Despite a roster overhaul, Chicago's elite coaching and Caleb Williams' MVP potential have experts betting on another double-digit win season and a dominant top-five offensive explosion.
Up until last season, it had been since the Matt Nagy era that the Chicago Bears had been to the postseason.
The Bears last appeared in the playoffs in 2020, losing in the first round to the New Orleans Saints. In just one year under Ben Johnson, the Bears reached the Divisional Round and won a playoff game for the first time since 2010.
Soldier Field hosted the Bears and Green Bay Packers in that electric, comeback win. Chicago also laid claim to its first NFC North title since 2018.
It's not going to be an easy road for the Bears to get back to that level this year. A lot of last year's team isn't there anymore.
Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Nahshon Wright, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Tremaine Edmunds, D.J. Moore, Drew Dalman, and many others have departed this offseason.
After losing Moore, the Bears' receiving corps now consists of Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, Kalif Raymond and Jahdae Walker as the main options.
The offensive line only lost one starter in Dalman. The Bears traded for Garrett Bradbury to replace him, with the remaining starters returning in 2026.
The NFL has no guarantees for a team like the Bears. After the Bears won 11 games in the regular season last year, their win total was set at 9.5.
A concerned fan recently called into 104.3 The Score, and Danny Parkins put any doubts to rest. He believed that the Bears could easily win 11 or 12 games in the regular season.
"A screaming over. They're favored in 12 of the games. Caleb [Williams] is gonna be a top-five MVP finish this year. He's gonna take a huge leap offensively, and you've got one of the three or four best coaches in the NFL. One of the three or four most naturally gifted quarterbacks in the NFL. It's gonna be a top-five offense in the league. This feels like an 11 or 12-win regular season. That's an easy, easy, easy over. That's not even gonna be a problem."
After the success they had in 2025, the Bears now have a top-tier schedule.
Chicago faces its regular divisional opponents twice and takes on the NFC South and AFC East, in addition to matchups with the Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, and Jacksonville Jaguars, who all won their divisions in 2025.
The Bears' success could hinge on how consistently the defense plays. If the Bears can play complementary football, things could really start to fall into place for the team.
We're still a few months out from the season opener, but this team already has high expectations placed on it.
