After securing their first 9+ winning season since 2018, Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears are in the middle of one of the more grueling end-of-season stretches in the NFL. They were able to turn back the Pittsburgh Steelers and the reigning champions, the Philadelphia Eagles. But then came the jolt.
Advertisement
The Bears succumbed to the pressure of the Green Bay Packers in Week 14. They will now have to survive Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns before doing things all over again against Green Bay in Week 16 in Chicago.
The 28-21 loss to the Packers marks the end of a five-game winning streak for Ben Johnson. And to make matters worse, he’ll now be forced to reconcile with the “no-look” handshake that Matt LaFleur presented him with on the field. Something which Tom Brady took as a sign of more fireworks to come.
Oh Boy: Packers HC Matt LaFleur shared a quick no-look pass handshake with Bears HC Ben Johnson.
These two coaches do not like each other.
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 8, 2025
The NFC North is still one of the most competitive divisions in football. And, according to Tom Brady, the added sense of theatrics that tends to come with that will continue to live on through the next generation of play callers.
“It’s just the way it’s going to go,” Brady shouted from the Fox Sports broadcasting booth while trying to survive the dropping temperatures in the Windy City. “Those two young coaches are going to be in these programs for a while. We’re going to see some great matchups between these teams.”
Of course, fans online have done their part in keeping the rivalry alive as well. The now-infamous video clip of the Bears’ head coach, Johnson, proclaiming that he “enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year” is currently making the rounds on social media.
Chicago will get a chance at redemption when it hosts the Packers in Week 16. And considering the value of a divisional championship in the NFC right now, they’ll certainly make for some must-see television.
Despite a record of 9-4, this loss to Green Bay gives the cheese heads the temporary crown of the north, relegating Chicago to the wild card race, where the Seattle Seahawks (10-3) already have a head start. Seeing as the Detroit Lions are sitting right behind them at 8-5, this loss officially puts the Bears on the bubble of the 2025 playoffs.
While they still have their flaws, everyone from the sophomore Williams to the six-year veteran D’Andre Swift has shown improvements for Chicago. After all, they managed to transform themselves from a five-win team to an NFC Championship hopeful in a year.
The only issue is that, as things currently stand, it could be all for nothing. Until their defense, which has allowed the eighth most points in the league through 14 weeks, can tighten up. The Bears need to match the level of execution that the Packers and Browns will be meeting them with in the next two weeks, or end up missing the playoffs for a fifth consecutive year.
