Last year, I wrote my first article for The Miscellany News, reflecting on my lifelong experience as a Chicago Bears fan. The Bears had just squeaked out the ugliest of wins in Week 1 of the 2024 season, secured against a mediocre Tennessee Titans team led by Will Levis. Caleb Williams did not look like the Heisman Trophy-winning No. 1 overall pick quarterback that was promised to deliver the Bears Faithful their first Super Bowl in 40 years. Despite Williams winning the first game of his young career, there was little hope for Bears fans. As my friend Gavin Akoto ’25 and I watched the game from our couch, there was a hint of déjà vu in the air. As experienced fans of the Blue and Orange, we had seen this story many times. We had lived through the screen passes of Matt Nagy and Mitch Trubisky, we had cheered as Justin Fields scrambled for a 60-yard touchdown, only to fumble the ball or miss three open receivers on the next series, and finally, we had suffered through the torment of Matt “Dweeberflus” Eberflus. We knew that pain and loss were coming. We could never have guessed that a year and some change later, our beloved Chicago Bears would be one score away from heading to the National Football Conference (NFC) Championship game.
For eons, being a Bears fan was predictable, even Sisyphean. The cycle would go something like this: A new tandem of head coach and quarterback will enter Halas Hall during the offseason, drumming up a firestorm of media attention and fan hype to conceal the failures of the team and organization. The new quarterback-coach duo will ride this wave of momentum for as long as they can, or for however long it takes the Bears’ defense to lose steam and stop winning games for the team. Then, everything will crash and burn. The coach will be the first to go, and the quarterback follows soon after. Thus, the cycle of being a Bears fan starts all over again.
So as Williams and Eberflus ran up the tunnel following their first win last September, Bears fans could probably feel in their bones what would happen next. The Bears would start the season strong at 4-2—their best since 2020—and then lose 10 straight games, finishing the year 5-12. Eberflus was fired in Week 12. At the end of the 2024 season, it seemed like the boulder had rolled to the bottom of the hill again for Bears fans who were desperate for any sign of hope.
The light at the end of the tunnel shone on Jan. 21, 2025 when the Bears hired Ben Johnson as the new head coach. Johnson is different from the Bears’ coaches of the past. He is hyper-competitive and a leader of men. He also knows how to run the ball and score touchdowns, something that previous Bears coaches seemed to believe was impossible. In Johnson’s first year at the helm, the Bears won the NFC North Division with an 11-6 overall record. Johnson completely revamped the offense from the previous year, finishing with a top-five rushing offense and a top-10 passing offense. Rookie Kyle Monangai and D’Andre Swift helped the Bears offense to an average of 4.9 yards per carry while Williams capped off his stellar sophomore campaign with 3942 passing yards and a league-low seven interceptions.
Working alongside Johnson, General Manager Ryan Poles stepped up and made key moves to improve what was previously a flawed Bears roster. Poles was busy during the offseason, acquiring guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson who were phenomenal at protecting Williams the entire season. On the defensive side, Poles signed defensive line Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo to add much-needed depth. On draft night, Johnson and Poles selected tight end Colston Loveland who has blossomed into a dangerous threat in the passing game and one of Williams’ favorite targets. In the third round, the Bears drafted wide receiver Luther Burden III who has similarly sparkled more and more as the season progressed. Along with the aforementioned running back Kyle Monangai, the trio of explosive Bears rookies helped lead the team to its first division title since 2018.
The most impressive aspect of Johnson’s first year as the head coach, more so than the 11 regular season wins, division title and playoff victory over the Green Bay Packers, has been the change in the team’s mindset. The Bears absolutely refused to quit a single game this year, winning seven games with a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime. The “Cardiac Bears,” as they have come to be known, have restored belief in Bears players and fans. They know that no matter what the score is or how little time is left on the clock, there is still a chance for the “Iceman” and the Chicago Bears. This change in attitude is refreshing. Usually, at the end of a long season, Bears fans feel disappointed—cursed, even—that we will never lift another Lombardi Trophy, but this year is different. Although I am heartbroken that the Bears came up short in the playoffs, I can speak for every single Bears fan in saying that we trust in Ben Johnson. This young and uber-talented Bears team has given the city something to believe in again. There is an excitement in the air in Chicago, a belief that this team is destined to end the drought and bring a Super Bowl back to Chicago. So thank you to Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams, the entire team and most importantly, Bears fans, for a thrilling season. But the job is not finished, and there is plenty of work to do until that fateful day when Williams raises the Lombardi. In the meantime, Bears players and fans alike will never rest until our good gets better, and our better gets best. Bear Down.