Pride of Detroit
Talk about a quick turnaround. Early in 2025, the Chicago Bears announced they were hiring Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their next head coach. People questioned how Johnson would do and if he could help turn this offense with plenty of weapons into something strong and resilient. After starting 0-2, getting blown out by his former team, it seemed like perhaps the Bears would be at the bottom of the division once again.
Then they went on a four-game winning streak and haven’t looked back since. With a fourth-place schedule, the Bears were questioned until they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles on Black Friday; that’s when it felt like the Bears were legit. Now they’re the NFC North champions, and they can give Detroit one more loss to push them below .500 for the first time since 2021. After the beating they received in Week 2, I’ve got a feeling Johnson and his team will do whatever it takes to ensure Detroit goes down on Sunday.
Let’s take a deeper look at the Bears in my Week 18 scouting report.
Week 1: Lost to the Minnesota Vikings 27-24
Week 2: Lost to the Detroit Lions 52-21
Week 3: Defeated the Dallas Cowboys 31-14
Week 4: Defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 25-24
Week 5: BYE
Week 6: Defeated the Washington Commanders 25-24
Week 7: Defeated the New Orleans Saints 26-14
Week 8: Lost to the Baltimore Ravens 30-16
Week 9: Defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 47-42
Week 10: Defeated the New York Giants 24-20
Week 11: Defeated the Minnesota Vikings 19-17
Week 12: Defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-28
Week 13: Defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 24-15
Week 14: Lost to the Green Bay Packers 28-21
Week 15: Defeated the Cleveland Browns 31-3
Week 16: Defeated the Green Bay Packers 22-16 (OT)
Week 17: Lost to the San Francisco 49ers 42-38
Stats:
This has been a year Bears fans have been waiting for. They’re atop the NFC North once again, getting their first divisional title since 2018. While the top seed isn’t a possibility for them, they’ll have something to play for on Sunday. With a win over Detroit or if the Eagles lose to the Commanders, the Bears will lock in the two seed. If the Bears lose and the Eagles win, they’ll fall to the three seed.
Quarterback Caleb Williams had a bounce-back season after a difficult rookie year in 2024, throwing for more yards (3,730) and touchdowns (25), all while keeping the interceptions at six. A significant factor in his improvement is the upgrade seen on the offensive line. Williams was sacked 68 times in 2024, the most out of any quarterback, and this year he’s only...
