You’ll forgive Chicago sports fans if they tend to overreact to otherwise insignificant events. If you’re a regular reader of this site you’ll all too familiar with that, and for the most part we tend to ignore perhaps the most needy and desperate ones in the mix.
Despite whatever histories and priorities you may have been conditioned to in the past three years and change, it’s actually the Bears that currently have the longest drought between world championships–this is the 40th season since they shuffled their way to the one and only Super Bowl they’ve won to date. And it’s not like they’ve had a lot of near-misses along the way–six playoff wins out of 20 games, only one other Super Bowl appearance, and just two plus-.500 seasons in the last 15.
And expectations were inflated last season when they wound up with the number one overall pick and were able to snag two-time Heisman winner Caleb Williams, and for at least the first third of the season it looked like they had struck gold. Wikipedia picks up the dour narrative from there:
Despite a 4–2 start, their best since 2020, the Bears went on to lose 10 consecutive games, tying the franchise record set in 2022, with their first being against the Washington Commanders in the Hail Maryland game…On Thanksgiving Day, the Bears fell to a 4–8 record following a 23–20 loss to the Detroit Lions. (Matt) Eberflus was widely criticized for his clock management in the final seconds of the game and was fired the next day, making him the first head coach to be fired midseason in the teams’ over century old history.[6]
But last night, with the first national broadcast television audience of 2025 watching, there was apparent reason for hope that something might actually be burdgoening at the ancient horseshoe called Soldier Field, as CLUTCH POINTS’ Abdullah Imran wrote:
The Chicago Bears tore through the Buffalo Bills 38-0 at Soldier Field on Sunday, racking up their first preseason shutout in 31 years. The victory improved Chicago’s preseason record to 1-0-1 after a 24-24 tie with the Miami Dolphins in Week 1. Although the Bills sat their starters, the Bears showcased both promising young talent and depth across the roster.
Caleb Williams, the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, made his preseason debut after sitting out the Week 1 tie. Williams commanded Ben Johnson’s offense with precision, completing 6 of 10 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown, posting a 130.0 passer rating.
His first drive was impressive, overcoming a short kick return and a penalty, he led a 92-yard march that ended with a 36-yard touchdown pass to Olamide Zaccheaus, who hurdled a tackler en route to the end zone. Williams also connected on 18-yard and 29-yard passes to rookie first-round pick Colston Loveland and tight end Cole Kmet, respectively.
Following Williams’ exit after the second possession, Tyson Bagent led three second-quarter touchdown drives. Bagent completed 13 of 22 passes for 197 yards before leaving midway through the third quarter.
The Bears’ running game also excelled. Ian Wheeler rushed 19 times for 80 yards and scored a 1-yard touchdown, while newly acquired Brittain Brown carried 16 times for 73 yards, finishing an 86-yard drive with a touchdown plunge. Through halftime, Chicago had outgained the Bills 343 yards to 22 and held an 18-1 advantage in first downs.
Even the often more negative mainstream writers like THE CHICAGO SUN-TIMES’ Patrick Finley couldn’t quite help throw in a few words of grudging praise despite all Pavlovianally conditioned responses to the contrary:
All the preseason caveats apply: The Bills started their backups on both sides of the ball. Williams took only 13 snaps, a small sample size compared with the thousands he has taken in the last three weeks at Halas Hall. Schemes were vanilla on both sides…Still, Williams’ efficiency was a welcome sign for Johnson after a camp that laid bare the Bears’ growing pains in his offense. Williams and the offense have struggled during practice with their pre-snap operation — be it calling the play quickly, getting to the line of scrimmage, identifying the middle linebacker, sending players in motion, calling an audible — without taking a delay of game. The first-team offense committed no such penalty against the Bills.
The effort might just make some of the prognositcators at sites like PFSN seem a bit less overreactive than they were. The site’s Football Playoff Meter only had the Bears a competitive yet distant 12th among NFC teams, with roughly the same odds of making the playoffs as the Atlanta Falcons, a team with a much more unsettled situation at quarterback than almost any other team, let alone Da Bearssss. Yet when the site’s Playoff Predictor went into action, the results were far better:
The NFC North had the best top three of any division in 2024. If this simulation is any indication, the toughest division in football is about to kick it up another notch, with all four teams finishing above .500.
The Bears finally cash in on their offseason hype in this simulation, winning the division at 12-5. Chicago clinched the North with a Week 18 nailbiter over the Lions, beating Detroit 16-15 to win its first division title since 2018. The Packers finished third in our simulation for the second straight season, but made the playoffs at 11-6.
If this was their Nostradumbass call months with the stench of 2024 still visible in the rear-view mirror, I wonder what they’d be writing this morning?
Look, miracles are occuring elsewhere this year, most notably 90 miles to the Northeast where the Milwaukee Brewers are now running away with the NL Central title and currently have baseball’s best record, a fact of life that will be right in front of the Windy City faithful this afternoon when they begin a series at Wrigley Field with an opportunity to all but statistically bury any hopes of a division title for the Cubs. There are many that believe that Bob Uecker is personally orchestrating this degree of success, most recently a club record 14-game winning streak that ended only yesterday, from his even more distant upper level seat than the one that he was relegated to during his lifetime.
Let’s remember that the Bears may now have their own former of divine intervention. If the Brew Crew can do it for their Bob, Da Bears can win for the memory of Bob Swerski.
Premature? Likely. But can you really blame anyone even in the wheelhouse of Chicago sports fans for grasping at so flimsy a straw? I know one in particular I kinda wish would.
Courage…