THE BEARS WON A FOOTBALL GAME
The Chicago Bears faced off against the Green Bay Packers yesterday evening. In what everyone thought would be another Bears disappointment, something special happened; a victory. Their first victory at Lambeau since 2015, and their first win against the Packers since December 2018. No Bears player on the active roster has beaten the Packers while in Chicago, and for longer-tenured players such as tight end Cole Kmet and cornerback Jaylon Johnson, that’s insane! A victory for the Bears, for Thomas Brown, and for the city of Chicago. Here’s what happened!
Recap
The Bears got off to a strong start, scoring the opening touchdown in the sixth minute of the first quarter. Josh Blackwell’s 94 yard return touchdown was special. A FIRST career punt touchdown for him.
The second quarter looked like the Bears were returning to old habits. The same habits that’s kept them so low in the standings this entire year. After a solid touchdown from D’Andre Swift, weak defense allowed Josh Jacobs to run through the Bears defense quite easily for a touchdown 3 minutes later. A late field goal with under 2 minutes left in the game helped bring the Packers to a one point game.
With the third quarter being relatively dry, the fourth saw back and forth action by both teams. A DJ Moore touchdown from a 32 yard pass by Caleb Williams was reacted to by a 21 yard run from Emanuel Wilson. Green Bay almost slipped away with a victory from a 55 yard field goal, however; Cairo Santos had other plans. A field goal with no time left helped bring the Bears to their first win of 2025, capping off their season with a 24-22 victory. Santos' winning kick came seven weeks after his 46-yard attempt was blocked by the Packers as time expired, preserving Green Bay's 20-19 victory at Soldier Field.
5-12 is the final record for the 24-25’ season. Going into the offseason, the Bears have a few things they need to set in order. First off, this team needs a coach! The usual candidates are prevalent - including previously-reported Mike Vrabel, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, and others. Due to the new rules levied by the NFL, the hiring process for head coaches will drag into late January.
Shiners, potential, and ouch!
We need to have a serious discussion about Caleb Williams. This season, Williams completed 351 of 562 for 3,541 yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions for an 87.8 passer rating. He had a better passer rating and completion percentage than No. 1 overall pick Cam Newton did in 2011 as a rookie. His TD pass total was the same as Kyler Murray had in his rookie year of 2019.
Despite the Bears going on one of their biggest losing streaks in franchise history this year, no one in Chicago can say it was Caleb Williams’ fault. The man single handedly brought the Bears back at times where it seemed like no one wanted to play except him!
Not only did Williams set the franchise record, but he also set an NFL record for the most passes (326) without an interception by a rookie QB. Kyler Murray held the previous record with 211. The sky's the limit for this young man, and while there’s still work to be done, he can finish this season knowing he made history.
Be on the lookout for a star to emerge in Rome Odunze. We saw flashes of the kind of player he could be in the early portions of the season. With Caleb Williams' development being a key factor in the entire team’s success, I believe he’ll have the biggest impact on Odunze. Only 22 years old, it’ll be interesting to see the two develop alongside one another.
D.J Moore neared 1,000 yards this season, being 34 yards away from the milestone. Despite this, this was more of a setback year compared to others. The majority of receptions seemed to not matter in the grand scheme of things, considering just how awful the Bears were this year. Not much to really say about him.
“Defense wins championships” is a saying widely used in all sports. While the Bears’ defense was not fun to look at this year, like.. at all, their O-line is not off the hook either. The Chicago Bears' offensive line has been struggling significantly with issues like inconsistent performance, frequent injuries, and a lack of depth, leading to problems protecting the quarterback and establishing a strong running game. While some of these issues are not exactly the linemen’s fault, their inconsistencies showed in their game against the Packers. There are multiple instances of teams’ defensive lines absolutely hammering through the Chicago O-Line. Again, we can’t blame it all on effort when a good chunk of their starters are injured the majority of the season, however; this is an area that NEEDS to be worked on this offseason.
Overall, be on the lookout for the Bears next season. A new coach, combined with some solid draft picks and a more established roster, could make for a good season if they play their cards right.
60 sec recap
“In what some may have thought to be a ‘new year, same Bears’ kind of ordeal, Caleb Williams and the bears came away with an exciting victory, defeating the Packers for the first time since 2018! In Typical Bears fashion, it was NOT an easy task. Each team caught glimpses of victory in the dying moments, but after a 10 game losing streak; the Bears are now undefeated… in 2025.
Josh Blackwell led the Bears to a strong start with a career-first punt return touchdown in the first quarter. After a back and forth battle between both teams, Cairo Santos kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired, securing the win in dramatic fashion.
From a stats perspective, the Bears were the team to beat on Sunday night. Every major offensive stat was in favor of the Packers, so how did they lose? Well, Jordan Love sat the majority of this game, and the Packers didn’t necessarily have much on the line to play for. Regardless, the Bears made it out of this dogfight successfully.
This season, quarterback Caleb Williams set an NFL rookie record for most passes without an interception, showing impressive potential. D.J. Moore came close to 1,000 yards, despite the team’s struggles this season. However, the Bears’ O-line and defense still need significant improvements going into the offseason. With a new coach and likely a top draft pick, the Bears have a chance to build a more competitive team next season.
Nathan Guynn Jr.
DiSportsPhotoAgency
Writer
