Erik Kramer never became the franchise guy the Chicago Bears hoped for when they signed him in 1994. However, he still managed to carve his place in franchise history with his excellent 1995 season. That year, he threw for 3,838 yards and 29 touchdowns. Both were Bears single-season records. Nobody knew it at the time, but those marks would hold for the next 30 years. Chicago’s notorious issues at quarterback allowed Kramer to hold the record for a long time. At last, on the final day of the 2025 regular season, Caleb Williams took him down.

Early in the 4th quarter against the Detroit Lions, Williams stood 20 yards away from the record. Needing a score to chip away at a 16-0 deficit, the Bears quarterback threw a perfect 25-yard strike to Jahdae Walker for a touchdown. Of all the ways to break a record that has stood for so long, that felt the most appropriate. It was a moment that made you appreciate how far Williams has come from last season, as well as what Kramer managed to accomplish all those years ago that fans probably didn’t acknowledge enough.

Caleb Williams is just getting started.

Remember, this is the first year in a new offense under Ben Johnson. He hasn’t even scratched the surface of what this system can do. He’s also been doing it with largely a rookie cast of weapons for much of the second half of the season. Colston Loveland and Luther Burden have been awesome. Walker is chipping in as well. The prospects for Williams’ future can’t be overstated. If he’s this effective so early in the gestation period, it is exciting to think about how much better he’ll be with another offseason of work.

**************************************UPDATE***************************************

It appears that pass created a spark for the Bears they’d been searching for all game. Just minutes after it happened, the Bears defense got another stop. Caleb Williams then led them on another scoring drive to tie the game 16-16. Regardless of the outcome, the proof is beyond arguing that this kid is built for the big moments. The greater the pressure, the better he plays. Chicago hasn’t seen that kind of athlete in this town for a long time—around 30 years, actually.

There is always a price to winning in the NFL. One of them is knowing that your schedule the next season will likely be more difficult. First place teams are required to play a first place schedule. Part of the Chicago Bears‘ success this year came from playing a fourth-place schedule, courtesy of their rough 5-12 record last year. Now that they are NFC North champions, they will receive the big-boy treatment in 2026. Thanks to the results on Saturday night, the team has its slate of road opponents set.

They will have their usual divisional matchups with Minnesota, Detroit, and Green Bay. Then they will face Atlanta and Carolina in their AFC South swing, along with Miami. Where it gets hairy is their trip to Buffalo against Josh Allen and the Bills, as well as one to Seattle against the 14-win Seahawks.

Nothing about that schedule is easy. The Bears were 1-2 against the division on the road this year, and their one win required a last-second comeback. Atlanta, Carolina, and Miami all had at least seven wins this year. They are deceptively tough. Then you have Allen, the best quarterback in the league, along with Seattle, the best defense in the league.

The Chicago Bears wanted a seat at the table.

Now they must fight to keep it. That is what good teams do. Philadelphia hasn’t complained about constantly getting first place schedules every year. They line up and knock opponents down anyway. Besides, every season is different. Teams that were great one season could regress the next. A schedule considered difficult becomes shockingly weak. The Chicago Bears can only prepare for who lines up across from them. Rest assured, that schedule will be challenging. Head coach Ben Johnson won’t have surprise on his side next year.

As for the home slate, that isn’t quite determined yet. There are still some game results across the league that need to be finalized before these details become clear. It’s a safe assumption the Bears will play several more games in primetime or the late afternoon window next season. The NFL has always featured them prominently when they’ve been successful. You can also safely expect they’ll play an international game as well. Maybe it’ll be one of those road games.

Former Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long had some surprising comments about Caleb Williams last month. He admitted that he saw shades of John Elway in the Bears’ young quarterback, from the rocket right arm to the mobility and knack for late-game heroics. It was a lofty comparison. Many consider the former Denver Broncos legend one of the five greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Putting Williams in that category is bold, especially for someone with such a trained eye as Long.

Shannon Sharpe decided to get an answer from the man himself. He had Elway on his podcast to talk about the man’s career and other topics. The two teammates eventually came around to Long’s comments about Williams. Surprisingly, Elway didn’t dismiss the statement. While he feels the Bears quarterback still has some growing to do, the signs are growing that he will be an excellent player. His improvement over the past few months is confirmation of that. If he masters the smaller details, everything will fall into place.

A nod from John Elway is never a bad thing.

It would’ve been easy and understandable if he dismissed the comparison out of hand. What has Williams done yet in the NFL to justify it? Elway is a two-time Super Bowl champion and authored some of the greatest moments in playoff history. Some may feel borderline disrespected. Instead, he thought about it and acknowledged that Williams has the building blocks to become something special. As with most young quarterbacks, it is always about learning to master the little things.

People forget that John Elway wasn’t great immediately. You could argue that his first three years in the league were inconsistent at best, throwing 47 touchdowns to 52 interceptions. It was his 4th quarter magic (nine comebacks) that told people he had something. Finally, in 1986, everything came together. He made his first of five Super Bowl appearances, capped by his iconic moment in Cleveland with The Drive. Williams will have his first opportunity to do the same a week from now.

The Chicago Bears‘ offense has continued to excel over the past month thanks to the ascent of wide receiver Luther Burden and tight end Colston Loveland. It has made it easy to forget the team hasn’t had its most productive target for several weeks. Rome Odunze got off to a torrid start this season, setting a pace that would’ve had him eclipse double-digit touchdowns before half the year was over. Then he suffered a stress fracture in his foot. He tried playing through it, but it was clear he didn’t have the same explosiveness.

Chicago opted to shut him down.

General belief has been that they would keep him out until the start of the playoffs, hoping the foot would settle down by then. It felt like the plan was working, as Odunze had practiced for the first time in weeks, albeit on a limited basis. That seemed like a signal he would be ready to go next week in the playoff opener. Those hopes were somewhat cooled when Odunze provided an update, refusing to make any promises. He revealed that projections for his return have changed a few times in recent weeks, indicating the foot may not have progressed as much as hoped.

Rome Odunze doesn’t have a typical injury.

Stress fractures typically require six to eight weeks to heal. Trying to play through it likely didn’t do him any favors. He hasn’t played since week thirteen. That means he has only been out four weeks, which isn’t the recommended amount of time. It is reasonable to assume his foot still isn’t 100%. That is why he won’t play this week, and he left open the possibility he may not play in the wild card round either. It is possible the Bears’ doctors aren’t comfortable bringing him back until they’re certain he won’t make the injury worse.

This isn’t easy news to digest. Rome Odunze is such a good player and a legitimate weapon when healthy. Having him back for a potential rematch with Green Bay would be huge. Alas, sometimes an injury doesn’t care what you want. Odunze is a crucial part of this team’s future. That means getting him back to full strength. If that means sacrificing a few more weeks, so be it. Burden, Loveland, and D.J. Moore should be able to carry things until then.

Ben Johnson has established himself as one of the best offensive minds of this era. After dominating in Detroit for three years, he carried that success over to the Chicago Bears immediately. Barring a complete meltdown, they will finish with their first top 10 offense in both scoring and total yards since 2013. Unlike back then, when it was largely the incredible talent they assembled, most of the success this year can be credited to Johnson’s incredible knack for scheming and play calling. People have wondered what makes him so good. Cole Kmet has an idea.

He explained to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune that Johnson does something most other play callers in the NFL don’t. That is, he builds his identity through the running game. Most offensive minds want to chuck the football through the air, showcasing the quarterback. Not Johnson.

“With some of the bigger linebackers, the advantage was in the pass game because those guys couldn’t cover,” Kmet said. “Well, a lot of those guys can cover now if you are continually going after them in the run game, people don’t like that. It takes a disciplined play caller to stick with it like Ben, whereas a lot of other play callers, they want to throw it.”

Since 2022, Johnson’s offenses have ranked 13th, 7th, 3rd, and 2nd in rushing attempts. Andy Reid, who many consider the best of his generation, hasn’t cracked the top 10 since 2002. Sean McVay hasn’t done it since 2020. Kevin O’Connell has never done it. The only coach who seems to fit a similar profile is Kyle Shanahan, who has done it four times in the past five years.

Cole Kmet understands why Johnson is so hard to defend.

The common thread for those other play callers is that they often end up with a great quarterback and don’t feel the need to commit to running the ball. It just takes the ball out of said quarterback’s hands. However, if you examine recent NFL history, there is a significant correlation between success and giving a great quarterback a good running game. John Elway won back-to-back Super Bowls behind an elite rushing attack in 1997 and 1998. Tom Brady had the 6th, 7th, and 5th rushing attacks in 2004, 2016, and 2018. Drew Brees had the 10th-ranked attack in 2009. Russell Wilson had the 4th-ranked attack in 2013.

There is ample evidence to support what Johnson preaches. Sure, having Caleb Williams be a potential franchise quarterback is great. However, to make this offense truly unstoppable, the smart thing to do is pair him with a running game that defenses can’t ignore. Cole Kmet understands this. If a defense knows the goal is to attack the quarterback, even a great one, their job is a little easier. That won’t be the case under Johnson’s watch.

A lot of people were upset with the Chicago Bears last year. The team had drafted Caleb Williams as their next quarterback. Some felt the obvious decision that should’ve been made was hiring Kliff Kingsbury, either as the next head coach or at least the new offensive coordinator. He had plenty of head coaching experience from his time with Texas Tech and the Arizona Cardinals. He’d spent a year at USC working with Williams. It seemed like such an obvious match. In the end, the Bears passed.

It looked like a really bad decision at first. Kingsbury went to Washington, where he took over the development of Jayden Daniels. Together, they reached the NFC Championship, putting together the #5 scoring offense in the process. Chicago’s offense was a jumbled mess. People were furious. However, time has a way of revealing the truth. Even during the peak days last year, some warned that Kingsbury’s success had a shelf life. It always did, as his time in Arizona proved.

Defenses caught up eventually.

Sure enough, Washington dropped to 25th this year. Daniels didn’t look the same and suffered injury problems. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, there is growing friction between Kingsbury and the Commanders’ front office.

Commanders coach Dan Quinn is expected back for the 2026 season, though changes to the offense and the defense remain possible after Washington has slumped to a 4-12 record. Quinn took over defensive play calling from Joe Whitt Jr. in early November, and Washington has also had conversations about potentially moving on from Kingsbury even if he doesn’t get a head-coaching job. Some in the building say there’s been a disconnect between Kingsbury and general manager Adam Peters. When was the last time we were watching to see if an offensive coordinator was going to get fired while he was also preparing for head coaching interviews? We’ll see how this shakes out.

She isn’t the only one reporting this. Tom Pelissero indicated the same thing during his own comments for NFL Network. Kingsbury is in hot water.

Changes on offense also are possible, though it’s not yet clear how, or when, those could come about. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is expected to get head coach interviews and could be headed elsewhere.

The Bears made the right call on Kliff Kingsbury.

There is no question that he is a sharp offensive mind. The problem is he’s not what you’d call an innovator. Much of his success over the years has been credited to having excellent quarterbacks. He had Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech and then Kyler Murray in Arizona. One thing you notice about both tenures is that neither quarterback really developed. Both played the same style of sitting in the shotgun, running around, and making big plays with their arms. Kingsbury’s offense initially made that work for a time, but once defenses found countermeasures, he was unable to evolve.

That is the situation the Bears would’ve put Williams in had they done the popular thing by hiring him. Kliff Kingsbury would’ve kept him in an offense very similar to what Williams knew at USC. He probably would’ve put up big numbers, but also taken a lot of sacks and never learned how to truly win against NFL defense. That is what Ben Johnson has helped teach him with his much more pro-oriented system. Sometimes the best decisions aren’t apparent immediately.

Many football fans today have probably heard of Todd Haley at least once. For a period spanning the late 2000s through the mid-2010s, he was regarded as one of the top offensive minds in the NFL. He helped the Arizona Cardinals reach the Super Bowl in 2008, got Kansas City to the playoffs in 2010 as their head coach, and then helped Ben Roethlisberger to three of his five best statistical seasons in Pittsburgh, and four of his six Pro Bowls. The man was good at his job, even if he wasn’t always easy to get along with.

Haley isn’t afraid to speak the truth, either. He talked to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune about why head coach Ben Johnson’s offense is so effective for the Bears. It stems from a willingness to play a more traditional pro-style offense: under center, running downhill, and utilizing lots of play action. Too many guys have embraced the spread formation these days, often to the detriment of their teams. Above anything else, Johnson has given the Bears an identity, the same one the Detroit Lions seemed to lose after he left.

Haley said once an offense can establish the run — or a legitimate run threat — the defense is on its heels. He said the demise of Sunday’s opponent, the Detroit Lions, can be traced to the offense’s struggle to run the ball in the second half of the season. The Lions ranked sixth in rushing last year with Johnson calling plays, and with struggles on the interior of the offensive line, the Lions have dipped to 15th. They have totaled 74 rushing yards or less in four of their last seven games.

“All of a sudden, the Lions became a pedestrian drop-back passing offense that is average,” Haley said.

Todd Haley finally said what everyone else was thinking.

Dan Campbell did tremendous work building that program in Detroit, together with the excellent drafting of Brad Holmes. However, the most successful teams need a great schemer to bring everything together. That was not Campbell’s strength. He was the motivator and CEO. Johnson became the architect of the juggernaut they became in 2023 and 2024. His run-first approach turned the Lions into a beast. It was almost unfair. Since he left, that edge Detroit seemed to play with has disappeared.

While they can still run the ball, it isn’t nearly the same weapon it was before. Todd Haley is correct. The Lions have regressed into a normal, boring offense, and it is far easier to stop. This isn’t necessarily Detroit’s fault. They knew Johnson would leave eventually. Still, they acted as if his departure wouldn’t have any effect at all. That hubris ultimately cost them a precious season of their Super Bowl window. Unless they can find a credible play caller soon, they may never get another real chance.

Here are my bold predictions for the Bears regular season finale against Detroit, with Chicago chasing its 12th win and a chance to lock up the No. 2 seed in the NFC.

Caleb Williams Hits 4,000 Passing Yards Early

This is the week it happens. Caleb Williams reaches the 4,000 yard mark, and I don’t think it even takes until the fourth quarter. The Bears come out aggressive, attacking the Lions through the air from the opening drive. With the offense in rhythm and protection holding up, Williams stacks chunk plays quickly. The stage is big, the moment is right, and the Bears lean fully into their franchise quarterback in the season finale.

Ben Johnson Runs It Up on Dan Campbell

If you’re looking for motivation, this one has it. Ben Johnson gives Dan Campbell a taste of his own medicine. Once the Bears get a lead, they don’t let up. No coasting. No conservative play-calling. Chicago keeps its foot on the gas, using tempo and creativity to stretch the score. This feels personal, and Johnson coaches like it.

Colston Loveland Comes Through on 4th Down (Again)

When the Bears need a play, they know exactly where to go. Colston Loveland has become the go to option on fourth down, and that trend continues Sunday. Whether it’s a short yardage situation or a critical drive extender, Loveland delivers another conversion.

Score Prediction

Bears 33, Lions 13

Chicago finishes the regular season with a win and sends a message to the NFC North.

Bears vs Lions Pregame: Can Caleb Williams Reach 4,000 Passing Yards?

The Chicago Bears haven’t yet made what you would call a blockbuster move under GM Ryan Poles. Or more accurately, they haven’t made one for a player. There was, of course, trading the #1 pick, but that was to accumulate assets, not to pursue a player. Many believe that since the Bears are now playoff contenders, the timing is right for them to pursue a star. Since the offense is squared away, it feels like such a move would have to come on defense, especially given their lack of pass rush. Enter Maxx Crosby.

It’s no secret that the superstar defensive end has been frustrated with the Las Vegas Raiders over the past couple of years due to their inability to build a winning team. That frustration boiled over this past week when he left the team facilities after they informed him he’d be placed on IR, despite knowing he could keep playing. It was a blatant move towards tanking for the #1 pick. Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports that this decision, along with the prospect of a lengthy rebuild, has convinced the Raiders it might be time to move Crosby.

Maxx Crosby’s Raiders future is also being questioned around the league. Las Vegas shut down its five-time Pro Bowler last week against his wishes, and the relationship between the sides remains strained. It’s a dramatic shift from just two months ago, when Crosby and Davis nixed any trade discussions ahead of the Nov. 4 deadline. Many believe Las Vegas will be open to moving its star pass rusher if the relationship remains at an impasse, allowing Crosby, who will turn 29 this summer, an opportunity to compete on a team built to win now.

Maxx Crosby could be the missing piece, but it would be costly.

Currently, the Bears lack significant salary cap flexibility. It would take significant contract juggling by Poles to find the necessary room just to fit Crosby’s contract on the books. Of course, such issues haven’t stopped teams in the past. See the New Orleans Saints. The other part is compensation. Las Vegas will probably want the Micah Parsons package (two 1st round picks and a good player) in return for Crosby. That is unlikely since the defensive end is a couple of years older than Parsons and is also dealing with health issues.

A more plausible scenario is one 1st round pick and either a player or another later pick. Is that worthwhile for the Bears? It would depend on whether they feel they could get maybe 3-4 more peak seasons from Maxx Crosby. Pass rushers tend to fade around their mid-30s. If Crosby stays healthy, he would give them 10 sacks every year. It would immediately boost their defense at a critical moment, when Caleb Williams‘ contract is still relatively inexpensive. Not an easy decision, but the option is now on the table.