Next Steps

The Bears this season were a good team blessed with plenty of luck. The luck ran out last night in overtime at a frigid Soldier Field. Rams 20 Bears 17. There were at least two balls tipped by the Bears’ secondary that could’ve turned into an interception; they didn’t. In the second quarter, the Bears’ Montez Sweat sacked and stripped Rams’ quarterback Matthew Stafford, who had the good fortune of falling on top of the football. Again, no luck. Caleb Williams, the future of this franchise if there ever was one, made one extraordinary throw to tight end Cole Kmet that defies description. With fourth-and-four at the Rams’ 14 and his team down seven with 27 seconds left in regulation time, Williams faced a rush that sent him scurrying back, back, to the 40-yard line, from where he found Kmet in the corner of the end zone. Williams also threw three interceptions, though each one of them could’ve been the fault of the receiver or the coach who called the play. No luck. Now comes the hard stuff, starting with what the Bears need to avoid,which includes becoming next season’s version of this season’s Commanders, a team that went from 12-5 in 2024 to 5-12 in 2025. Wait, there’s more. GM Ryan Poles has to keep identifying talent (especially the defensive line and the linebacking corps), which will be harder given improved play translates into a lower place in the draft. And Poles won’t have the same salary-cap space to maneuver that he did this year. So, we’ll see if 2025 was lightning in a bottle or the product of a maturing front office. The same goes for head coach Ben Johnson. Matt Nagy took the 2018 squad to a 12-4 mark, after which it was, look out below. Nagy had Mitch Trubisky as his quarterback; Johnson has Williams. That’s one big advantage. But it’s just too soon to tell what’ll happen. For now, best to watch video of Williams scrambling, scrambling…