Windy City Gridiron
Coming into Week 16, the Chicago Bears had an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot with a win on Saturday night and a Detroit Lions’ loss on Sunday afternoon. For the first time in five seasons, Bears fans finally got to entertain playoff-clinching scenarios. Of course, their playoff future, at least in the moment, relied on beating the Green Bay Packers. This was the second time in three weeks the two teams had played, but with key injuries on both sides, it wasn’t the same kind of game.
With plenty on the line for both teams, Saturday night’s final regular-season matchup was the most electric we’ve seen at Soldier Field in years. In the end, the Bears were severely outplayed for all but two minutes of regulation, but likely in Week 15, they found a way to get the game into overtime and won on a 46-yard walk-off bomb from Caleb Williams to DJ Moore. Not only did the playoffs become a virtual guarantee, but they are on the verge of clinching their first NFC North title in seven seasons. For more on Saturday night’s game and the happenings of Week 16, let’s dive into another installment of 10 Bears Takes.
1. The Chicago Bears Are Heading To The Playoffs For The First Time In Five Years!
Coming into the season, expectations for this team amongst the fan base ranged from a few wins improvement, to some of the more optimistic folks thinking that playoffs could become a reality. Year 1 of a new coaching staff is always a toss-up. We’ve seen it plenty in Chicago over the years, especially since the firing of Lovie Smith. Bears fans are no strangers to both sides of the coin, but luckily for them, they’ve got at least an extra game in January to look forward to.
Before we dive too far into the present and near future, let’s reflect on what these last two seasons have been. Never in my lifetime did I expect the Bears to hold the No. 1 overall pick in back-to-back years. While it’s clearly worth noting that one of those seasons was thanks to the Carolina Panthers, it’s still not usually a great sign of where a franchise is currently sitting. In fact, 2025 was the first winning season any fan has experienced since Year 1 of Matt Nagy in 2018.
It’s been a long road from the double-doink to where we are now. It produced one .500 season and six losing seasons in between. Not to mention four straight draft seasons of Top 10 picks.
When the 2024 regular season kicked off, the optimism was high. The Bears had drafted their quarterback and made a few exciting offseason moves, leading many to believe that Chicago could make a splash. Following a (4-2) start, those hopes and dreams felt validated, all before their season came crumbling down in Washington. We all know how the rest of the story goes, and it’s not worth walking the full path...
