The Chicago Bears surprised many with their success in 2025, led by first-year head coach Ben Johnson and a big jump in development from quarterback Caleb Williams.
The Bears won the NFC North for the first time since 2018, taking down the Green Bay Packers twice in three meetings, including a wild-card win that reignited the rivalry between the two historic franchises that took the NFL headlines by storm.
While Chicago will look to build off their first year under Johnson, recent history has shown that there will be an uphill battle for them to see any resemblance of repeat success. Recently, Zachary Pereles of CBS Sports laid out how teams have fared after going from five or fewer wins in 2024, to 11 or more the following season, something this Bears franchise did back in 2018, coming away with a disappointing following season.
Here’s how those previous teams fared after a big improvement year:
With the sixth-hardest projected schedule in the 2026 season, the Bears will have their work cut out for them to keep momentum rolling behind Johnson. There’s going to be little to no room for dropping games that they’re expected to win, and there should be a focus on the team looking to do better at the start of games in 2026. While they put together several memorable fourth-quarter comebacks, there’s not much hope for sustained success that way.
Here’s hoping Johnson and Williams continue to have more tricks and magic up their sleeves this year, but the expectations are high, given how the schedule was made for them and the success they’re coming off of from last year.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears face tough history, uphill battle to maintain success in 2026