Many skeptics of the 2025-2026 Bears would just say Chicago's luck ran out in a fluky season, with Caleb Williams' mistakes outweighing his magic in the tough 20-17 overtime divisional home playoff loss to the Rams.
Williams was trying to extend the record for most successful fourth-quarter comebacks in the final two minutes to eight wins. With his miracle long red zone touchdown pass to tight end Cole Kmet to tie the game at the end of regulation, it looked like the second-seeded Bears' improbable run would continue to the NFC championship game.
Instead, Williams' third interception of the defensive slugfest opened the door for the Rams' game-winning field-goal drive. Now, will Williams and the Bears go the way of the 2025 Commanders, crashing to earth in '25 after a special season with another talent high first-round QB, Jayden Daniels?
Chicago is here to stay in NFC playoff contention for a while, finally armed with its long-term franchise QB in Williams. The Bears went 11-6 to win a tough NFC North over the 9-7-1 Packers, 9-8 Vikings and 9-8 Lions. They experienced a five-game turnaround under rookie coach Ben Johnson. Along the way, they overcame a tough 0-2 start and beat the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles.
The Bears did have a favorable schedule, but so did their division competition. They also got better as the season progressed and overcame plenty of key injuries on both sides of the ball. Chicago outperformed expectations, especially given the defensive personnel limitations.
Here's looking at three reasons the Bears won't be one-and-done and back to their losing ways going forward:
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Caleb Williams still hasn't hit his passing and running ceiling
Williams' wild ride of big plays allowed the Bears to overcome a lot of adversity caused by their defensive issues vs. Both run and pass. But in the end, he couldn't carry the team when it lost the turnover battle in the biggest game.
Williams took a big leap with Johnson taking over the offensive play-calling. He was more efficient and less dependent on his athleticism. He also benefited from big offensive line improvements to go from taking 68 sacks to only 24. But in having almost the same passing volume from his rookie season, his yards per attempt went up to only 6.9 and his completion percentage backslid to a below-average 58.1.
In other words, Williams' up-and-down game against the Rams mirrored his roller-coaster season. He caused jaws to drop and an equal number of heads to shake. Consistency and accuracy can still be improved, and the Bears can set him up to get more chunk pass plays on the regular. Just wait until Williams puts all of his immense skill set together in a Mahomes-ian manner.
Ben Johnson has the chops to be a long-time winning coach
Johnson frustrated the Bears' fans often with his aggressiveness in going for fourth downs and passing on chip-shot field goals. He lived by pushing the envelope with analytics and saw his team die by it, too. But then he gave the Bears a dominant running game that was the foundation of the offense to help settle Williams. It took time for all the new offensive pieces, up front and the skill positions, to jell with Williams.
Johnson's impact on the Bears and the dynamic leadership is something the franchise has been missing for a long time, maybe since Mike Ditka. He is also the best offensive mind to lead the team in a long time. Johnson's influence will make the Bears' offense more dangerous after improving the weaknesses from his first season.
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- Watch Caleb Williams uncork spectacular TD pass to Cole Kmet to force overtime
- Meet Harrison Mevis, the 'Thiccer Kicker' who sent Rams to NFC Championship
The Bears aren't an aging team and don't have major personnel concerns going into 2026
Credit the Commanders for going a little "all in" with their moves for so many veteran players to help Daniels, offensively and defensively. It did almost pay off as Washington went all the way to the NFC championship game as a wild card last year. But then the Commanders started showing their age and the injury attrition they avoided reared its ugly head, led by Daniels being shelved.
Assuming Williams stays healthy for the Bears after starting the first 34 games of his career, he will get more of a chance to grow with his offensive foundation. Expect Rome Odunze to reemerge as a key target in Year 3, while tight end Colston Loveland and slot receiver Luther Burden III figure to be much bigger weapons for Williams and Johnson in their sophomore seasons.
The new-look offensive line will have all five starters back. The only defensive position that is facing free-agency issues is safety. The Bears saw some pass-rush promise develop late behind Montez Sweat. Their defensive youngsters will come together more with another year under Dennis Allen's scheme and the special teams are sound.
The Bears are a complete team, just scratching the surface of their potential. They got one play away from advancing to the NFC Championship game. The Packers, Lions and Vikings all have more things that must be ironed out to challenge them.
Before 2025, the Bears had made the playoffs only six times prior to this century. Johnson is a good bet to give them their first back-to-back postseason trip in 25 years. Chicago fans will be nervous about another tease and immediate return to disappointment. With Williams, their best modern QB in the making, there's no reason to believe there will be yet another post-postseason hangover.