Despite a shocking playoff run, oddsmakers rank the Bears third in the NFC North for 2026, trailing Detroit and Green Bay.
The Chicago Bears took a massive leap under head coach Ben Johnson in 2025.
The Bears started 0-2, but then went on a four-game winning streak. The Bears lost to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8 to end the streak, but then went on another winning streak after that.
Chicago went on a five-game winning streak before losing to the Green Bay Packers 28-21 in Week 14. The Bears went 2-2 in their last four games, with one of those wins coming dramatically against the Packers.
After the regular season concluded, the Bears were 11-6, had the No. 2 seed in the NFC locked up, and had the NFC North title.
The magic didn't end there.
The Bears had to face the Packers once more in the 2025 season—this time in the playoffs.
Chicago entered the fourth quarter of that Wild Card game down 21-6, but had a miraculous rally and won 31-27. The Bears' next foe was the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round.
Unfortunately, Chicago fell 20-17 in overtime to Los Angeles and was eliminated from the playoffs.
Now, the offseason is here, and predictions are being made about the 2026 season.
One would think that with the kind of season that the Bears had in 2025, people would believe they'd be in the best position to win the NFC North, right? Wrong.
DraftKings Sportsbook gave the Bears the third-best odds to win the division in 2026. The Detroit Lions (+160) and the Packers (+185) were both ahead of the Bears (+350). The Minnesota Vikings had the worst odds at +700.
The Lions didn't even make the postseason in 2025. Detroit had a chance but missed out after a 9-8 finish, going 1-3 in its last four games. The Packers had multiple chances to take the division title away from the Bears this past season and couldn't.
After beating Chicago in Week 14, the Packers blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter of Week 16's meeting and lost in overtime 22-16.
Even though Chicago came the closest in the division to reaching the Super Bowl, it still can't earn any respect. The Bears are even returning the majority of their key players on both sides of the ball.
The only major losses are Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker, but even then, there's a chance that at least one of them could sign an extension.
It sounds like Johnson and the Bears are going to have to keep proving people wrong in 2026, even after a season like 2025.