The Chicago Bears have kept taking steps in a direction fans never expected them to go. For so long, this organization did things backward. They never understood the formula for constructing a winner. Somehow, team chairman George McCaskey overcame more than a decade of blunders to land the right man for the job. A proper visionary in general manager Ryan Poles. He understood that to get the organization where it wants to go, he’d have to draft well, find a quarterback, and pinpoint a leader at head coach.
It certainly wasn’t perfect. Things got off to a rough start. Still, as we’ve watched the team ascend in recent weeks, it is taking shape like never before. For the first time, it looks like a Super Bowl contender. In fact, if you track how all the pieces came into place, you’d swear the Bears’ rise directly mirrors that of an all-time great team: the 1990s Green Bay Packers.
They say sports are cyclical. Is it possible the Bears mirrored how their eternal rivals rose from decades of ineptitude to dominate the NFC? Three distinct parallels line up.
The Chicago Bears parallels to the 1990s Packers are getting weird.
#1 – Acquired rocket-armed QB
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Packers GM Ron Wolf knew he needed a quarterback when he took over the franchise. He’d had his eye on a young kid from Southern Mississippi named Brett Favre. Unfortunately, the Atlanta Falcons plucked him in the draft before Wolf could. Luckily, Favre ran afoul of Falcons head coach Jerry Glanville. Wolf offered a 1st round pick for the struggling backup, knowing the immense talent he had. Of course, Favre would go on to have one of the greatest careers in NFL history, highlighted by his bazooka of a right arm.
Ironically, the Bears snagged Caleb Williams through a trade as well. They flipped the #1 pick in 2023 to Carolina for a bevy of picks. One of them became the #1 pick in 2024. Williams brought a new level of talent and energy the organization hadn’t felt before. His old-school work ethic and passion for the game radiated from him. Add that incredible right arm, and you had the makings of a star. Just two and a half seasons into his career, he has the lowest interception rate of any QB with 1,000 or more passes in league history.
#2 – Hired offensive wunderkind as head coach
Green Bay knew that if they wanted to join the top ranks of the league, they’d have to get the quarterback position elevated. To do that, you needed a head coach with the expertise. Mike Holmgren had done wonders with Joe Montana and Steve Young in San Francisco as an understudy of Bill Walsh. His offenses never ranked lower than 3rd. His influence on Favre proved critical as the two formed a tandem that would dominate the league for the remainder of the 1990s, culminating in 3 MVPs and a Super Bowl title.
Ben Johnson emerged from nowhere. While Holmgren was brought up under the guidance of NFL royalty, Johnson fought his way up the ranks for some bad teams. His genius and uncanny eye for detail helped him become one of the most creative play callers in football. Detroit was an offensive powerhouse all three of his years there. That is the biggest reason the Chicago Bears sought him out. They felt he had the necessary traits to help get the most out of Williams and, by extension, the team.
#3 – Added star interior pass rusher
Things get even eerier from there. A year after their first season with Favre and Holmgren, the Packers recognized they still lacked a defensive centerpiece to complement their developing offense. As luck would have it, All-Pro defensive end Reggie White was becoming a free agent that year. With a strong offer and some luck, they landed the future Hall of Famer. His presence up front completely transformed the Packers’ defense. After ranking 23rd the previous year, they jumped to 2nd in 1993. That trio headlined a 1996 team that finished 1st in points scored and 1st in points allowed.
Now here the Bears are. Johnson and Williams are in their second season together. The offense is rounding into form. Yet something was missing on defense. Despite being well-coached, they didn’t have a difference-maker up front. So they went out and got one, trading for Jeffery Simmons from the Tennessee Titans. The defensive tackle is widely considered one of the best in the league. Like White, he commands double teams at all times. Also like White, his impact was immediate. Chicago held the defending champion Seahawks to 9 points going into the 4th quarter before a Colston Loveland fumble handed them a short field for a late touchdown. Simmons was a menace.
