The season came to an abrupt end on Sunday. But what a season it was.
If fans had been told in July that the Chicago Bear would play in the divisional round of the playoffs, be division champions, and beat the Packers twice, a good number of fans would have wondered how crazy the season would be.
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And if they had been told that after week two, when the Bears were 0-2 in terms of record and division, that would have seemed like a crazy pipe dream.
But it all happened and the fanbase unlocked a new treasure trove of highlights that we got to watch over and over again throughout the summer. Plus, lots of stress, anxiety, and triumph.
2025 has been an unforgettable season.
But if you think back to last summer, what was the feeling like? I think a lot of us thought Ben Johnson was a good coach and could help the team improve. But the philosophy was to “develop Caleb Williams at all costs.”
I think we checked the box on that. And so on if we have a real head coach.
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Things are getting better, that’s for sure. But now there are expectations.
Expectations are dangerous because they open the door to disappointment. But something tells me Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams have a high standard to avoid disappointment.
This will be a longer Stock Up and Down column as I’ll look at both the Divisional Round matchup and some stock players up and down throughout the season.
Store (Divisional round)
Jaquan Brisker, S – Brisker played crazy on Sunday. He led the team with 14 tackles, added two assists and a sack. Plus a QB hit and a TFL. I don’t know if the Bears will want to extend him given his concussion history, but he’s still an effective player. If there’s a deal that can be done that makes both parties comfortable, I hope he’ll be back.
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Kyler Gordon, CB – I know I’m one of those fans frustrated with Gordon’s health. He missed a lot of games and the Bears gave him a lot of money. Obviously there’s nothing he can do about it, but availability is a big problem. After appearing to return from injury last week, he was everywhere against the Rams. It reminded me why he is so important to the defense and why he is worth the new contract. He finished with a sack, a TFL, a QB hit and seven tackles.
Joe Thuney, T – An All-Pro player on the stock list? Yes! When he plays out of position on a week’s notice, he deserves it. Thuney started at left tackle for the injured Ozzy Trapilo and did not give up a sack. He was as remarkable as a goalkeeper, on the outside. Huge.
Stock up on the season
Caleb Williams, quarterback – How could he not be there? This season, the goal was to develop Caleb and confirm that he is the right guy, that the Bears can finally have a franchise quarterback. And I think he answered that. There were a lot of growing pains. And even the easy things, the so-called lay-ups, were still sometimes missed. But Williams is at his best when the game is on the line and in the moments that matter most. His questions about deep ball accuracy were all erased. While there is plenty of room for improvement, we saw a record-setting quarterback do things we’ve never seen a Bears QB do, and more than once.
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Colston Loveland, TE – Going from the “other” tight group in the first round to THE tight group was fun to watch for Chicago fans. After listening to Colts fans cheer at the start of the year, things got awfully quiet after mid-October. And Loveland only got better from there. He finished the season as the Bears’ leading receiver in receptions (58) and yards (713) and tied for the lead in touchdowns.
Kyle Monangai, RB – After being selected in the seventh round, Monangai really established himself as a rookie. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry and totaled 783 yards and five touchdowns. He had two 100-yard games. He and D’Andre Swift were the only RB duo in the league to rush for over 750 yards.
Stock falling (division round)
Luther Burden, WR – I don’t think Burden had his best game. He had a few drops and finished with three catches and 24 yards on seven targets.
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Roma Odunze, WR – His lost touchdown on the first drive set an unfortunate tone for the game and ended up making a huge difference in the final score. He made some big catches, but was mostly disappointing with the season on the line. I still have high hopes for him, especially when he gets healthy.
Austin Booker, DE – Booker was on the rise late in the season and into the playoffs. But he disappeared against Los Angeles. He was only credited with three tackles.
Falling seasonal stock
Tyrique Stevenson, CB – It’s not just one play. He played well against the Rams. But overall his season can be considered a disappointment and I don’t know why. Early in the year, he got up and bounced back after an up-and-down game. But after the emergence of Nashon Wright, he was never able to regain playing time. Although Wright had a knack for turnovers, he also had a tendency to get beat in coverage.
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Olamide Zaccheaus, WR – Zaccheaus can be considered a disappointment in some ways because of his enthusiasm during training camp. All we heard about was him and Caleb’s chemistry. But that never came to fruition in the regular season. He finished the year with 39 catches for 313 yards and 2 touchdowns. Sure, the emergence of Luther Burden hastened OZ’s demise, but that’s to the rookie’s credit.
DJ Moore, WR – Moore is another case that I don’t know what to think about. It looked like he should have been ready for a career year. Or at least be the primary receiver. He finished second, but only because Rome Odunze missed the final five games of the season. And while he’s had some incredible moments with some incredibly high highs (two game-winners against the Packers), he’s also had plenty of games and moments where he seemed to fade away. I thought it would be a bounce-back season, where it looked like the Bears had a great, high-level receiving duo. Now I feel like they can move on and everything will be just fine.
What do you think of my list? Who is on your ascending and descending lists for 2025?
