“Soldier Field – Chicago” by Lord is Good is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/?ref=openverse. Modified by Francesca Tolentino

The 2025 NFL season was a success for the Chicago Bears, making it one of the most memorable seasons yet.

The 2025 NFL season was one of the most memorable in a while, as it saw some of the craziest things we have ever seen in an NFL season. For example, nobody would have expected a grandpa in 45-year-old Phillip Rivers to come out of retirement and play three games for the Indianapolis Colts. Just like Rivers, another surprise of this season was the Chicago Bears.

Coming into the season, the Bears were coming off another disappointing year, with the firing of their head coach, Matt Eberflus, a little over halfway through the season, after repetitive heartbreaking losses. It seemed like the Bears would find any way to actually lose a football game. Along with this, their rookie quarterback at the time, Caleb Williams, was sacked for a league-high 68 times. It was clear that there had to be a huge change with the Chicago Bears. 

To start things off, general manager Ryan Poles brought in one of the best offensive young minds in the game, Ben Johnson, to become the next head coach of the Bears. Johnson was previously the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions and put up record-breaking numbers while in charge of their offense. Poles also addressed the offensive line. He first acquired the four-time first-team All-Pro guard Joe Thuney, who comes from winning cultures, as he previously blocked for both Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes. During free agency, Poles brought in guard Jonah Jackson, who is another stellar player along with Grady Jarrett, to help the defensive line. 

During the draft, the Bears used their first-round pick on Tight End from Michigan, Colston Loveland, who was considered by many as the best tight end in the draft, and was Caleb Williams number one target in the 2025-2026 season, leading the team with catching 58 passes, along with leading in receiving yards this season. 

With these new additions, the big question was how Caleb Williams was gonna perform in his second year in the league, with already having weapons such as DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Cole Kmet, and D’Andre Swift, the team now has the offensive lineman they needed to succeed. While expectations were not high for the Bears, fans still expected a big jump from the previous year. 

Unfortunately, the season did not start as planned, as they began the season 0-2 after a week one loss to the Vikings and a beatdown by the Lions, where they lost 52-21. 

However, following the rough start, the Bears turned their season around. The Bears would beat the Dallas Cowboys the next week, where we first see Johnson’s iconic end-of-game speech with the “Good, better, best.” The team would proceed to go 11-4 to finish the season. Their losses would be mostly hard-fought and close, as 4 out of 6 were within one score, which gave the team the nickname of “Cardiac Bears” and gave Williams the nickname, “Ice Man.” The Bears were the kings of the NFC North and the second seed in the NFC with an elite rushing attack and a defense that led the league in takeaways. 

They went on to face the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card game, a longtime rival of the Bears, dating all the way back to 1921, the longest rivalry in the League. The Bears were down 21-3 at the half, but the fans’ hopes were still high. The Bears went on to win the game in a spectacular show by Caleb Williams, scoring 25 points in the fourth quarter and beating their rival 31-27.

The Bears went into the divisional round to play the Los Angeles Rams, a team that also beat expectations and went 12-5 in the regular season, with their quarterback, Matt Stafford, putting up MVP-caliber numbers. It was a hard-fought game, going into overtime after the Bears tied it up with under two minutes left in the 4th Quarter. Unfortunately, the Bears’ season came to an end heartbreakingly, as Caleb Williams would throw an interception and the Rams would go on to march down the field and make a game-winning field goal. 

Even with the unfortunate end to the season, Bears fans still have something to be proud of. In what many saw as a developmental year, the Bears would exceed expectations and win the North, with even more to come in the 2026-2027 season. With one of the best head coaches in the league, an elite quarterback in the league, and a strong offense around him, Bears fans are hyped for the next season. Some moves need to be made for sure, but the Chicago Bears are going to be a very strong team in the years to come.