No matter what happens for the rest of the year, 2025 has already been a total success for the Chicago Bears. After a catastrophic 2024 season, the bar for 2025 was set so low that most fans and analysts just wanted to see new head coach Ben Johnson and second-year quarterback Caleb Williams prove that they’re not incompatible. Instead, Johnson has Williams playing like a future MVP, and the Bears have a real shot of going 13-4 and winning the NFC North division title for the first time since 2018.
But the job isn’t done. NFL experts remain hesitant on the Bears against other playoff teams, and not for no reason. This team has caught a lot of breaks to get where it is today, and that’s just not sustainable. If they want to finally experience sustained success, the Bears must leave certain habits behind in 2025 and replace them with better ones in 2026.
And so, in the spirit of the coming new year, here are some New Year’s Resolutions for the Chicago Bears.
1. Wake up earlier (in games)
The Bears have won six games this year while trailing in the final two minutes, the first team to do this in the Super Bowl era. Sure, it’s made for some truly memorable moments, like Caleb Williams’ sensational comeback victory over the Packers, but that’s not the kind of win you want every single week. The Bears need more games in which they are in control, like their Week 15 blowout win over the Browns.
In 2026, the Bears must resolve to get off to faster starts so that they don’t have to rely on late-game heroics quite so often.
CALEB WILLIAMS TO DJ MOORE
BEARS WIN pic.twitter.com/3ShtuowNYm
— NFL (@NFL) December 21, 20252. Be more fiscally responsible (in free agency)
Poles deserves all the credit in the world for building a juggernaut offensive line in the 2025 free agency period. Still, his investments in the defensive line have already proven to be colossal wastes of money. Dayo Odeyingbo was a total non-factor even before his season-ending injury, and Grady Jarrett has not been much better. Between the two of them, the Bears still owe $32 million in guaranteed money.
Remember, if all goes well with Caleb Williams in 2026, then he’s going to be up for a historic, market-setting contract extension in 2027. To be ready for that, Ryan Poles must be smarter with his spending habits.
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3. Eat better (on defense)
The Bears have had historic success this year in taking the ball away, which has covered up some truly awful defense. According to ESPN team stats, the Bears have given up the ninth-most yards per game (348.1) and the fourteenth-most points per game (23.6). Their pass rush-run block win rates are even worse, coming in at 31st against the pass and 26th against the run, and their 31 sacks is tied for eleventh-worst.
That can’t continue in 2026. Dennis Allen’s defense must find ways to sack the quarterback more reliably and force shorter drives. Defense still wins championships, but this unit is nowhere close to that level.
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
4. Invest in real estate (in Wisconsin)
The Bears have not swept the Green Bay Packers since 2007. They haven’t won three in a row since 2005. If the Bears are truly to arrive as kings of the NFC North, both of these shameful streaks must end in 2026. A sweep next year would mark three wins in a row for the Bears and make Caleb Williams 2-1 in Lambeau Field.
The Packers are famously a team that is owned by the public. It may be time now for Williams and the Bears to reach their own share in ownership of the Green Bay Packers and their home stadium.
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