Few things impact the championship chances of a sports organization more than luck. The Chicago Bears understand that pretty well after their wild 2025 season. Luck played a central role in those seven 4th quarter comebacks they engineered, from blocking field goals to grabbing onside kicks. Sadly, luck is a double-edged sword and will turn against you sooner or later. That proved true in their playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams. If the Bears want to go further this coming season, they may need to push that luck. It appears quarterback Caleb Williams understands this better than anybody. That is why he’s taking precautions.
Chicago was rocked by some stunning news in recent years when the Vatican elected Robert Francis Prevost as the new Pope. Not only was Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, an American, but he was a Chicago native. It was quickly common knowledge that he is a diehard White Sox fan, and yes, a Bears fan as well. Williams, ever the opportunist, decided to get on Leo’s good side by sending him an autographed jersey. After all, it can’t be a bad thing to get even a small nod from the Lord Almighty himself.
Caleb Williams is not dumb.
Some coincidences can’t be explained. Pope Leo XIV was elected on May 8th, 2025. Since that time, strange things have been happening on the Chicago sports scene. The Cubs made the playoffs for the first time in years and beat San Diego in the wild card round. The Bulls caught a huge stroke of good fortune in the draft lottery, securing the #4 overall pick and with it uber-talented forward Caleb Wilson. Even the White Sox, by far the worst team in baseball just a couple of years ago, are now tied for first place in the American League Central division.
Is it a coincidence that all of this started happening once the Pope became a Chicagoan? Caleb Williams doesn’t plan on taking chances. After all, his team clearly benefited as well. Not only did the Bears land Ben Johnson as their new head coach, one of the best candidates to emerge in years, but they also delivered one of their best draft classes, headlined by Colston Loveland, Luther Burden, and Kyle Monangai. Chicago rallied from a 0-2 start to win the division and beat the hated Green Bay Packers in the playoffs. Talk about having your prayers answered.
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A small nudge from a higher power couldn’t hurt.
After all, the Bears are staring down one of the toughest schedules in the NFL this coming season. It will feature six games against the always tough NFC North, along with matchups against Seattle, Buffalo, New England, Philadelphia, Jacksonville, and Tampa Bay. Navigating such a gauntlet will require skill, discipline, effort, and, yes, luck. Caleb Williams and his teammates know they’ll have the first three covered. It is that last one that is the biggest variable and the most uncontrollable.
Getting on the good side of the most powerful religious man in the world couldn’t hurt. Even the smallest nudge from the man up top can make the difference between champions and losers. For the longest time, it has felt like the Bears have been stuck in perpetual purgatory, never to escape. Now they’ve seen the light and are eager to walk toward it. Their quarterback is leading the way.
