The Chicago Bears were considered a long shot to have a winning record this season. They’d gone 5-12 last year and were a fractured mess, on and off the field. Most believe it would take Ben Johnson at least until 2026 to get them on the right track. At best, 2025 would see them improve their record by a few games. Eight or nine wins at most. Not a soul predicted they would go 11-4 and be one win away from clinching the NFC North title. They also probably didn’t expect Caleb Williams to become one of the most clutch quarterbacks in the league.

Yet here he is, boasting six 4th quarter comebacks, capped by the thriller last Saturday against the Green Bay Packers. His 46-yard touchdown in overtime will be replayed on local sports programs for weeks, months, and years to come. However, amidst the euphoria is the realization that the season isn’t over. Now that the Bears are in the playoffs, they have to think about making a run at the bigger prize. Can the Bears win a Super Bowl?

A fan presented this question to Williams in the form of asking whether the Bears would be doing the Super Bowl Shuffle this year. The quarterback’s response dripped with more swagger than you can imagine.

Caleb Williams continues to show his booming confidence.

Coming into this season, it was clear that the young Bears quarterback was uncertain of his direction. While he never doubted his abilities, the painful experiences from last year had left him wondering if more awaited him. As Ben Johnson’s coaching began to take hold and the improved roster coalesced, Caleb Williams started looking more and more like the potential start the Bears draft. Right around the win over Philadelphia was when you noticed his swagger reach a new level. He didn’t talk a ton of trash, but he answered questions with a self-assurance you haven’t seen from previous quarterbacks in this city.

That casual grin and nod tell you everything you need to know about his mindset. Lots of people won’t dare put the Bears in the Super Bowl conversation. There’s no way they can get past the heavyweights in the NFC. Williams doesn’t see it that way. He sees a team that has faced adversity all season and constantly met the challenge whenever its back was to the wall. That includes against powerhouses like Philadelphia and Green Bay. Why shouldn’t he think the Bears can win a championship? The misgivings of others are immaterial to him.

Ben Johnson was asked about the Chicago Bears‘ achieving a winning record a few weeks ago and how that felt. After all, it was only the second time in over a decade that had been accomplished. One would think the head coach would be excited about the progress. Not Johnson. He made it clear the winning record meant little if the Bears didn’t turn it into a playoff berth. That was the focus. After crushing Cleveland and pulling off their wild comeback over Green Bay, the Bears officially made the playoffs with 11 wins, the exact number Johnson said it would probably take.

Now he’s happy, right?

Not based on his response in a recent interview with Tony Dungy. The Hall of Fame coach sat down to talk with Johnson about his team’s remarkable turnaround this year, their resilience in tight situations, and excitement about the future. Johnson was asked what it meant to him to get the Bears, who’ve struggled for years, back into the playoffs. His response was anything but joyous or exuberant. From his perspective, it was merely the first step. There are other goals still in play, and the Bears can’t afford to relax.

Ben Johnson understands the fundamental truth of coaching.

The moment you’re satisfied is the moment you’re doomed to fail. You can never, ever be content with just making the playoffs. A responsible head coach always knows he must set the goals even higher. It’s winning the division, it’s chasing a home playoff game, and it’s winning the Super Bowl. Never let the players believe they should be happy achieving just one of those goals. While fans are free to celebrate the success of a postseason berth, the head coach is responsible for keeping an eye on the ultimate prize.

This reminds you how natural a leader Ben Johnson is. He has demonstrated a mixture of intelligence and common sense from the moment he took over. Many head coaches grow too focused on specific things. Fix the offense or defense. Get 10 wins. Worry about the rest later. The best ones understand how to keep their players hungry. By never being satisfied yourself, it will bleed into the rest of the locker room. Johnson is a master at that, and it should pay off big down the line.

Most football fans know the name Kyle Shanahan by now. He is one of the best head coaches in the NFL, having led the San Francisco 49ers to two Super Bowls in the past five years. He’s also regarded as arguably the best offensive mind in the game today. A lot of that comes from learning at the knee of his father, Mike Shanahan, a two-time Super Bowl champion himself. This family is gifted with libraries of football knowledge and has dominated the league offensively for the past 30 years.

That is why it would be smart to listen to them when they have something to say. Shanahan certainly dropped a bombshell during his Wednesday press conference when asked about Caleb Williams.

Run that back for a second. One of the best throwers of the football ever. Not in the league right now. Ever. Keep in mind that Shanahan has been coaching in the NFL since 2004. He was around when Tom Brady and Peyton Manning were at the peak of their powers. He witnessed the rise of Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, and Patrick Mahomes. That doesn’t count him watching his dad coach John Elway when he was growing up. This man has seen the best arms in NFL history. For him to put Williams in that category is incredible.

Shanahan knows what guys like Caleb Williams can do to you.

After all, most of his heartbreaking playoff exits as a head coach came at the hands of an elite thrower. In 2019, it was Mahomes in the Super Bowl. In 2021, it was Stafford in the NFC championship. Then, in 2023, it was again Mahomes in the Super Bowl. The only exception was Jalen Hurts in 2022, and that was because all of Shanahan’s quarterbacks were hurt. He understands how quickly games can shift with an elite arm going against you. It only takes one big play to shift the entire momentum of a game.

That is what Caleb Williams can do, and has done all season for the Bears. It was the flea flicker against Dallas. It was the rocket to Colston Loveland in the final seconds in Cincinnati. Or it was the dime to Cole Kmet running to his left in Philadelphia. That is what big arms can do. It is why teams always prioritize arm strength when evaluating quarterbacks. They can be game-changers if utilized correctly. Shanahan knows from experience, and isn’t about to shortchange Williams.

It has been evident for months that something is seriously wrong with the Chicago Bears conditioning program. Teams suffer injuries all the time. It’s a violent sport. Sometimes you get hit harder than others. However, there are different types of injuries—those that are avoidable and those that aren’t. The avoidable kind is what you call soft tissue injuries. These are various muscle strains like hamstrings, calves, quads, and groins. While these are often seen in professional athletes, they aren’t common among teams with good conditioning programs.

Such has not been the case for the Bears.

They’ve been hammered by soft tissue problems all season. In fact, Bears players have missed a combined 36 games due to such issues. The poster boy for this epidemic is Kyler Gordon, who’s gone on Injured Reserve twice this year because of them. It seems T.J. Edwards is right up there with him. The latest injury report on Wednesday revealed the Bears’ linebacker is now dealing with a glute problem. Keep in mind he already missed three games earlier in the year with a hamstring setback.

The Chicago Bears have decisions to make with their training staff.

Andre Tucker has been the head trainer for this team since 2018. Pierre Ngo was promoted to head strength coach in the offseason. This season does not reflect well on their work at all. It is their job to have a conditioning plan for the players that would prevent rampant injuries like this. The fact that it keeps happening, even months into the season, suggests they haven’t found any solutions and may be incapable of doing so. Ben Johnson obviously can’t make a change midseason.

However, once the offseason arrives, that decision is becoming easier and easier. The evidence is becoming insurmountable. This training staff is incapable of preparing the players to handle Johnson’s tough practices and required conditioning. If the Chicago Bears want to win a championship, one of the first wars they must win is the one against health. Knees and other issues are impossible to prevent. Soft tissues should be. If this staff can’t do it, there is one out there who can.

The Chicago Bears continue to trend in the right direction on the injury front, as Wednesday’s injury report showed a roster that is steadily getting healthier at a critical point in the season. While Chicago still has several names listed, the overall tone of the report is far more encouraging than it was just a few weeks ago.

The biggest takeaway is the return of rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III. Burden was back on the practice field in a limited capacity as he works back from an ankle injury, and there is growing optimism that he could be available for this week’s matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. His return would add another explosive element to the Bears offense, especially as they prepare for a physical San Francisco defense.

Another notable name is Rome Odunze, who remains out with a foot injury. Head coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday that Odunze will be able to help the Bears this season. While a return this week appears unlikely, there is real optimism that Odunze could be back either for the playoffs or the regular-season finale against the Detroit Lions, assuming there is something meaningful on the line.

Defensively, C.J. Gardner-Johnson is a key player to monitor. He was limited on Wednesday after suffering a knee injury against Green Bay, and his status will be worth watching closely throughout the week.

Although some illness has moved through the locker room, the Bears are clearly getting healthier. Friday’s injury report should provide more clarity, but overall, this is positive news for Chicago heading into San Francisco.

The Chicago Bears were 5-12 last year, lost ten in a row at one point, allowed 68 sacks on quarterback Caleb Williams, and were beset by a litany of controversies. Two assistant coaches were fired for conduct detrimental to the team. Their first offensive coordinator was fired for incompetence, while the second was promoted after head coach Matt Eberflus was fired. So you can understand why nobody expected much from the Bears in 2025. Ben Johnson might’ve been the brightest offensive mind in the NFL when they hired him as their new head coach, but he was still untested. It would probably take him some time to find his footing.

Eleven months later, the Bears have 11 wins and made the playoffs for the first time in half a decade. They’re on the cusp of only their second division title in 15 years and boast the #5 offense in the NFL. All of that is because of Johnson. His ability to elevate a roster he mostly didn’t help build in such a short time can’t be understated. However, it appears the rest of the NFL isn’t as impressed. Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network conducted a poll around the league to determine who they think will be the Coach of the Year this season.

The choice wasn’t difficult, apparently.

Despite a strong list of candidates, Vrabel (13 votes) more than doubled the vote total of the second-place finisher, Bears coach Ben Johnson (six).

It has been an instant turnaround in New England, where the Patriots are 12-3, playoff-bound and in the mix for the AFC’s No. 1 seed after winning eight games over the previous two years combined. No surprise, considering Vrabel, the 2021 AP Coach of the Year, engineered a similarly speedy turnaround in his first head coaching job in Tennessee. The offense and defense that ranked 30th and 22nd in points per game last season, respectively, now are seventh in each category. Drake Maye is playing like an MVP candidate. Vrabel has flipped the Patriots’ culture basically overnight and is fully in command on game days.

Mike Vrabel being that far ahead of Ben Johnson is a crime.

Mind you, the New England Patriots head coach deserves the honor. He’s done tremendous work with that team as well. Yet to say he’s been twice as good as Johnson is ridiculous. For one, he’s benefitted from the NFL’s easiest schedule this season. Of the 14 opponents they’ve played this season, only two are expected to make the playoffs this year. They lost to Pittsburgh, beat Buffalo, and then lost to Buffalo in the rematch. Meanwhile, the Bears have played three projected playoff teams. They beat Pittsburgh, beat Philadelphia, lost to Green Bay, and beat Green Bay in the rematch.

Ben Johnson has delivered the 5th-best offense in the NFL, above the Patriots at 6th. He’s also done all of this despite his roster losing the most games to injuries in the league. The Patriots have the third-fewest. This is not to disparage Vrabel. He deserves recognition. Yet to say he’s been twice as good as Johnson is ridiculous. In a fair assessment, they’re dead even. Sadly, people in the league don’t see it that way.