Is 2025 the Year Chicago Breaks the Cycle?
In recent years, the Bears have been trapped in what seemed to be an endless cycle. No matter who they have had as a coach, the team could not break through their consistent struggles. These issues ranged from poor coaching to the team constantly losing close games. In addition, fans have grown tired of the poor offensive execution that has caused many losses. The hiring of Ben Johnson gave hope to fans that the team might be starting a new era. This hype was quickly put into question as the first two games of the season reminded many fans of past years. The team fell apart to lose to the Minnesota Vikings and then got steamrolled by the Detroit Lions. However, the way Chicago has rebounded has shown that this may be the end of this horrid cycle.
The team has now rolled off three straight wins. This started with a stellar offensive performance against the Dallas Cowboys to win 31-14. Caleb Williams threw for 298 yards and four touchdowns to lead the way. Chicago has been searching for a franchise quarterback for many years. Williams now shows that the team may have that as the offense is one of the best that fans have seen in a while. In fact, he has led the team to the 10th most points per game in the league. Johnson has brought the spark back and has improved this team in many areas, but the offense may be the most important.
However, the next two wins did not come as easily. Both games finished with a final score of 25-24 and were won in the final minute. First, Chicago blocked the game-winning field goal attempt by the Raiders. Following that, Jake Moody hit a walk-off field goal to stun the Commanders. These two wins are a testament to the improvements in both the coaching staff and the players themselves. Despite all the struggles throughout the games, they found a way to hang in there and compete for every second of the match. In past years, this was different as the team lost either through poor coaching or players not being able to keep up the toughness needed. Johnson has not only found a way to bring successful play calling to the team, but also a way to motivate and inspire the players to never give up.
While there is certainly plenty of time left to go this season, Chicago has already shown major growth since last year. The play calling has been much improved, and this has been shown in the performance by the offense. The ability to finish off games has also been getting better through both mental and physical toughness from the players. The season has had its fair share of ups and downs, and there are still plenty of weaknesses that need to be addressed. Despite these lingering flaws, this Bears team is not the same as past years. If they can continue to build on this growth, then fans may finally see the turnaround they have been waiting years to witness.
