The Chicago Bears were one of the best stories in the NFL last season under new coach Ben Johnson, with the development of quarterback Caleb Williams, an impeccable turnover margin, and the team's steely late-game resolve serving as driving forces behind their first division title in seven years.
Consider, though, just how close the Bears came to missing the playoffs again.
Their NFL-record seven wins after trailing in the last two minutes of regulation
included a stunner over the Minnesota Vikings, whose go-ahead touchdown with 50 seconds left was washed out by a kickoff coverage gaffe that led to a 56-yard return and game-winning field goal by the Bears as time expired.
Had they all stayed in their assigned lanes on that play, the Vikings probably would have been able to keep the Bears from scoring and thus win the division by tiebreaker at 10-7 despite a season-long slump by their offense and a rocky debut for quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
That's how fine the line can be between success and failure in this league, a thin margin for error that's sure to test the Bears this year in their quest to repeat as NFC North champions in this remarkably competitive era for the division.
Their schedule includes Super Bowl winner Seattle and runner-up New England, plus 2024 season champion Philadelphia. They've already lost an important player to a long-term injury, with newcomer safety Coby Bryant out until at least December if not the rest of the season. Their competitors, from the Detroit Lions to the Green Bay Packers to the Vikings, are all poised for rebounds, and all four teams finished with winning records.
From Johnson on down, though, these Bears carry themselves with a confidence that won't be swayed by conventional NFL wisdom about the challenge of bettering breakthrough seasons or tempted to think they've arrived after winning one playoff game.
“It’s a completely different group, and we’re going back to work,” Johnson said last week. "We’re forging our new path. It’s a new chapter of Bears football right now.”
Johnson got the job with Chicago because of his prowess as Detroit's offensive coordinator, and the brash 40-year-old did not disappoint in his debut as the Bears leaped from last in the league in total yards in 2024 to sixth in 2025.
Johnson said in a recent interview with The Athletic his goal is for the Bears to break the NFL's all-time scoring record. After posting the most passing yards in franchise history in 2025, Williams has plenty of momentum as his grasp of Johnson's offense and playing in the pros continues to grow. He has young wide receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden and tight ends Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet to mature along with him.
Green Bay has largely owned the NFC North since its current iteration was formed in 2002, but guess which team has now gone the longest since its most recent division title? Yes, the Packers have grabbed the NFC's last wild-card spot in each of the past three seasons, but their most recent NFC North crown came in 2021. There's plenty of pressure on coach Matt LaFleur entering his eighth year with a 3-6 record in the playoffs, but quarterback Jordan Love is a good place to start with the goal to become a true Super Bowl contender again. The healthy return of Micah Parsons would go a long way toward that, too, with the three-time All-Pro edge rusher expected back at midseason.
There's heat on Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell to win, too, entering his fifth year without a playoff-game win. The roadmap to returning to the postseason goes through an effective debut for Kyler Murray, who will be the fourth different starting quarterback in four years to open the season for Minnesota following McCarthy, Sam Darnold and Kirk Cousins. O'Connell's work in 2024 toward revitalizing Darnold's career suggests immense potential for Murray to succeed, with wide receiver Justin Jefferson leading the list of capable skill-position support.
The trio of quarterback Jared Goff, running back Jahmyr Gibbs and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is tough to top in the NFL for overall talent, giving the Lions a sturdy base for their desired bounce-back from a 9-8 finish. Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta and Isaac TeSlaa give Goff even more capable playmakers. Penei Sewell remains one of the game's best offensive tackles, too. The Lions also get a boost from a schedule that has them playing four of the five worst teams in the league from last season.
Lions, Vikings, Packers, Bears
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