Feb. 1, 2026, 11:15 a.m. CT
- The Chicago Bears’ 2025-26 season ended with an 11-6 record and an NFC North title.
- Quarterback Caleb Williams showed significant improvement, throwing for nearly 4,000 yards and 27 touchdowns.
- While the offense earned high marks, the defense struggled with an inconsistent pass rush.
- Head coach Ben Johnson is credited with changing the team’s culture and leading them to a playoff victory.
The Chicago Bears didn’t achieve their goal of a Super Bowl championship, but they exceeded outside expectations in their first year under head coach Ben Johnson.
It was an incredible year for the Bears. They won a lot of close games, but there are reasons to believe that they will only get better from here. A second-year quarterback who was effectively a rookie, due to the disaster that took place during his actual first year, took huge steps, and his first-year head coach made a major difference.
Outside of that obvious duo of Caleb Williams and Johnson, many players on both sides of the ball contributed to the team’s 11-6, NFC North-winning season. Their climax was coming from behind to beat the Green Bay Packers int the wild-card playoffs before falling short against the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round.
With the 2025 season in the books, here are our final grades for each unit of the Bears.
Offense: A
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The Bears took massive steps on the offensive side of the ball. It was a year that began with mixed expectations, but the implementation of the new coaching staff was impressive. The players who are new and old all jelled well together, especially as the season went along.
Caleb Williams is the straw that stirs the drink. As the quarterback, he is one of their main leaders, the face of the franchise, and has the responsibility to be great on and off the field. In his second year, Williams set a franchise record with 3,942 passing yards, as well as 27 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. He fell just 58 yards shy of becoming the first 4,00-yard passer in franchise history. If this is Williams’ floor, the Bears are in great shape with him leading the way.
Another big story was how the offensive line took massive steps, due in large part to the overhauled interior. The Bears’ acquisitions of Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman and Jonah Jackson, as well as rookie Ozzy Trapilo, elevated the offensive line and played a key role in the success of the offense as a whole. That included allowed the fewest sacks (25) after allowing a league-high 68 sacks the previous year, as well as paving the way for the third-best rushing attack in the league.
As far as weapons, the Bears are loaded. Rome Odunze has some more work to do, but he played most of the year injured. Rookie Luther Burden III was a standout in his rookie season, and he has big playmaking ability. If they keep DJ Moore, their big three at the position are strong. Tight ends Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland were a big part of the receiving core, giving Williams plenty of options to throw to. In the run game, rookie Kyle Monangai looks like a solid late-round find, while D’Andre Swift had an excellent bounce-back year.
Chicago’s offense gets an A because of the steps that were taken. There is a lot more room to grow, and a new glaring need at left tackle with Trapilo’s injury, but progress has been made.
Defense: C
Chicago’s defense also played a role in them being called the “Cardiac Bears.” For a large portion of the season, the defense operated in a “bend-don’t break” mentality. Their lack of a consistent pass rush played a big role in that. Getting to the opposing quarterback was one of the team’s biggest flaws as they totaled just 35 sacks, which is tied for the seventh worst in the NFL.
Montez Sweat is a highly paid player who had an okay year, suggesting he’s an okay player. He is far from the problem on the team, but he needs help on the defensive line. Everything that the Bears did to their offensive line last winter should be the model for the defensive line this time around. If this issue is fixed, there is nobody that they can’t beat.
On the rest of this side of the ball, every position had an okay year. They led the league in turnovers (33), but their point prevention wasn’t where it needed to be if they wanted to be a Super Bowl contender. The secondary dealt with a lot of injuries and inconsistent play as a result, while the linebackers had up-and-down years across the board.
They were good enough to support a division-winning offense, which earns them a C-grade, but surgery in all zones of the unit, especially in the trenches, is a must this offseason.
Special Teams: B
Sure, there were some blunders along the way, but who doesn’t have those? Whether it was Devin Duvernay getting them into good field position for a game-winning drive, recovering an onside kick, or kicking a victory field goal, special teams did their jobs.
They get a B instead of an A because there is still a need for an upgrade at the kicker position. Cairo Santos is accurate, very accurate, from within 50 yards. It gets shaky beyond that. There would be nothing wrong with finding a kicker who is as accurate but with a bigger leg. That exists in today’s NFL, so if the opportunity presents itself, GM Ryan Poles must not pass it up.
For the most part, if there are no special teams blunders that cost you a game, they did their job at a base level. However, it is nice to see them help earn a win here and there. They did that in 2025.
Coaching: A
The addition of head coach Ben Johnson was the biggest catalyst for the Bears’ success in 2025. He changed the entire foundation, culture, and way of doing business at Halas Hall. Johnson is the leader that the franchise has been looking for since Mike Ditka in the 1980s. Everything about the organization got better the second he set foot in their building.
Part of Johnson’s success is due to the staff that he put together on both sides of the ball. The smartest people in the world are excellent at surrounding themselves with other smart people. Johnson did that, and it was evident every day, between defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, wide receivers coach/assistant HC Antwaan Randle-El and running backs coach Eric Bieniemy, among others.
The offense, led by Johnson’s incredible play-calling skills, took a big step. He helped develop Caleb Williams into one of the most improved (and clutch) quarterbacks in just one year. The improvement over his rookie year is evident, and Johnson played the biggest role in that development. It’s only going to get better from here.
Even the defense, led by Allen, had their moments where it was helpful. The forced a league-high 33 turnovers, which was definitely a key to any success that they had. Allen doesn’t deserve too much criticism for any of their shortcomings because they need more talent on the defensive line, as well as a ton of injuries. When they get that added pass rush help, and some missing pieces in place, evaluating Allen will be much easier.
Even the NFL draft, which was heavily Ben Johnson-influenced, was the best draft of the Ryan Poles era. Then they won the NFC North, which is an incredible division, and won a playoff game against the Packers before a tough overtime loss to the Rams.
To say this year was a success would be an understatement, so it’s a resounding A-grade for Johnson and his staff. Adding a Super Bowl run to the end of next season is his path to an A+. Nobody will be surprised by the Bears in 2026, so the task is only going to be harder. We’ll see what the staff is made of.
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