Alright, let’s do it. It’s time to relive the s***show that was the Chicago Bears’ 2024 season and explore an off-season wish list for 2025. What moves do the Bears need to make in order to become a relevant team in 2025? Will we continue the cycle by not marrying our GM and Head Coach? Is this job enticing to the top head coaching candidates? Shoot…I sure hope so…
The Chicago Bears’ 2024 season, led by rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, was marked by early promise but ultimately resulted in brutal 10 game losing streak leading the Bears to a 5-12 record. Here’s a week-by-week summary from Williams’ debut to their season-ending victory (most important victory of Caleb’s young career) over the Green Bay Packers on January 5, 2025:
Week 1: vs. Tennessee Titans (W 24–17)
In his NFL debut, Caleb Williams became the first No. 1 overall pick to win his first start since 2002, despite a terrible offensive performance where he passed for only 93 passing yards. The Bears overcame a 17-point deficit, with special teams and defensive touchdowns fueling the comeback. Oh, and the world was also introduced to one of the best memes of the season courtesy of William Donovan Levis..
Coming off an otherworldly level of hype, developed by Hard Knocks, this performance was less than encouraging. Will I ever apologize for a win? Hell no. But it never felt like the offense was going to get off the ground….Low and behold, Shane Waldron may have been the worst offensive coordinator in NFL history. Either way, 1-0 was a good start heading into a week 2 matchup with a hyped Texans team who was seeking to see the growth of CJ Stroud in his 2nd professional year.
Week 2: at Houston Texans (L 13–19)
Williams faced challenges, throwing two interceptions as the Bears’ offense struggled (shocking), leading to their first loss of the season.
Kaimi Fairbairn went 4/4 hitting a MISSILE of a FG at 59 yards. Man, this may have been the start of his breakout this year. One of the best kickers in the league of course starts his hot streak against the Bears…
The only touchdown scored by the Bears came from, you guessed it, Khalil Herbert. The offense struggled to push the ball all game long…and quite honestly the only reason we were in this game whatsoever was the defense. No strange feeling for us Bears fans, as we’ve been consistently one of the worst offensive units year after year.
At this point, I think everyone was wondering what breed of hamster was spinning up in Shane Waldron’s head. Waldron quickly was becoming the most hated personality in the city of Chicago. Who could blame us fans though?
After the game, CJ Stroud gifted us a hell of a clip of him big-bro’ing Caleb Williams. Only for Williams to have a better year than Stroud (statistically) through the rest of the season.
<-Click to see the big bro video
Week 3: at Indianapolis Colts (L 16–21)
Williams showcased his potential with 363 passing yards, setting a Bears’ rookie single-game record, but turnovers hindered the team’s efforts in a close loss.
Caleb finally showed how good he could be as the Bears franchise QB. This was the first game he was also able to connect well with fellow rookie, Rome Odunze.
I had the unfortunate luxury of watching this game from Lucas Oil stadium….which was one of the most frustrating games to watch of all-time. First, Anthony Richardson showed truly how inaccurate he is…I mean I couldn’t even count how many overthrows this dude had in this game…possibly because of the miller lites consumed pre-game…
Silly Shane again left us puzzled when he tried to run Khalil Herbert 3 straight times from the one yard line….leaving power back Roschon Johnson on the bench..then he proceeds to run one of the most puzzling 4th and goal plays I’ve ever seen live…Bears lose in terrible fashion, officially creating an angry mob calling for Shane Waldron to be fired. Click on the twitter icon to watch what gave me a migraine for the next 48 hours..
Week 4: vs. Los Angeles Rams (W 24–18)
An all around good game for the Bears. This one felt like a complete team win, and honestly it was great to see things flowing well for the most part.
Caleb played a great game, going 17/23 for 157 yards and 1 TD. The Bears’ defense forced two turnovers, and running back D’Andre Swift contributed 93 rushing yards and a touchdown, to go with another 7 reception and 72 yards.
The Rams, at the time, moved to 1-3 on the year. However, they turned their season around in the second half and eventually made the playoffs after winning the NFC West. Arguably, this would be one of the Bears best wins of the year….not too impressive considering they won 5 total games…God they piss me off.
Week 5: vs. Carolina Panthers (W 36–10)
Simply put, the Bears best the absolute dog shit out of the Panthers. I mean from wire to wire, the Panthers got their shit pushed in…no joke.
Caleb looked great, the offense was humming and man Shane Waldron may have fooled me for a few quarters here…Some were calling for the Andy Dalton revenge game prior to the matchup, but it turned out to be DJ Moore running circles around his former team. Williams connected with DJ on both of his touchdowns while DJ collected 104 yards through the air in the game.
Williams delivered his strongest performance to date with 304 passing yards and two touchdowns, while the defense dominated, propelling the Bears to a 3-2 record.
Week 6: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars in London (W 35–16)
Caleb Williams looks great AGAIN. He started to really show why he went #1 overall in April. And seeing as the #2 pick, Jayden Daniels, had thrusted himself into the early season MVP conversation, this was much needed for Bears fans.
Personally, I have never questioned the picking of Williams #1 overall. But the mainstream media thought it was a good conversation to have. Rightfully so based on how Daniels was playing at this point, but Williams was starting to silence some of the doubters.
Williams threw four touchdown passes, leading the Bears to their first three-game winning streak since 2020, improving to 4-2…Vibes were high, but man were we in for a significant turn of events…
Week 7: Bye Week
The Bears entered the bye week with optimism, having a 4-2 record and seemingly figuring out their offense.
I don’t know what anyone else was expecting, but as a lifelong Bears fan…this start to the season seemed way too good to be true. I mean, we were starting to forget who was our head coach…lame duck Matt Eberflus…and our OC? Shane Waldron. The same dude who was laughed out of Seattle by some of their offensive stars.
While I expected some course correction….I don’t think anyone could predict the pain and suffering this fanbase would go through in the weeks to come.
Week 8: at Washington Commanders (L 15–18)
Let’s face it. This game should have NEVER been close. The Bears defense played stellar against a red hot Commanders offense. But the offense struggled all the way until the end of the third quarter.
Caleb and the offense looked lost….again. At this point fans were ready to ship Shane Waldron off to a foreign country, on an all expenses paid leave of absence…hoping he never would return. I was one of them. The scheme made no sense, the protection was awful and it seemed like there was no flow. Hell, it was even reported that Waldron didn’t have a play script to start the game…WHAT YEAR ARE WE IN HERE. Seriously? How dumb do you have to be…or lazy, I don’t know which one it is.
Look, it wasn’t all Waldron’s fault but it sure seemed like a good chunk of it was.
The Bears didn’t score until late in the 3rd quarter, when D’Andre Swift made a house call from 56 yards out. Cutting the deficit to 12-7. Late in the 4th, with 25 seconds left (after a beautiful drive led by Caleb Williams), Roschon Johnson punched in a 1 yard score. What followed, was incredible to watch….
Matt Eberflus elects to drop the entire defense back, leaving the Commanders an opportunity to hit Zach Ertz over the middle for 11 yards. With 6 seconds left on the clock, Eberflus again elects to drop the entire defense and allow Terry McLaurin to pick up 13 yards and run out of bounds to get the Commanders within range of a Hail Mary. Seriously, WHAT THE FUCK. I don’t know how to say it nicely. This was quite literally the dumbest decision I have seen a head coach make (until a few weeks later, just wait. Eberflus out dumbs himself against the Lions).
A last-second Hail Mary touchdown throw by Daniels resulted in a heartbreaking loss, dropping the Bears to 4-3. A lot of props to Daniels, who danced around long enough for his receivers to get into place for the throw. But the Bears never had a clue how to defend this. Tyrique Stevenson was even seen taunting the crowd prior to the snap, which led him to being out of position when the ball was in the air. Eberflus clearly had no control over the team, electing not to take a timeout (if he even was paying attention to what Stevenson was doing). An all around bad beat, and to top it off this Eberfloser doubled down in his post game presser saying her wouldn’t change how he handled the situation….
Week 9: at Arizona Cardinals (L 9–29)
The Arizona Cardinals secured a commanding 29-9 victory over the Chicago Bears. The first half was competitive, with the Cardinals taking an early lead through a 2-yard touchdown by Trey McBride, while the Bears responded with two field goals by Cairo Santos to narrow the gap to 7-6. Arizona extended their lead to 14-6 with a 1-yard touchdown from rookie Trey Benson, but Santos kept the Bears in the game with a 53-yard field goal to make it 14-9 just before halftime.
The pivotal moment of the game came in the final seconds of the half when Cardinals running back Emari Demercado broke free for a stunning 53-yard rushing touchdown, shifting momentum decisively in Arizona’s favor. I mean this just made it feel out of reach. It was a slap in the face considering what happened just a week prior with the Hail Mary. It was like Eberflus wanted to get fired, continuing to look dumber by the day with mishaps at the end of halves/games.
The second half saw the Cardinals dominate on both sides of the ball, with kicker Chad Ryland adding two field goals and linebacker Zaven Collins leading a defensive charge that sacked Bears quarterback Caleb Williams six times. James Conner led Arizona’s powerful rushing attack with 107 yards on 18 carries, while Williams struggled under pressure, completing 22 of 41 passes for 217 yards without a touchdown. The Bears’ offense faltered, converting only 21% of third-down attempts, while the Cardinals’ balanced attack and last-second touchdown before halftime proved decisive in their third consecutive victory.
Offensive struggles continued as the Bears were held without a touchdown for the second consecutive game, resulting in the long awaited departure of Shane Waldron. I had been complaining for weeks about this guy, but didn’t expect the Bears to do something they never do…fire a coach mid season. It was a step in the right direction, but just showed the ineptitude of Eberflus in hiring his offensive assistant, as this was the second one fired in the same year.
Week 10: vs. New England Patriots (L 3–19)
The New England Patriots secured a 19-3 victory over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in an embarrassing game for the Bears. The Patriots’ defense dominated, sacking Bears quarterback Caleb Williams nine times and limiting Chicago to just 142 total yards (Saquon Barkley eclipsed this mark ON THE GROUND by himself 7 times this year). Deatrich Wise Jr. and Anfernee Jennings each contributed two sacks to this relentless pass rush that had Bears fans calling for the offensive line to be ejected to the moon.
Offensively, Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye completed 15 of 25 passes for 184 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown to Ja’Lynn Polk late in the second quarter. Rhamondre Stevenson led the ground game with 74 yards on 20 carries, providing balance to the Patriots’ attack.
Special teams also played a crucial role, with kicker Joey Slye converting all four field goal attempts, including a 37-yarder as time expired in the first half, extending New England’s lead to 13-3 at halftime. By half, Bears fans knew exactly where this game was headed. The team was doomed. The team literally looked like they wanted to quit, and Eberflus looked to have lost the locker room.
The Bears’ offense struggled throughout, managing only a 33-yard field goal by Cairo Santos in the second quarter. They were particularly ineffective on third downs, converting just 1 of 14 attempts. It had to have been one of the worst offensive performances, against a team that was considered the worst in the league for most of the season, that I have ever seen.
This loss marked Chicago’s third consecutive defeat, dropping their record to 4-5, while the Patriots improved to 3-7. At this point, we looked lost. It was a disappointment that seemed to be fueled by the Hail Mary a few weeks prior.
Week 11: vs. Green Bay Packers (L 19–20)
Another game I had the unfortunate pleasure of attending…First off, FUCK green bay. On the all-time hate list for sports teams, GB is hands down #1. For a stumbling Bears squad, all I wanted to see was them play with some fight in them. And they did.
For the majority of the game, the Bears looked like they had the Packers on the ropes. Caleb played good, D’Andre scores again, and the defense was playing with an edge to them. At the end of the day, seeing how much this team cares about this rivalry was great. But still, FUCK green bay.
I remember watching the snap and having an eerie feeling that it wasn’t going to go well. Let’s face it, what has gone right up to this point? It doesn’t take a genius to understand that the answer is not much.
We all know the field goal was blocked. Tipped at the line, from a dude who jumped our center…where the refs blew the shit out of that call (it was 100% a leverage penalty). But nonetheless, it was blocked and we lost. The worst part of it all might have been the Packers saying they knew they’d block at least one field goal in the game. It just goes to show what were missing in Chicago, and that’s the elite preparation of winning franchises (that’s your one compliment, Packers fans).
Leaving the stadium was the worst part. People wearing some gross green colors, cheeseheads, running around screaming with joy. While us Bears fans are forced to continue the losing streak to this miserable fanbase of Wisconsinites.
Photo creds: ESPN
Week 12: vs. Minnesota Vikings (L 27–30 OT)
We got a show in Soldier for this one. An OT thriller, with some late game heroics by Caleb Williams. Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold showcased poise, completing 22 of 34 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns, notably connecting with Jordan Addison, who racked up eight receptions for a career-high 162 yards and a touchdown. Man, the Vikings just don’t miss on these wide receivers. Also, it’s very hard to root against journeyman Sam Darnold. Just like Geno Smith, many wrote him off. But this season was an unbelievable showing from Darnold, who definitely did not write back to the doubters.
Caleb Williams delivered a beautiful performance, against what many considered the best defense in the league at this point. He ended up throwing for 340 yards and two touchdowns, with DJ Moore hauling in seven catches for 106 yards and a touchdown.
In the final moments of regulation, Chicago erased an 11-point deficit. Williams connected with Keenan Allen for a 1-yard touchdown, followed by a successful two-point conversion to Moore, narrowing the gap to 27-24. Shit, Williams seems like the guy. To us in Chicago, we know he’s the best we’ve had in a very long time. The Bears then recovered an onside kick(electric, that shit never works). Williams and Co. Orchestrated another impressive drive at the end of regulation, setting up Cairo Santos’ 48-yard field goal as time expired, forcing overtime! Bears are back! Or so we thought for a few minutes. I was watching this game at the in-laws house, and man was I in for some major shaming…
In overtime, the Bears’ offense went three-and-out on their initial possession. Darnold then orchestrated a 10-play, 68-yard drive, culminating in a 29-yard game-winning field goal. Bears lose, again.
This win marked Minnesota’s fourth consecutive victory, improving their record to 9-2, while the Bears dropped to 4-7, enduring their fifth straight loss…it seems like a millennium ago that the Bears were 4-2..
Week 13: at Detroit Lions (L 20–23)
Matt Eberflus’s coaching in the Bears’ Thanksgiving Day loss to the Lions was nothing short of a disaster, especially when it came to clock management. With the game hanging in the balance and the Bears down by three, Eberflus’s complete mishandling of the final moments left everyone shaking their heads.
As if it wasn’t bad enough, everyone was already calling for his head in Chicago (not literally, but you know what I mean). It almost seemed like he wanted to lose. Like he was sick of this team, city and coaching the Bears. For what we all knew was the right move, maybe he would get fired after blowing yet another game with some dumbass decision.
Facing a 3rd-and-26 with about 36 seconds left, Caleb Williams took a sack just outside of field goal range. Rookie mistake. I get it, but he was driving them down the field to this point and looked like he was orchestrating a late game comeback against the best team in the NFC.
Instead of using the team’s remaining timeout to stop the clock and regroup, Eberflus inexplicably let time continue to tick away, wasting precious seconds. My family and I were watching in disbelief. Instead of yelling, screaming or anger…we were all speechless. This guy (sorry for the lack of a better term) is an idiot.
What followed was pure chaos—a rushed final play that ended with an incomplete pass and no chance for a tying field goal. It was, quite frankly, one of the most idiotic displays of time management anyone has ever witnessed. I just hated that it happened on Thanksgiving. It was embarrassing on a national level. To make matters worse, Eberflus doubled down in his post-game comments, claiming they “handled it the right way.” This mind-boggling lack of situational awareness and refusal to take responsibility is a glaring reason why serious doubts surround his ability to lead the team effectively.
Finally, in the days to follow, Eberflus was let go. Promoting Thomas Brown to the Head Coaching position. Oh, I forgot to mention that Brown had just been elevated to OC just a few short weeks prior when Silly Shane was let go.
Week 14: at San Francisco 49ers (L 13–38)
In Thomas Brown’s head coaching debut, the Bears were outmatched, ensuring a fourth consecutive losing season with a 4-9 record. Brown was thrown into the damn fire here man. This dude is getting the opportunity of a lifetime, but in the worst way possible. I feel for the guy, and I like a lot of the things he has to say. He truly seems like a great leader, and someone that could command a locker room (from my perspective, a guy who hasn’t played football since he was 9 years old).
The 49ers looked like the team of the past few years, moving to 6-7 on the year. And man are they dealing with some shit this year. Injuries piling up like no other team in the league. They showed yet again why the Bears are so far off from being a relevant team in the NFC. Kyle Shanahan is a wizard by the way, this dude coached circles around the Bears defense. All. Day. Long. It just goes to show how important the man at the helm is to a football team.
Week 15: at Minnesota Vikings (L 12–30)
Offensive woes persisted as the Bears were shut out in the first half, leading to a fifth straight loss and a 4-10 record.
The offense again looked lost. Something as consistent for us Bears fans as a sunrise—predictable, dependable, and always showing up, whether for better or worse this offense is destined to struggle. Fuck man, I just hate watching the Bears sometimes. There was no fight here. None. You’d think the team would played their asses off for Thomas Brown. This guy is trying to showcase what he can do for a franchise, and the players are already thinking about their trip to Cabo. If you’re not a die-hard Bears fan, seriously I don’t know why you’d watch these games (unless you’re betting against them, in that case you’ve made some good money on this losing streak).
Week 16: vs. Detroit Lions (L 17–34)
The Bears’ losing streak extends, with the team falling to 4-11 after another lopsided defeat.
Detroit was Detroit and Chicago was Chicago…what else is there to say? The Lions look great. Like a true contender. It’s almost hard to hate them, seeing as how bad they’ve been since their inception. Dan Campbell has this team humming. While Thomas Brown hasn’t inspired a damn soul in this locker room.
Going deeper and deeper into the hole, this Bears squad needs some major reconstruction. I think this is the first time I’ve heard consistent criticism of Ryan Poles. While I’m personally 50/50 on whether they should keep him, I have to remind myself he has given us Caleb Williams and genuine hope for a bright future. When you have a franchise QB, you can make something out of nothing. Without one, it is near impossible to get to the promise land.
This game sucked to watch altogether, on to Seattle…we have a chance to win, right?
Week 17: vs. Seattle Seahawks (L 3–6)
This game…wow. I mean, who doesn’t love to see a 6-3 final score? If you had told me this game would’ve been so bad, I would have saved the time and just watched the bachelorette or something..
Not only was this a horseshit game, but I didn’t need my team to get embarrassed on a national scale like this..I think you could throw the Northern Illinois Huskies out there and they would’ve scored more points than the Bears did.
Truly one of the worst games I’ve ever witnessed, I am happy the season is winding down at this point. We need to get the coaching decision right. Otherwise, we’ll have wasted yet another high draft pick on a QB. Mission: Don’t ruin Caleb Williams. This has to be the goal in the off season. Build the lines (offensive first) and give this kid a shot at being great.
Failing to score a touchdown for the third time in the season, the Bears tied a franchise-worst ten-game losing streak, standing at 4-12.
Week 18: at Green Bay Packers (W 24–22)
Hate it or love it, the Bears needed to win this game. You could see just how much it mattered in Caleb’s young career. He was animate during that last drive. And the visual of him yelling with jubilation after Cairo buried the 51 yard field goal to end the game was pure bliss.
Give me our draft position dropping from 7 to 10. Give me everyone questioning why this game was important. I don’t care. It was the Green Bay Packers. If you didn’t read my column up there let me quote myself “FUCK green bay.”
This game mattered in so many ways. The Bears are now 3-17 against Green Bay in the last 10 years. Talk about a big bro/little bro rivalry. We just can’t seem to ever beat this team, no matter what. I mean hell, look at the fuckery that occurred in Week 11? We had them on the ropes, ripe for a Bears win…and a blocked field goal ends the game? With a clear non-called leveraging penalty nonetheless. Not only this, but this is the first time since DECEMBER 2018 that we beat them….holy shit it’s bad is right. To top it off, it’s just sweet to win one in Lambeau. I remember last year being at the Sunday night game at Lambeau to end the year. We lost 17-9 in a game where everyone was convinced Jordan Love was the next Messiah..yeah right, screw green bay and their mid tier QB Jordan Love. You guys are just lucky that Matte Lefleur is quite possibly the best coach in football right now.
We’re 1-0 against the Packers in 2025. In this league, it’s what have you done for me lately? And the Bears are better than the Packers this year. I will never apologize for a win, definitely not against GB. And for all of you crying about draft positioning? We pick 10th. If Poles, or whoever is our GM although it looks like he will be retaining his job, messes this up then fire him. The 10th best player in this draft would still be a HUGE addition to this team. I personally can’t wait for the off-season to truly get rolling. I want so much from this team, and now is the time to execute.
The Bears ended their season on a high note, snapping both a ten-game losing streak and an eleven-game skid against the Packers. Cairo Santos’ 51-yard field goal as time expired secured the victory, with Williams leading the fourth-quarter comeback.
Through the highs and lows, we know Caleb is a special talent. If you had told me before the season he would end with 3,541 Passing yards (5th all time for a Bears QB, 1st for a rookie), 20 TDs (12th most all time for a Bears QB, 1st for a rookie) and only 6 interceptions? I would have at least thought that this team would be a wildcard. Maybe my expectations were too high, but that is a great building block for Caleb. When he gets better (not if), this offense will truly be something special. We have the dynamic pieces around him. Go get some big meaty men to protect the kid and give us a shot.
2025 Wish List
FIrst, this post is lengthy. I’m going to have a more in-depth blog about what we need in the coming weeks. But, I know what I want right now…and the Bears better not fuck it up.
This brings me to my 2025 wish list. #1 priority is hire the right head coach. Of all the candidates they’re interviewing (and its a comically long list), Ben Johnson or Mike Vrabel make the most sense. I think either one would be able to lead this team in the right direction.
FIX THE O-LINE. Get rid of Tevin Jenkins, fire Coleman Shelton into the sun, and please God no more experiments at right guard…if I have to struggle through another Nate Davis saga I might just swim out to the middle of lake Michigan and let the waves carry me away. All jokes aside, we have to fill three spots on the line, and preferably bring in a top tier left tackle. So possibly 4 spots to fill. It’s definitely tough, but doable.
Find an edge rusher opposite of Montez Sweat. Sweat was basically invisible this season. But I’m much less worried about his talent or drive than I am the guy on the opposite side of him. He’s a good player, really good, but when the opposing teams can double him all game because some dude named Darrel is on the other side, who can expect great numbers from him? And finally we need a run stuffing defensive tackle. Find me the largest human being you can and throw him in there. Don’t care who it is. I want some big, beefy dude just clogging the interior of the line worse than a toilet on Thanksgiving.
Thank you all for reading through my misery this season. If you enjoyed the content, like this post and shoot me a follow on Twitter!
Until next time, 🐻 ⬇️.
JMDSportsTalk 
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