Bears 2025 record predictions: How will Chicago fare under Ben Johnson?

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the start of the 2025 NFL season against the Minnesota Vikings, which kicks off the Ben Johnson era.

Coming off a 5-12 season in 2024, the Bears made some huge changes during the offseason that included the hiring of Johnson, overhauling the interior offensive line and adding even more weapons on offense and defense. That includes offensive linemen Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson and Drew Dalman, as well as defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo and rookies Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III.

But the Bears face a tall order going against the NFC North, which might just be the best division in the NFL…again. Johnson and company will look to prove the doubters wrong in Year 1, but they’ll have to contend with a difficult schedule and some notable holes at left tackle and edge rusher. But how far can Johnson take his team in his first season? Our Bears Wire staff shares their predictions for Chicago’s 2025 season.

Alyssa Barbieri: 9-8

The Bears had a dream offseason starting with the hiring of head coach Ben Johnson (and his impressive staff) and continuing with the overhaul of the interior offensive line and continuing to build around second-year QB Caleb Williams with even more weapons. It certainly feels like things are trending upward with this organization. But the biggest question is whether it will translate to success in Year 1 under Johnson.

It won’t be difficult for Chicago to surpass their win total from a year ago, but can they finally record their first winning record since 2018 – which happened to be Matt Nagy’s first season as head coach. It won’t be easy for the Bears as they face the second-most difficult strength of schedule, including six games against the vaunted NFC North. But they’re banking on the addition of Johnson, his impact on the offense and Dennis Allen’s impact on the defense to make this team a contender in Year 1.

I’m usually pretty optimistic at this point of the year, but last year was downright embarrassing, predicting a winning record when knowing the team was running it back with Matt Eberflus. So I’m trying to be more realistic while also leaning as optimistic as I’ll allow myself. I believe Chicago can finish the season with a winning record and on the outskirts of the postseason. Which would be a huge win for Johnson in his first season considering the players are just getting accustomed to his scheme, as well as weaknesses at left tackle, edge rusher, running back and injury concerns in the secondary.

I believe the Bears will split with their NFC North foes, but they also face some tough matchups, particularly against powerhouses Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington. But there are plenty of winnable games on this schedule. I’m hoping that, if I aim low (but not too low), Chicago will surprise me.

Brendan Sugrue: 8-9

Hope springs eternal this time of year when it comes to predicting the upcoming season for the Chicago Bears. Every year, we convince ourselves they have gotten past rock bottom and are ready to compete for playoff contention, only to find a new low that had never been achieved before. While I do think good things are on the horizon for the Bears under Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams, it’s not going to happen overnight.

The Bears have a very winnable home schedule, playing just one team outside of the division that finished with a winning record in 2024. They have a real chance to go 7-1 at home. The road schedule won’t be as kind, though. Facing six playoff teams from a year ago on the road for a team still working on fixing the little things could be a problem. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them struggle in those games to finish 1-8.

We know the division is extremely tough, and all six of those games will be hard-fought battles to the end. The Bears’ best-case scenario is likely splitting them, something that hasn’t been done in quite some time. That leaves us with a record around 9-8 or 8-9, respectable given there are still multiple big question marks lingering in key areas. I’ll stick with the record below .500 in hopes of the Bears proving me wrong. They burned me the last few years when I was optimistic, so let’s try the pessimistic approach.

Mike Pendleton: 10-7

If the Bears team from last year were able to pull off 5 victories despite suffering through coaching malpractice and a 10-game losing streak, then it shouldn’t feel like a stretch to see a jump to add 5 more wins this season. Between an upgraded offensive line, rebuilt roster, and a revamped coaching staff, Chicago has plenty to be optimistic about this season.

Splitting the series between their NFC North opponents gets them three wins, but that should be the bare minimum they reach for this season. I can see them starting off 3-1 in their first four games, getting wins over the Vikings, Cowboys, and Raiders, and that would be quite the start as they enter their Week 5 bye week.

The lone good thing about the awful season the Bears had last season is they’ve got some favorable matchups on their schedule this season. Whether it’s the Browns, Raiders, Giants or Saints, Chicago has the opportunity to make the most out of this season and take advantage of their weaker schedule.

Vincent Parise: 7-10

The Chicago Bears have a lot of hype surrounding them because of the moves they made during the off-season. The biggest addition is head coach Ben Johnson, who everyone believes in.

There will be improvement from the 5-12 team that they were a year ago, but it takes time to become a true winner in the NFL. A rookie head coach and second year quarterback will take time to get to that place.

The schedule is also a problem. Not only is the NFC North coming off an all time great year for a division in terms of regular season record, but the Bears also have the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, and defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Anything better than 7-10 would be an incredible season.

Preston Comer: 10-7

The Bears got their dream coach. He’s an intuitive offensive mind with the determination that Chicago’s staff lacked last season. The culture has shifted and it’s promising to see. But there are still a lot of question marks, especially surrounding Caleb Williams.

How much has Williams grown? Is a new coach/playcaller enough to boost him over the obstacles he faced last season? The preseason should be taken with a grain of salt, but Williams looked good. He didn’t hold onto the ball too long or try to make circus plays. And the upgraded offensive line makes it even more exciting to see what Williams can do.

It’s only been one offseason, and regardless of how many moves you make on the roster and the coaching staff, things take time. And the Bears division doesn’t make the rebuild any easier. The NFC North is a gauntlet — especially with the Packers’ addition of Micah Parsons — and even going just .500 in the division is a challenge. But the out-of-division schedule is weaker than the Bears’ gauntlet last season. If they can use that to their advantage, the Bears could take a big step from last season.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears 2025 record predictions: How will Chicago fare under Ben Johnson

Bears 2025 record predictions: How will Chicago fare under Ben Johnson?

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