With more questions than answers for the Chicago Bears, the truth is, time for talking is over.
- Herb Howard (@HerbHoward411)
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
The Bears enter the postseason as champions of the NFC North and the No. 2 overall seed in the NFC Playoffs. They also enter as losers of their last two games.
Chicago’s offense went toe-to-toe with the high-powered San Francisco 49ers, who entered the shootout as one of the hottest offenses in the National Football League. The defense, on the other hand, provided little resistance, surrendering 42 points in the loss.
In the season finale versus the Detroit Lions, the defense surrendered 450 yards but played stingy red zone defense, only allowing 19 points, including the game-winning field goal as time expired. The Bears offense, as they’ve done several times this season, didn’t bother to join the fight until the fourth quarter, entering the final frame with zero points.
Ben Johnson’s unit did well to tie the game with two touchdown drives, adding two-point conversions to the end of both. However, gifted a turnover by the defense, the Bears offense squandered an opportunity for the game-winning score.
So the Bears finish the regular season with an 11-6 record, 2-4 inside the division that they have now “taken”.
All of this leaves more questions than answers for a Chicago team that is one of seven in a field with no clear-cut favorite. The Bears are as capable of beating any team in the NFC Playoffs as any of those teams are of beating the Bears.
All week there will be understandable questions about the Bears’ 23rd-ranked scoring defense. Questions about the slow starts of their 9th-ranked scoring offense are just as reasonable. But the truth is, there will be no satisfactory answers. If the Bears’ coaches and players had those answers, the issues would have been solved by now.
The time for talking is over. It’s too late for the Bears to reinvent themselves. They will either play their best brand of football on Saturday night at Soldier Field or they won’t. If they do, they’ll beat Green Bay and earn at least one more home playoff game at Soldier Field. If they don’t, their 2025 season, which has exceeded the expectations of most, will come to an abrupt end.