Bears are flying high … at least for now
By GERY WOELFEL
The Chicago Bears and their legion of fans are feeling pretty giddy these days.
And they should be.
The Bears enjoyed an almost-storybook season, winning the NFC North Division and then advancing to an NFC Divisional playoff game before losing a heart-breaker to the Los Angeles Rams.
With a young, gifted quarterback in Caleb Williams, a dangerous rushing attack and a stable of potentially tight-top receivers, the Bears have good reason to think even better days are ahead of them.
But, guess what?
The Detroit Lions were feeling just as giddy themselves two years ago.
And so were the Minnesota Vikings.
But the Vikings and Lions rudely discovered a successful future isn’t promised to anyone. Let’s exam how each of those teams, along with another NFC team, the Washington Commanders, came back to reality after their amazing seasons..
VIKINGS
The Vikings posted a sterling 14-3 during the 2024 season before plummeting to a pedestrian 9-8 record this season.
Two seasons ago, the Vikings were the talk of the NFL. They had a young, well-respected coach in Kevin O’Connell and a dynamic passing attack..
O’Connell was dubbed the “Quarterbacks Whisperer” for his uncanny knack for developing players at that position.
He sure lived up to the nickname that season as he transformed Sam Darnold, an underachieving, journeyman quarterback, into the one of the top QBs in the league.
But despite Darnold’s success, the Vikings opted to let him walk in free agency. They
opted to give the keys over to J.J. McCarthy, whom the Vikings made their first selection in the 2024 draft, the 10th overall pick.
But the move backfired. Darnold moved on to Seattle, which is now in the NFC Championship, and worrisome questions swirl around McCarthy’s future after he experienced a not-so-hot season: 11 touchdown passes to 12 interceptions and a feeble 57.6 completion percentage.
While the quarterback decision came back to bite the Vikings, something else contributed to their non-playoff 2025 season.
They didn’t win the close games — like they did in 2024.
In 2024, the Vikings were the escape artists of the league. Of their 14 wins, seven were by six or fewer points. They also won another game in overtime.
LIONS
Super Bowl aspirations have been dancing in the Lions’ heads the last two seasons.
In 2024, the Lions were dominant, featuring one of the league’s most explosive offenses, and recorded a gaudy 15-2 record. That mark not only was the best in the NFC but it tied the Kansas City Chiefs for the best record in the NFL.
But the Lions, after a wild-car bye, were stunned by the No. 6 seed Washington Commanders in the Divisional round 45-31.
Shortly after being unceremoniously ushered out of the playoffs, the Lions lost two well-respected coordinators: Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson became the Bears head coach and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn became the Jets head coach.
The Lions then lost their 2025 regular-season opener to the Packers 27-13 but rallied to win five of their next six games.
But then Lions were then crushed by the Kansas City Chiefs 30-17 and things unraveled. They dropped four of their last six games as their defense had a meltdown by allowing 29 or more points in three of four defeats.
Those Super Bowl dreams the Lions harbored the last two seasons are now looking more and more like pipedreams.
COMMANDERS
Not much was expected from the Commanders heading into the 2024 season.
After all, they were coming off a dismal 4-13 season.
But the Commanders brought in a new coach, Dan Quinn, and used their first draft selection — the second overall — on quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Both made instant impacts.
Quinn quickly changed the team’s culture and Daniels were nothing short of sensational. He connected on 25 touchdown passes and was picked off just nine times. His completion record was a lofty 69 percent.
When the dust settled on the 2024 season, the Redskins finished with a 12-5 regular-season record and advanced to the NFC Championship game before losing to eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia 55-23.
In light of their Super Bowl appearance, the Commanders were understandably optimistic about making another deep playoff run this season.
It didn’t happen.
The Commanders, after winning their regular-season opener, were defeated by the Packers 27-18 in Week 2.
They bounced back with a win over the Las Vegas Raiders but then went into a free fall. They faltered in nine of their next 10 games. Two of those losses were in overtime and another was a one-point loss to the Bears.
The Commanders’ defense was a sieve during that stretch. They surrendered 44 points to the Cowboys and 44 points to the Lions. In that 10-game stretch, the Commanders gave up 27 or more points in six of them.
Not having a healthy Daniels didn’t help matters for the Commanders. The talented quarterback played in a mere seven games, although the Commanders managed to win just two of them while he was at the helm.
What was expected to be another banner season for the Commanders turned out to be a colossal disaster as they finished with a 5-12 record.
So, while Ben Johnson and his Bears are riding high now and envisioning a huge 2026 season, the Vikings, Lions and Commanders serve as stark reminders that one electrifying season doesn’t necessarily translate into a similar second season.
