The Chicago Bears are coming off a disappointing 5-12 season that included a 10-game losing streak and resulted in the in-season firing of Matt Eberflus. But there’s plenty of optimism surrounding the team following an impactful offseason.
That started with the hiring of head coach Ben Johnson, who’s one of the NFL’s best offensive minds, and continued with building around quarterback Caleb Williams with a new interior offensive line and even more weapons. The defense returns some key cornerstones, including cornerback Jaylon Johnson and edge rusher Montez Sweat, but there are some questions about their pass rush.
But how will Chicago contend in a loaded NFC North? The Detroit Lions, who Chicago poached Johnson from, are coming off a 15-2 record; the Minnesota Vikings, with young QB J.J. McCarthy stepping in, are coming off a 14-3 record; and the Green Bay Packers, who just traded for Micah Parsons, are coming off an 11-6 record.
Do the Bears have what it takes to compete in this division? Here’s a roundup of expert and analyst record predictions for the NFC North in 2025.
- Chicago Bears: 11-6
- Green Bay Packers: 10-7
- Detroit Lions: 8-9
- Minnesota Vikings: 7-10
Rank writes: “You hear it from Bears fans every year: This is the year. But this REALLY feels like it. Chicago landed one of the hottest coaching candidates in recent memory. Williams threw for 3,500 yards and 20 touchdowns amid total chaos as a rookie in 2024. And don’t overlook new coordinator Dennis Allen’s defense, which I think will carry the Bears in the early part of the season.”
- Detroit Lions: 10-7
- Minnesota Vikings: 10-7
- Green Bay Packers: 9-8
- Chicago Bears: 7-10
Orr writes: “The Bears, like the Broncos, have major hype potential, which is a massive pitfall for someone in my position. Everything about the team looks and seems great, but how much can we depend on an offensive line built through free agency and a young quarterback who is both brilliant and confounding? Much will be made of the losing streak I have the team going on from Weeks 8 to 14, but just look at the opponent set: at the Ravens, at the Bengals, the Giants (who, yes, will be bad, but have three good pass rushers who could take advantage of a banged up offensive line at this point), at the Vikings, the Steelers, at the Eagles and at the Packers. You’ll need to have a genius for a head coach to survive this particular run. Ben Johnson was hired to do that with Caleb Williams.”
- Green Bay Packers: 12-5
- Detroit Lions: 11-6
- Minnesota Vikings: 9-8
- Chicago Bears: 7-10
Davis writes: “They’re going to have to adapt – to Johnson, their new head coach, who’s changing the culture, scheme and expectations (yet again) after this organization’s disastrous 2024 campaign. And the learning curve is amplified by a schedule that, statistically, is second only to the Giants’ in terms of difficulty. Six of the Bears’ final eight opponents made the playoffs last season.”
NFL Nation, ESPN
- Detroit Lions: 10-7
- Green Bay Packers: 9-8
- Minnesota Vikings: 9-8
- Chicago Bears: 8-9
Courtney Cronin writes: “Biggest strength: Offensive weapons. The Bears added rookie tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III to an already stacked group of returning pass catchers that features Rome Odunze, DJ Moore and Cole Kmet. Quarterback Caleb Williams has connected with all five of these players, but arguably his strongest chemistry in camp was built with wideout Olamide Zaccheaus, who arrived on a one-year deal in March. Ben Johnson has plenty of players looking for touches on offense, and that’s a good problem to have for the first-year coach.”
“Biggest concern: Left tackle. It’s a position battle that spanned nearly all of camp and seems to have landed where it started, with incumbent left tackle Braxton Jones in line to start Week 1 versus Minnesota. The Bears poured a ton of resources into revamping the O-line this offseason, but how well the linemen will protect Williams’ blind side after he was sacked 68 times as a rookie remains a question.”
- Detroit Lions: 10-7
- Green Bay Packers: 10-7
- Minnesota Vikings: 8-9
- Chicago Bears: 7-10
Dan Wiederer writes: “This may not go over well in Chicago, where Ben Johnson Fever is commingling with a slightly milder variant of Caleb Williams Mania in 2025. But if the Bears have taught us anything over the years, it’s that summertime stimulation too often turns into fall failure. Now 15 seasons removed from their last playoff victory and looking to post just their second winning season since 2012, the Bears have earned every ounce of “see it to believe it” suspicion. It’s up to Johnson and Williams to change that tune by meeting expectations individually and collectively in their first season together. But in a tough division and with six of eight road games against 2024 playoff teams, the margin for error is thin and the climb remains steep.”
- Green Bay Packers: 11-6
- Detroit Lions: 9-8
- Minnesota Vikings: 8-9
- Chicago Bears: 7-10
John Breech writes: “Sam Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 record last season and although Minnesota had the chance to keep him, the Vikings decided to let him walk in free agency. In his place, the Vikings will be turning the keys to the offense over to McCarthy, who has exactly zero career starts under his belt. This is like giving your 16-year-old the keys to your Ferrari three hours after they got their license. It could end well, but you’re going to be nervous the whole time. The problem for McCarthy is that the Vikings have a lot of issues at receiver right now. Not only is Jordan Addison suspended for the first three games, but Justin Jefferson is dealing with a hamstring issue. If Jefferson isn’t at 100% or if he aggravates the injury, that’s going to hurt Minnesota’s passing game in a big way. The Vikings did make a trade for Adam Thielen, but he’s only going to have about a week to practice with McCarthy to build up some chemistry ahead of Week 1.”
- Green Bay Packers: 11-6
- Chicago Bears: 10-7
- Detroit Lions: 9-8
- Minnesota Vikings: 7-10
Moe Moton writes: “While second-year quarterback Caleb Williams shows improvement under new head coach and offensive play-caller Ben Johnson, pay attention to the Bears’ new identity. This offseason, Chicago fortified the interior of its offensive line with the addition of guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and center Drew Dalman. As he did in Detroit, Johnson will field a high-level ground attack. New Orleans Saints defenses ranked within the top nine in scoring for four consecutive seasons under former defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who will elevate an underachieving Chicago defense. Look for the Bears to push for a playoff spot.”
- Detroit Lions: 12-5
- Green Bay Packers: 12-5
- Minnesota Vikings: 11-6
- Chicago Bears: 8-9
Matt Johnson writes: “For the Chicago Bears, we expect this season to be similar to what the Lions went through in 2022. It took time for Jared Goff and this offense to settle into Ben Johnson’s system, resulting in a 1-6 record to start the year. Once everyone became familiar with the scheme and the young coaching staff got the locker room to buy in, Detroit went 8-2 the rest of the way. Chicago is still probably a year away from becoming a playoff team, but the growth Caleb Williams will show this year should make this season be viewed as a success.”
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