Chicago Bears-Detroit Lions

Lore & Background

The Bears improved on their 5–12 record from 2024 following a week 10 win against the New York Giants. With a week 13 road win over the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, the Bears clinched their first winning season since 2018. Their 11–4 start was also their best since doing the same in that season. After a Week 16 overtime win against their longtime rival, the Green Bay Packers, coupled with the Detroit Lions losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers the following day, the Bears secured their first playoff berth since 2020 as well as ending their seven-year NFC North title drought following the Packers' loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 17.

In Their Own Story

The Week 10 game against the Lions was a showcase of ground dominance for the 1985 Bears. While their defense had already established itself as the league's best, allowing only 12.4 points per game on average, the offense provided a rare spark in the running game. Walter Payton, a perennial star, powered his way for 105 yards on the ground. Beside him, Matt Suhey contributed significantly with 102 rushing yards. This dual-threat performance was exceptional enough that it has not been repeated by the franchise since, as of February 1, 2021. The Bears cruised to a 24–3 win, continuing their momentum toward what would become a 15–1 regular season record. The victory came during a stretch where the team had already won ten straight games, setting the stage for their eventual Super Bowl XX triumph.

Reader's Guide

The Bears began their playoff run with a 31–27 comeback victory over the Packers in the Wild Card Round after trailing 21–3 at halftime, marking their first playoff win since the 2010 season and their largest playoff comeback since the 1933 season. They advanced to the Divisional Round of the playoffs where they played the Los Angeles Rams. During the game, quarterback Caleb Williams threw a game tying touchdown pass down 17–10 with 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime. However, Williams threw his 3rd interception of the game in overtime, and the Bears’ impressive season ended with a 20–17 overtime loss to the Rams.

Did You Know?

• Caleb Williams broke Erik Kramer's record for the most single-season passing yards as a Bear with 3,942; the previous record was 3,838.
• The Bears fired head coach Matt Eberflus on November 29, 2024, the first mid-season firing in franchise history.
• Ben Johnson was hired as the Bears' 18th head coach on January 21, 2025.