LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) -- Before each home game at Soldier Field, Bears chairman George McCaskey, proudly the everyman NFL owner, walks through the parking lots south of the stadium and meets with fans.
McCaskey often playfully refers to himself as a fan, though the difference of course is his position atop the franchise for which he cheers. During this last decade of struggles for the Bears, McCaskey knows the fans’ frustration well because he feels it too. But the hope is that it’s now different.
Back in January, McCaskey signed off on paying Ben Johnson – the most coveted head coach available in this hiring cycle – some $13 million annually to lead the Bears. It’s a departure of how this franchise has operated in the past, and the arrival of Johnson has renewed hope in Chicago.
But even McCaskey realizes that what matters the most is what the Bears do on the field this season, starting Monday night as they host the Vikings at Soldier Field.
“We're in the honeymoon period,” McCaskey said last month. “We're undefeated. I think people are very excited that we got the guy that they wanted us to get, but now we need to take care of business.”
With Johnson leading as head coach, the Bears are positioned for a breakthrough in 2025. Great progress is on the horizon, and perhaps even more than that.
Johnson represents the chance for second-year quarterback Caleb Williams to have a breakout sophomore campaign. He offers the roster built by general manager Ryan Poles to emerge as planned. And there’s now a new standard at Halas Hall led by Johnson.
Though Johnson isn’t one to throw bouquets in press conferences, he offered a candid comment Wednesday when discussing Williams.
“There’s no reason why we can’t win this year,” Johnson said.
Johnson is the leader that the Bears believed was in place with John Fox. He’s the brilliant offensive mind that Matt Nagy was supposed to be. And he’s the disciplined culture builder that Matt Eberflus was touted. He's everything that those predecessors weren’t.
The Bears found out back in OTAs that it was different with Johnson, who would get in the facemasks of his players when they weren’t meeting this new standard. Many times during training camp, the offense would be called back from the huddle as Johnson forced them to reset correctly.
Johnson is leading the Bears with a firm expectation, attention to detail and a mind that’s among the best in coaching.
I envision the Bears going 9-8 this season – see my schedule breakdown below – in the mix for a wild-card berth. Above all, it will be a year of strides towards a more promising future with Johnson in charge.
Williams emerge from this season looking more like franchise quarterback and Poles’ roster will have taken shape for a significant next step towards championship contention. There’s reason to believe in the Bears’ direction.
But as McCaskey reminded, now it’s time to go take care of business.
4-Down Territory
1. Finally, some Bears infamy ends
The cruel fact may seem surprising to those outside Chicago, but it’s certainly known well in this city. Only one franchise in the NFL has never seen a 4,000-yard passer. That of course is the Bears.
That will change this season with Williams, who is poised to end this infamous stain on the Bears’ long history. He will be the first in franchise history to surpass 4,000 yards in a season.
Consider that it requires just 235.3 passing yards on average per game to reach 4,000 yards. Williams threw for 3,541 yards as a rookie last season, though he surpassed 235 yards just five times. That was in large part due to the dysfunction around him offensively.
As a rookie last season, Williams was lacking support. He worked with three different offensive coordinators, a revolving door on the offensive line that led to 68 sacks, and had to lead through a 10-game losing streak that derailed the season.
The Bears should expect a much more functional offense led by Johnson. With that, Williams can shine this season.
However, this Bears offense will likely come out of the gates with some struggles. It was very much a work in progress during training camp. That much seemed clear to the public eye in the preseason finale. A matchup with the Brian Flores-led Vikings defense won’t inspire hopes to light up the Soldier Field scoreboard on Monday night.
But in time, Williams and this Bears offense will ascend. Johnson seems to believe that as the case.
"We’re going to grow together. This offense is going to grow together with him. There will be some bumpy steps along the way, but that’s OK. That’s the nature of doing it. I feel really good about where he’s at right now.”
Johnson challenged Williams during training camp with the entire inventory of this offense. Rather than easing him in, Johnson pressed Williams each day with the belief that it will all become more comfortable in time.
Sure enough, Williams appeared more confident in late August. He was making quicker decisions with the football and operating with conviction. That was the encouraging proof that Johnson’s plan was working.
In 2024, six quarterbacks threw for more than 4,000 yards. Two years ago, 10 quarterbacks reached that mark. It’s a more attainable mark now in a 17-game schedule, but that shouldn’t take away from Williams if he becomes the first Bears passer to accomplish this.
If healthy for 17 games, Williams will ultimately dictate where the Bears go in 2025. He’s in line to hit a milestone Chicago has never seen before.
2. Defense leads the way
During the first week of training camp, Johnson was struck by the challenge his offense was facing against the Bears’ new Dennis Allen-led defense.
Then Johnson heard from a member of his coaching staff about it.
“You know, Dennis has a little ego too,” Johnson recalled hearing.
The Bears’ defense has a new edge with Allen serving as coordinator. For Johnson, it’s a trusted lieutenant at his side.
Allen, 52, was fired as the Saints’ head coach last year and returned to his roots as a defensive coordinator. The hope is that if hiring Johnson offers lasting success for the Bears, that Allen will be at his side all along. He’s still a young coach and may well be resigned to remaining as a career coordinator.
But for now, the Bears are building out Allen’s vision on defense. It’s a unit that has potential to be a great strength for this team. I believe Chicago’s defense will rank top 10 in the NFL under Allen’s watch.
There are many reasons why the Bears’ defense floundered with Eberflus. But at the end of his tenure last season, it seemed the players had checked out on his message. On the field, the effort defensively was lacking.
Eberflus’ Cover-2 identity was certainly embraced at first – a reminder of Lovie Smith’s tenure in Chicago – but this Bears defense needed a refresh. Enter Allen, who brings an aggressive, attacking style defensively.
Look no further than the Bears’ first preseason game, as Allen blitzed both safeties at Dolphins rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers. He was blitzing late in a 38-0 win over the Bills a week later at Soldier Field.
The Bears have embraced Allen’s stylings.
“I think as a defense, you want to be basically how Dennis Allen is: aggressive, physical,” Bears veteran safety Kevin Byard said.
But Allen is catering this defensive identity to his players. He sees a player like fourth-year nickelback Kyler Gordon with untapped potential still – a key weapon he can unleash. The strengths of an elite cover cornerback in Jaylon Johnson open up more opportunities for the other 10 players on the field.
When asked about filling voids for the pass rush, Poles pointed to how Allen can maximize what’s already in place based on his bright defensive mind.
Allen led top-10 scoring defenses with the Saints from 2020-23 before the roster fell off significantly in New Orleans. He’s certainly capable of accomplishing that leading the Bears’ defense.
It all begins Monday night as Allen will line up his Bears defense against Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who will take his first NFL snap at Soldier Field.
Allen will have his defense raring to go.
3. Sweat equity
In theory, the Bears’ most valuable player this season should be Williams. The quarterback of any successful team is almost always the most important player on the roster.
But for the sake of this argument, I’m going to go a different direction. Don’t sleep on Montez Sweat.
Last season, Sweat wasn’t himself while playing through injuries. He battled ailments to his toe, shin, ankle and elbow – and those were only the ones that were listed publicly. Sweat refused to make excuses, but the drop in production made it clear that he was never healthy.
Sweat finished with just 5.5 sacks last season while missing just one game due to the injuries. He opened the season on the injury report, an indication he was never quite at 100%.
Back in 2023, Sweat led both the Bears and Commanders in sacks. He totaled 12.5 sacks as part of a Pro Bowl campaign. That’s the type of player that Chicago should once again expect if Sweat is healthy.
Adding a veteran pass rusher in Dayo Odeyingbo was an important investment in Sweat. It means another presence off the edge that opposing offensive lines must account for each play. The Bears are optimistic that their defensive line depth will form around Sweat and Odeyingbo, this to go with Allen’s vision.
“I think this was the best training camp Montez Sweat’s had,” Poles said. “He’s in really good shape, ready to go.”
Though it was just the second camp Poles has witness of Sweat, this was certainly an indication of what the Bears believe is coming. He was constantly disruptive off the edge in practices, challenging starting right tackle Darnell Wright and anyone in his way.
Sweat is the ideal game wrecker for Allen’s defensive identity. His return to full form can help every player he lines up alongside.
That was the vision when Poles brought Sweat in. The Bears will see it truly take shape this season.
4. Who takes the North?
Back in 2022, Poles offered the slogan “Take the North and never give it back.” Now as the Bears emerge with hopes of contention, the division race is wide open.
Last season, three of the four teams in the NFC North reached the playoffs. The outlier in that group was Chicago, stuck at the bottom of the standings at 5-12. It’s a different landscape this year for a number of reasons.
I believe the Packers win the division at 13-4, establishing themselves as a true Super Bowl contender. The Lions will take a step back at 11-6 and earn their place as in the wild card. Then come the Bears at 9-8 overall and also in the postseason. The Vikings will struggle at 7-10, challenged to get their footing with McCarthy at the helm.
It should be a thrilling divisional race once again, and the Bears have four of their NFC North games coming after November. Those will carry significant stakes.
Injury Report
CB Jaylon Johnson (groin/calf) – This feels like a genuine game-time decision coming, as Johnson needs to test out his cutting abilities. Getting through this week of practice will be a critical step.
LB T.J. Edwards (hamstring) – Edwards went down in the final week of the preseason and has not practiced since. The Bears could be turning to their depth at linebacker right out of the gates.
RB Roschon Johnson (foot) – This has been nearly a month-long injury for Johnson, but he was not placed on a reserve list to open the season. It seems he could be close, though maybe not yet this week.
RB Kyle Monangai (hamstring) – The rookie Monangai is trending the right way. He could be the Bears' backup running back for their opener.
CB Josh Blackwell (groin) – A key player on special teams, Blackwell is dealing with an injury to open the year.
Quote to note
“It’s Monday night, it’s a division opponent. Been waiting for this since last year, obviously. It’s going to be very big. I just want to be back at Soldier Field, playing for the fans. … It’s our first time playing together in a while, first time with the coaches too. It’s going to be very exciting.”
–Jaquan Brisker
Emma’s Prediction: Bears 17, Vikings 14
Defenses will shine in a low-scoring game at Soldier Field. Cairo Santos will boot a game-winning field goal to give the Bears an opening victory.
Season Prediction: 9-8
Week 1 vs. Vikings – W
Week 2 at Lions – L
Week 3 vs. Cowboys – W
Week 4 at Raiders – W
Week 5 Bye
Week 6 at Commanders – L
Week 7 vs. Saints – W
Week 8 at Ravens – L
Week 9 at Bengals – W
Week 10 vs. Giants – W
Week 11 at Vikings – L
Week 12 vs. Steelers – W
Week 13 at Eagles – L
Week 14 at Packers – L
Week 15 vs. Browns – W
Week 16 vs. Packers – L
Week 17 at 49ers – L
Week 18 vs. Lions – W
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.