SEASON PREDICTION 

Build Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams a statue, give them the keys to the city, proclaim them kings of Chicago. These were all the reactions that Bears fans had throughout their marvelous 2025 season. In Ben Johnson's first year as head coach, he led the Bears to a division title their first since 2018 (infamous double doink year). The Bears made a name for themselves by being the cardiac Bears with Caleb Williams leading the league with 6 fourth quarter come from behind wins. They're most notable comeback came in the playoffs as they entered down 21-6 in the fourth quarter of their wild card game verse their biggest rival the Packers. The end result was some Caleb Williams magic that lead to the Bears eking out a 31-27 victory and secure their first playoff win against the Packers since 1941.  

While all the national media attention was put on the offense last year with how entertaining they were to watch, the defense quietly had one of the most unique seasons I've seen in my time watching the NFL. Their defense was an antithesis of what is expected from an exceptional defense. On one hand they led the league in interceptions with 22 picks, but on the other hand they ranked 29th in Total Defense. Nothing captures this paradox more than the week 16 game versus the 49ers where the Bears started off with a Pick 6 on the first play of the game and then proceeded to let up 42 points to the San Francisco offense. The biggest concern for this season is that their biggest defensive acquisitions Cobe Bryant was just recently diagnosed with an injury that is set to sideline him all the way into the playoffs. Thankfully though Chicago had another defensive acquisition in Devin Bush who will help strengthen their linebacker room and contribute to stuffing the run game. Something that Chicago couldn't do last year ranking fourth worst in the league with five yards given up per carry. One thing I'm puzzled by is the fact that the Bears have chosen to run it back with Dennis Allen as their DC. The personal hasn't changed much as they return eight of their starters from last year, so I see them continuing to struggle as a bottom tier defense that won't have the luxury of 22 INTs to bail them out of bad situations.  

As for the offense, there may be a bit of offensive line trouble as their steadfast Center and sixth best in the league according to PFF unexpectedly retired this offseason at just 27 years old. This left Chicago with a gaping old to fill and to their credit they went out and traded for Garrett Bradbury from the Patriots. However, Bradbury is nowhere near as talented and dominant as Dalman. Fortunately, unlike other teams who lost a key lineman this offseason, the Bears have a strong supporting cast around the front line, which is allowing them to stay in the top 10 rankings for O-line play. Furthermore, I think Ben Johnson is a smart enough play caller color to scheme designs that play to his linemen's strength. Despite all the media coverage on Williams, this team was a run first offense with the two-headed attack of DeAndre Swift and sensational rookie Kyle Monangai. I see no reason why the offensive philosophy will change this year and expect a 60/40 split between the run and pass game. Another indication of them being a run heavy team is the fact that they drafted tight end Sam Roush in the third round. Chicago is already solidified in the tight end room with Colston Loveland, and Cole Kmet, so spending such a high draft pick on another TE tells me that they'll be running a lot of 13 personnel. When they're not busy shoving it down the opponent's throat, Williams will be given the opportunity to throw to anyone of his 3 main targets whether it be Loveland, Odunze, or Burden. I'm still unsure how the target share will be split, but I do know that with three quality pass catchers Caleb's 58% completion percentage is bound to improve. 

All things considered, I expect Chicago to have a bit of a down year faltering to a 10-7 record. The defense still has some room for concern, and I don't believe they will be able to bank on having 22 INTs this year to counter mediocre play. On the flip side I see the offense continuing to rise with their 3 big playmakers, a 2 headed running back room, and ascending superstar QB. I have them tying with the Packers for first place in the division and losing on a tiebreaker which I biasedly have the Packers winning.