end, the Bears will go into 2026 as the lone NFL franchise to have a quarterback without a 4,000-yard season, but what has been gained is much more important in the big picture. 

Although Williams couldn’t eclipse the ever-elusive 4,000-yard marker, his 212-yard performance was good enough to become the franchise’s new single-season passing yards leader, surpassing Erik Kramer’s 30-year-long stranglehold figure of 3,838 yards set in 1995. Unfortunately, Kramer’s 29-touchdown record was not surpassed, but overall, Williams’ line was: 330/568 (58.1%), 3942 passing yards (6.94 yards per attempt), 27 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He also added 388 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 22 receiving yards, and a receiving touchdown. In total, he was responsible for 4,352 yards, 31 touchdowns, and just seven total turnovers. Even more impressive, he cut his sack rate from a league-high 68, all the way down to 24 over 17 games. That’s a 65% improvement from Year 1 to Year 2. That’s almost unheard of. If that wasn’t impressive enough, his six game-winning drives tied him for the most in a single season with Peyton Manning. 

While there’s still plenty to improve upon– especially his completion percentage and overall accuracy– this was a size step in the right direction. It should not surprise anyone to see Williams take a Year 3 leap, similar to Josh Allen or Jalen Hurts. After all, his sophomore season was better than either quarterback at the same point in their careers. 

3. Heading Into Week 18, Only A Difference Of One Spot In Playoff Seeding Was On The Line. Despite That, Head Coach Ben Johnson’s Message Was The Same (No Matter The Stakes). 

Relatively speaking, the Bears didn’t have a whole lot to play for on the final Sunday of the regular season. Despite that, Johnson took a page out of Dan Campbell’s book and opted to play every healthy starter on both sides of the ball. Instead of playing out different scenarios of which pick within the Top 10 Chicago could have in April’s draft, many were debating whether or not it was smart to risk the health of key players in a game that could only decide the difference of the second or third seed. 

On one hand, the Bears are still a young team with plenty of new pieces. It makes sense that Johnson would look at the entire picture of his first season and see an opportunity for his team to get “better”. There’s also the mental block of heading into the playoffs on a two-game losing streak. In short, there are plenty of viable reasons for Johnson to play his starters and take this game seriously. 

Then, there’s the other side of the coin. Will a difference in one seed be the reason they make (or miss) the Super Bowl? Locking in the No. 2 seed “guarantees” them two home playoff games (assuming they take care of business in the Wild Card round). One upset in the divisional round, and the Bears could, in theory, have home-field advantage all the way up to the Super Bowl. Falling to the No. 3 seed would require more help to earn home-field advantage through the NFC Championship game, but in turn, could afford them a more favorable matchup with the 49ers on Wild Card weekend, and the Eagles (on the road) in the divisional round. 

Those were the scenarios the team faced heading into Week 18. 

How things played out looked ugly for the first three quarters, but in the end, the Bears found themselves with a chance to win on their final offensive drive. Unfortunately, it did not happen, and it’s worth wondering why it took them a full three quarters to get going, but the hope is that they’ll use that final quarter to build some additional confidence heading into next weekend. 

In the end, both the Bears and Eagles lost, and with identical 11-6 records to close out the regular season, Chicago held onto the No. 2 seed because of their head-to-head victory over the Eagles on Black Friday. 

Had the Eagles won, the Bears would have slid to the third seed, but they would have been hosting the 49ers. It’s up to you to determine which Wild Card weekend matchup would have been more advantageous. No matter the speculation, the result was exactly how it looked heading into Week 18. With a win against Green Bay, the Bears will be guaranteed a second home game. 

4. All 17 Of The Bears’ 2026 Opponents Are Set. Here’s How It Stacks Up.

With the conclusion of the regular season and seeding set, let’s take a quick minute to look ahead at the list of Bears’ opponents for 2026. Because they finished in first place, they’ll face a “first place” schedule, consisting of matching teams from the NFC East, NFC West, and AFC South. Due to the yearly rotation, they’ll face all four teams in both the NFC South and the AFC East. One last note: Because of the annual rotation in an odd-game schedule, Chicago is slated to have nine home games. With an expected game overseas, we’ll know if it eats into the nine-game home slate over the next few months. 

Home: Lions, Packers, Vikings, Saints, Buccaneers, Patriots, Jets, Eagles, and Jaguars.

Away: Lions, Packers, Vikings, Falcons, Bills, Panthers, Dolphins, and Seahawks. 

On paper, this looks like a relatively challenging schedule, but their projected strength of schedule means very little with a full offseason of changes ahead for every team in the league. 

2026 will also break a two-year streak of Caleb Williams vs Jayden Daniels in the regular season. However, we’ll see matchups against Drake Maye (No. 3 overall),  Michael Penix (No. 8 overall), and J.J. McCarthy (No. 11 overall). In addition, the Bears will see Bryce Young for the third time in four seasons. 

As usual, the league won’t release the full schedule until May, which means fans will have plenty of time to ponder each opponent and make far too early projections of how they think the Bears will fare in 2026. First place schedule or not, I don’t see a schedule that should preclude them from being among the NFC’s top teams again next season.  

5. Revisiting The Bears’ 2025 Draft Class: Hint, The Results Are Promising.

God willing, the Bears made their final Top 10 selection for the next five-to-10 years last April. Because of some wheeling and dealing (including the final piece of the 2023 Panthers trade), general manager Ryan Poles and his scouting staff found themselves with four selections in the Top 62, and eight picks overall. For a quick refresher, here are all eight selections:

Round 1 (#10) TE Colston Loveland

Round 2 (#39) WR Luther Burden III

Round 2 (#56) OT Ozzy Trapilo

Round 2 (#62) DL Shemar Turner

Round 4 (#132) LB Ruben Hyppolite

Round 5 (#169) CB Zah Frazier

Round 6 (#195) iOL Luke Newman

Round 7 (#233) RB Kyle Monangai

The good:

Heading into the draft, left tackle felt like a position with the most significant need. Unfortunately for Chicago, three of the top names went before their pick at No. 10. While other positions could have been justified, tight end felt like the best value. Despite Tyler Warren being graded out as the national media consensus top tight end, Poles listened to his new head coach and went with fit over consensus. In the early going, it was easy to question the decision. Warren immediately became one of Daniel Jones’ primary targets, while it took well over a month for Johnson to properly integrate his new toy into the offense. 

Although Loveland started slow, he really came on down the stretch. So much so that he finished Week 18 as the team’s leading receiver with 713 yards on 58 receptions, while being in a three-way tie for the team lead with six touchdowns. Loveland had a good argument down the stretch for being a Top 5-7 tight end in the league, which says a lot, especially for a rookie at that position. 

Moving to the second round, things got interesting. Many, including myself, expected the Bears to come out of that round with one of the draft’s top running backs. Once Quinshon Judkins went to the Browns, it felt like Trevyeon Henderson was all but guaranteed. Then the Patriots made their selection at No. 38, and that went out the window. In a perfect world (at the time), trading down probably made the most sense. Instead, the Bears pivoted to another explosive offensive weapon in Burden. For those who viewed Loveland as a “luxury pick”, the Burden selection made even less sense—especially considering their needs at both left tackle and defensive end. 

Similar to Loveland’s early-season involvement, Burden rarely saw the field for more than 15-20 snaps. When he was targeted, he caught the ball and made plays. The issue was that he was firmly planted as the team’s fourth receiver and arguably their fifth, maybe sixth pass-catching option. The more mistakes that Olamide Zaccheaus made, the larger Burden’s role grew in the second half of the season. From Week 9 on, Burden’s production saw an uptick. Over his final eight games, Burden totaled 34 catches for 481 yards and a touchdown on 45 targets. On top of that, he came into Week 18 as the only rookie in this class with 50-plus targets to have yards per route run over 2.50. In fact, Burden’s 2.82 mark was the highest of any rookie receiver since 2011. 

If this class didn’t already look promising, let’s move on to their next pick in Trapilo. Despite hitting a “wall” in training camp and ultimately losing out on a chance to compete in the preseason for a starting job, his growth during the season (on the practice field) earned him an opportunity to take over for Theo Benedet in Week 12. In his six starts and 491 snaps overall, Trapilo graded out as Pro Football Focus’ 34th-ranked tackle, while being credited with just two sacks, three hits, and two penalties overall. All things considered, that’s a promising return on a player who had not played on the left side in close to three years. 

Skipping over a few picks (that we’ll get to later), we pick back up with the final two selections last April. First, we’ll start with Luke Newman. When he was drafted, most, including myself, expected him to either be an IR stash or someone that they could sneak onto the practice squad. Instead, he performed well enough to earn a roster spot out of camp and played well in limited snaps when called upon. While his 25 total snaps are a precise sample size (at best), he has yet to look like a sixth-round rookie. Most importantly, he’ll have the luxury of sitting for another year or two and developing, which is something the Bears have not done in as long as I can remember. 

Finally, we get to their seventh-round pick. Make no mistake- The 2025 running back class was as deep as any group in recent history. That said, it was still quite the surprise that the Bears waited until the final round to address what many viewed as a sizable need. Monangai isn’t the biggest or fastest guy out there, but he quickly earned the RB2 job and did a great job of holding it down all season. He finished the season second on the team with 783 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns, and an impressive 4.6 yards per carry on 169 rushes. For all that was made about the Bears’ running back room heading into the season, they finished third as a team in rushing, and the duo of D’Andre Swift and Monangai netted them 1,870 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground. 

The bad:

I would still argue that the team’s lack of a plan for their early-round rookies in the early going was a “rookie mistake” from Johnson and his coaching staff. It’s one thing for none of their eight-player class to be starting in Week 1, but their overall lack of impact through the first month of the season was less than ideal. 

Turning the focus to specific players, there are only two that stand out as egregious “bad” in Year 1. We’ll start with Hyppolite, and, surprise, surprise, reaching for a player in the fourth round who wasn’t on the consensus board has turned out to be a nasty look in Year 1. In total, the rookie linebacker played just 31 defensive snaps. Considering the unbelievable amount of injuries they had at the position in 2025, that speaks to how much work he needs. To make matters worse, he was inactive for 10 of the team’s 17 games, including Week 18 against the Lions. We’ll see what the plan is for their 2025 fourth-round pick moving forward, but Year 1 was not a positive in any way, shape, or form. 

The only other player of note was Frazier, their fifth-round pick. Any time a draft pick doesn’t report to camp, is placed on the NFI list, and never comes off it, that’s not great. The Bears have been purposely mum on the situation, and fans shouldn’t expect ever to get any insight. Johnson made it sound like the expectation is that he’ll come back in 2026, but that remains to be seen. The good news is, he was a developmental fifth-round selection; the bad news is that it appears they whiffed on back-to-back picks to open Day 3. 

Everything else in between:

Turner was the team’s final selection in the second round. Despite being drafted as a defensive tackle, he struggled to find playing time before eventually sliding out on the edge. His snap count went up after the first month of the season, but his impact was pretty minimal. Ultimately, he tore his ACL in Week 8 and was lost for the season. The talent is there, as is the motor. He was a raw player who was somewhat of a tweener. Year 2 will be big for him, and if we’re being honest, Turner developing into a starting-caliber player would be as big as any development in 2026. For now, his status and evaluation remain incomplete.

6. Although The Seeding Is Set, Here’s How I Would Rank Each Opposing NFC Team And How Confident I Would Feel With The Bears Playing Them. 

The theme of the NFL in 2025 was that there were simply no elite teams through 18 weeks. Although I’m not sure I fully bought into that narrative, I would agree that the playoffs seem much more wide-open this year than in recent memory. As I’ve stated plenty of times before, I don’t believe the Bears will find themselves in the Super Bowl. Have crazier things happened? Absolutely. That said, they arrived a “year too early”, so I’ll just be happy if they win a playoff game. 

That said, I decided to compile a list of the six other NFC teams in the playoffs and rank them by comfort level, from 1 (safest) to 6 (most uncomfortable), with a brief explanation of my rationale for each choice. 

1. Carolina Panthers

Outside of the obvious record drop off from the NFC South winner, it’s easier to argue that neither the Panthers nor the Buccaneers provides nearly the threat that the rest of the NFC contenders do. Despite a losing record of 8-9, the Panthers will host a playoff game as a more than 10-point underdog heading into Wild Card weekend. There’s no question that on paper, Carolina is the worst playoff team in either conference, but barring a surprise win this weekend, it’s unlikely the Bears will see them until next season. 

2. San Francisco 49ers

Don’t get me wrong, I believe the 49ers are a damn-good team with one of the best coaching staffs in the league. This is by no means a slight, but simply more about matchups. As we saw on Sunday night in Week 17, these two teams are similarly built, thus it’s easy to believe that with home-field advantage, they could win Round 2 of another entertaining shootout. 

3. Green Bay Packers

If Micah Parsons is still healthy and playing, I’m probably swapping spots between Green Bay and Seattle. In the end, the Packers are still a good team, but without a few key pieces on defense (and the benefit of seeing this matchup twice in three weeks), there are many reasons to believe the Bears can squeak out another win at Soldier Field. 

4. Philadelphia Eagles

Although the Bears are a little over a month removed from complete domination on Black Friday against this very team, I tend to value playoff and Super Bowl experience once the postseason hits. I would argue that the 2025 version of the Eagles isn’t nearly as good as last year’s Super Bowl winner, but experience can be a massive advantage at this time of year, and they have plenty of it. 

5. Seattle Seahawks

Seattle might be the most well-rounded team in football, but I’m going to have a hard time trusting Sam Darnold until he proves to me that he can play well in the big games. The Seahawks’ defense gives them a distinct advantage in most games, but trusting the quarterback puts them in the middle of this list. They finished the season as hot as any team in the league, and holding home-field advantage throughout the playoffs sure helps their case. Even so, I still can’t rank them as the “worst” matchup for the Bears. 

6. Los Angeles Rams

When the Rams are at their best, I view them as the best team in football. Getting them to a cold-weather climate for a game could change how the game plays out, but generally, the most talented teams will rise to the top come playoff time. Although the Bears can hang with and beat any team on this list, they are the team that gives me the most pause when looking at potential matchups. 

7. Revisiting My 25 Preseason Bold Predictions For 2025.

Each season, I try my hand at a random number of bold predictions around the league. This year, 25 felt like the perfect number for obvious reasons. I didn’t include No. 25 on this list because it was predicting the standings and each award. That was never going to hit fully, so I kept it off this list entirely. You’ll see three groups: What I got right, What I got wrong, and a few that are still in progress. If you’re looking for a laugh at my expense, you’ve come to the right spot!

What I Got Right:

• The race for the No. 1 pick will be between three teams… And no, it will not be for Arch Manning. 

So, this first one was hit-or-miss. Technically, two of the three teams I predicted were in the bottom 5 in the league, but the Giants were the only one that was in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick in the final two weeks of the season. That said, I nailed the Manning portion of that, so in total, I’m counting this as a win. Trust me, there are plenty of losses. 

• Jaxson Dart will become the starting quarterback for the Giants by November. Possibly with an interim head coach leading the team. 

Check and check. 

• The Philadelphia Eagles will snap a 21-year trend: Repeating as NFC East winners.

Thanks to a worse-than-expected NFC East, this prediction went in the bank way earlier than I would have expected it to this season. 

• The top regression candidate for 2025 is… The Washington Commanders. 

The “Top” of anything can be subjective, but when you compare their records from this year and last year, only one other playoff team came close to the fall from grace that the Commanders experienced. We’ll see if they can bounce back next year. 

• The Kansas City Chiefs will miss the AFC Championship game… Finally.

Well, technically, I was right. Although I still thought they’d win the division and just get bounced early in the playoffs. So, I’m hanging my hat on a technicality here. 

• Five rookie quarterbacks will make starts this year, with two coming from one team.

So, this is another one where the spirit of this prediction was to go “above and beyond” what most expected. Five felt like a solid number, although in reality there were seven; this was made more in the spirit of “five-plus”. I also nailed the “two coming from one team” portion. 

• There will be just one rookie pass catcher to eclipse 1,000 yards receiving in Year 1.

Earlier in the season, I would have almost guaranteed this was wrong. Due to an ineffective second half of the season, Emeka Egbuka fell just short of becoming the second rookie to hit the mark. 

What I Got Wrong:

• Mike McDaniel will be the first head coach to be fired in-season this year.

Not only was McDaniel’s job spared when general manager Chris Grier was fired, but the smoke around the Dolphins also seems to suggest he’ll be sticking around into 2026. 

• Anthony Richardson will regain the starting quarterback role in Indianapolis by mid-October. 

This was a swing-and-a-miss on multiple levels. One, Daniel Jones played exceptionally well. Two, Richardson fractured his orbital early in the season and never appeared in a game. Oops. 

• Of the 12 playoff teams from 2024, only four will not return in 2025.

On average, six new teams reach the playoffs each year, which is a 42.8% clip. 2025 will split the middle between my projection and what has become expected. Oh, so close, yet a little too far. 

• The most improved team in the league will be… The Chicago Bears.

For as much as I would love to do a victory lap on this claim, two teams went from worst to first, plus the Jaguars, who ended up with a bigger improvement than Chicago. 

• The team with the No. 1 overall pick in April will be… The New Orleans Saints.

Then Tyler Shough happened… Instead, it will be the Las Vegas Raiders who will hold that honor. 

• Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty will lead the league in rushing. 

Not. Even. Close. 

• The Detroit Lions offense won’t finish in the Top 10.

The Lions’ offense regressed, but not nearly as much as I predicted. Although they have plenty to work out, this drop-off wasn’t as drastic as I had expected.

• Nico Collins will lead the NFL in receiving yards.

Once again, not even close. 

• Following a year of fatigue, Lamar Jackson will once again be the MVP.

I’d love to be able to blame this solely on his injury, but I’d be lying if that were the case. Instead, it’ll be one of Matthew Stafford or Drake Maye taking home that award. 

• The Year Of The Passer: There will be 13 quarterbacks to throw for over 4,000 yards.

I see your 13 and raise you an… Eight. Yup, once again, not really all that close. 

• Travis Hunter won’t win a “Rookie of the Year” award but will be regarded as the best of his class in Year 1.

Hunter’s rookie season ended in disappointment, but even if he had played a whole year, it took the Jaguars far too long to figure out how to use him. Frankly, I’m not convinced they still do. 

• Joe Brady will be next year’s coaching cycle’s hottest candidate.

I placed too much faith in the Bills, at least in the regular season. Brady may take some interviews and maybe even land a job, but he’s nowhere near a “hot” name heading into this very underwhelming cycle. 

• Caleb Williams will become the first 4,000-yard passer in Bears’ franchise history.

58 yards away… So close, but in the end, no cigar. 

What Is Still TBD:

• The Buffalo Bills will win the AFC… And the Super Bowl. 

Although I can’t predict the future, I have a feeling this one might end up in the bad column. One thing is for sure- They won’t be winning their division. 

• If Matthew Stafford’s back can hold up, the Los Angeles Rams will win the NFC.

Even if a Week 16 overtime loss to the Seahawks derailed their chances of entering the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, I still like their chances here. 

• Six head coaches will lose their jobs in 2025, with one surprise name headlining the group.

Considering the shallow pool of candidates, especially on the offensive side of the ball, I expect this number to come in lower than I originally projected. 

• 2025 will be the final year for three veteran quarterbacks. 

This might have been a little too lofty to begin with, but I’m having a hard time seeing a third quarterback call it quits. Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco are still very much in the air, and if I wanted a cheap win, I guess I could always count Phillip Rivers, too.

8. NFC North 2025 Recap.

Just one season ago, the NFC North was the best division in football. Despite the Bears collapsing down the stretch, the trio of the Lions, Packers, and Vikings all made the postseason. Last year’s Week 18 came down to the Lions and Vikings for the division title and the top seed in the NFC. The NFC West found itself in a very similar position this year, with the Seahawks and 49ers battling it out for the division and top seed on Saturday night. 

In total, the NFC West will finish as the best division in football this season with a 41-27 record and three playoff teams, but surprisingly, the NFC North isn’t too far behind. They’ll finish with a 38-29-1 record and send a pair of teams to the playoffs next weekend. They’re also the only division in the NFL to have all four teams finish above .500. All things considered, following up last year with another strong performance shows how deep the NFC North truly is. 

Heading into the season, it felt like the Packers and Lions were the class of the division, with the Bears and Vikings having many more question marks. Although it started that way, neither Green Bay nor Detroit became the powerful force that they were expected to be. That said, let’s take a look at each team and conclude a few takeaways from their seasons. 

1. Chicago Bears

When I say that nobody outside of Chicago gave the Bears a chance to win the division, I mean it. CBS Sports’ Emory Hunt was the only national analyst I saw who picked them to win the division. Now, to be fair, going worst-to-first is almost impossible to predict. Most Bears fans would have just been happy with being “in the hunt” in December. Combine that with a rough 0-2 start, and winning the division didn’t seem to be in the cards whatsoever. Despite plenty of ups and downs, Chicago’s 11-2 run down the stretch was enough to not only lock up a playoff spot but also clinch the division. The defense remains a serious concern moving forward, but for the first time in most fans’ lifetimes, their offense can go blow-for-blow with any team in the league, giving them a chance in any game. 

2. Green Bay Packers

Coming into 2025, the Packers had made the playoffs in five of their last six seasons. Their lone miss came at the hands of the Lions in 2022, which marked the start of a strong two-year stretch in Detroit (more on them in a few). The transition from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love was far more seamless than most expected, but they’ve yet to break through and become a true Super Bowl contender once the postseason begins. That was all supposed to change with the blockbuster acquisition of All-World pass rusher Micah Parsons. 2025 started strong with a pair of dominant wins, but it’s been an uneven product since that point. 

Injuries have played their part, but they do for every team over the course of a 17-game season. Losing center Elgton Jenkins hurt, as did their carousel of receiver injuries. That said, there was no bigger loss than Parsons tearing his ACL. Although there needs to be an asterisk by their season ending on a four-game losing streak, their defense hasn’t been nearly as dominant, and their offense hasn’t found consistency due to injuries to Love and Malik Willis. With another one-and-done in the playoffs, many on the local beat have wondered how “safe” head coach Matt LaFleur’s job is. 

3. Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings have been in transition for a few years now, although following a 14-win season in 2024, expectations might have been higher than they should have been heading into this season. Outside of their impressive Week 1 comeback win in Chicago, the majority of this season has been about as worst-case scenario as possible. Second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy has not been able to stay healthy. Even when he has, the consistent play they were hoping for hasn’t really shone through. The defense has seen its fair share of injuries, and even with their aggressive nature, they haven’t been quite the same. 

All in all, it’s easy to label 2025 as a disappointment. They don’t know any more about their young quarterback than they did coming into the year. At the bare minimum, they’ll need quality veteran competition, even with McCarthy showing some promise down the stretch. With defensive coordinator Brian Flores coming out of contract, we’ll see what the future holds for the defense. Minnesota finished strong, but in a deep division, this offseason will be pivotal if they expect to get back on track in 2026.

4. Detroit Lions

Was 2025 simply a speed bump in Detroit, or is their window closing? That’s the biggest question that the Lions will need to answer during the offseason, and it all starts with Campbell figuring out the offensive coordinator role. John Morton was hired after being a journeyman assistant, and despite solid numbers, he was replaced as the play-caller around midseason. At this point, there’s no way to go back to him in 2026, and if you talk to those in Detroit, Campbell is probably not the answer either. They’ve got one of the more talented offensive depth charts in the league, which has kept the numbers in the Top 10, but anyone who watched them this season knows things just weren’t the same. 

They’ll have a few key players coming up for contract extensions, on top of lingering health and retirement questions with players like Taylor Decker, Brian Branch, and Sam LaPorta. On paper, they should still be one of the better rosters in the league, but in many ways, 2026 feels like a prove-it year for this franchise. In such a deep division, they can’t afford to play it safe this offseason. There are plenty of questions to be answered, but if general manager Brad Holmes can press the right buttons, there are plenty of reasons to believe they can be right back in the mix next year. 

9. A Wild Card Weekend Preview: Bears vs Packers, Saturday Night At 8 PM Eastern On Prime

Heading into Saturday night, the Bears enter the playoffs on a two-game losing streak, not to be outdone by the Packers’ four-game skid. Green Bay has yet to win a game since losing Parsons, and if history is any indication, they’ll have to break a trend of playoff losses under LaFleur. Since taking over, the Packers have a 3-0 record in their first postseason game when they enter with a win, and a 0-2 record when they enter with a loss. 

Just as important, the Packers finished the regular season with a 4-4-1 record on the road, while the Bears held a 6-2 record at Soldier Field, even with their 19-16 loss on Sunday afternoon. If reputable NFL insiders have a genuine bead on the situation, things could get very interesting in Green Bay for LaFleur if the Packers lose.

For the Bears, they’ll be looking to exercise a few different playoff demons. First, they’re weeks short of being a full 15 years removed from their last playoff win. Chicago is tied (with the Jets) for the third-longest postseason winless streak, just in front of the Raiders (23 years) and the Dolphins (25 years). On top of that, they’ll be looking to overcome their recent woes against the Packers. In the regular season, they’ve been a troubling 6-26 against Green Bay.

What’s impressive about this rivalry is that through their 104-year history, the two teams have met just twice in the playoffs. The first of which was a Bears’ 33-14 victory at Wrigley Field in 1941, and the most recent was their NFC Championship game matchup in January of 2011, when the Packers came out on top by a 21-14 final score. We all know what happened following that game, which gave Green Bay its first Super Bowl win in over a decade. 

There’s plenty of history between these two teams, and despite the Packers’ recent domination of this storied rivalry, the teams are 2-2 over the last two years. One thing worth noting: The Packers did not trail in regulation over 120 minutes of football this season against the Bears. We’ll see if a rowdy crowd at Soldier Field can push Chicago over the top and into the divisional round. 

10. Since Clinching A Playoff Spot, It Has Felt Like The Bears Are Playing With House Money. 

No matter what has gone on over the past few weeks or what will happen in the immediate future, this is a feeling I keep coming back to. Now, don’t get me wrong, the first three quarters of Sunday’s game against the Lions were about as ugly as it gets. There were times when I had to remind myself that this team has already defied expectations, and anything else they do on top of that is just added value heading into next season. 

Not only are the Bears ahead of schedule, but the future (since 1985) has never been brighter. They’ve got one of the best offensive minds in football as their head coach. He’s built an outstanding coaching staff and support system around him. Despite some early bumps and bruises, it’s almost impossible to come away from this season and not feel like Caleb Williams is well on his way to stardom. There’s so much to love about this team, and in reality, this should just be the beginning. 

Now, that’s not to say that we should ignore recent history. Many of us, including myself, came out of 2018’s heartbreaking double-doink feeling like potential greatness was in front of them. Of course, there’s always a chance that the Bears could come crashing back down to reality next season, but this time feels different, doesn’t it? I’m sure that’s what fans of every team believe following a promising season, but the Bears are due. Frankly, they are more than due for an extended period of success. 

While the offseason will eventually come, for now, it’s finally more fun to live in the moment, rather than looking ahead to the acquisition period. Embrace it, Bears fans. Even if their playoff run doesn’t last long, we finally don’t have to sit at home in January and crave a playoff appearance. With some fortune, the feeling of looking forward to the playoffs will be the “new normal”. For now, it’s a good reminder that no matter what happens on Saturday night, this season has already been a massive win for this organization.