Windy City Gridiron
The 2025 Chicago Bears season has come to an end. Sure, it didn’t end with a championship, but it was a season that we won’t soon forget.
An 11-6 regular season record, an NFC North division title, a Wild Card round victory over the Green Bay Packers to end our rival’s season, and a down to the wire OT loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round. If you had told Bears fans that all of this was in the cards at the beginning of the year, every single one of us would have enthusiastically signed up.
And yet, it’s hard to walk away from it all and not feel like there was still a little bit more left in the tank. The Bears had a great opportunity to win this game in OT, driving with the ball at midfield with the next score winning the game. Then came the interception on a ball intended for DJ Moore, a play that has already been analyzed to death in less than 24 hours. While it was an aggressive call at a time when the Bears could have just kept chipping away to get into FG range, the play was also there for the taking and could have ended the game if DJ and Caleb were on the same page.
The Bears absolutely had chances to take control and ultimately win the game, whether it was the miscommunication between Caleb Williams and DJ on that final offensive play or the dropped touchdown by Rome Odunze on the opening drive that took the wind out of the team’s sails. Opportunities were absolutely there. Hopefully the team uses it all as fuel to really kick down the doors in 2026.
This is only the beginning of the story, and I fully expect this franchise to advance further in the coming years. 2025 was the floor. Year one. The team’s stock is rising and you’ll continue to see people piling on the band wagon.
Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams will continue to improve on the foundation set this year with a more steady and consistent offense in 2026, and I expect the team to do what it takes to improve the defense in the offseason (pass rushers, please). There’s no reason to walk away from this year and not expect the Bears to be just as good next year, if not better. Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL, but the hardest thing to get right in this league is a long term solution at head coach and quarterback — the Bears have both.
Let’s get to the game balls.
Like most weeks, this easily could have gone to Caleb Williams as well. Especially after his insane throw to Cole Kmet at the end of regulation to tie the game. But the truth is, we needed more from the offense given the stellar outing that the Bears defensed turned in. Williams was hurt by numerous dropped balls...
