The NFC North champion Chicago Bears close out the 2025 regular season Sunday against the Detroit Lions, needing a victory — or a Philadelphia Eagles loss — to secure the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.
Also at stake will be some individual milestones — including one never reached in the Bears’ 105-year history. The Tribune’s Brad Biggs begins his weekly Bears mailbag there.
Do you think it happens? Does Caleb Williams get to 4,000 yards on Sunday? — Bob D., Colorado Springs, Colo.
He has a heck of a chance to reach that plateau. In fact, it’s right there for Williams, who needs 270 yards to become the Bears’ first 4,000-yard passer — the only franchise never to have one.
The Lions limited the Minnesota Vikings to 51 passing yards in Week 17, but that was an outlier. The performance came against undrafted Vikings rookie Max Brosmer, who was completely overwhelmed.
The Lions have been hit hard with injuries in the secondary, and three of their last six opponents have thrown for 366 or more yards. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers had 266 two weeks ago. In the five games before the Week 17 meeting with Brosmer and the Vikings, the Lions allowed an average of 328.6 passing yards.
Williams is coming off a season-high 330 yards against the San Francisco 49ers, and while he has reached 270 yards in only three other games this season, this certainly looks like an attainable mark. If Ben Johnson believes Detroit is vulnerable in the secondary — and he should — you have to figure he’ll try to cook up some big plays. San Francisco was vulnerable to the pass, and Johnson leaned into Williams and his right arm.
The Lions have a major issue at safety with starters Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch out for the season. Thomas Harper was the top backup, and he suffered his second concussion of the season last week. Avonte Maddox has been the fourth option, and he sat out last week with a back injury. The Lions could be down to Nos. 5 and 6 for the season finale. That’s a position no defense wants to find itself in.
On top of that, top cornerback Terrion Arnold is out for the season. D.J. Reed has returned from a hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve, but he isn’t playing well. Nickel cornerback Amik Robertson is playing with a broken hand. So the secondary as a whole is a mess that the Lions will have to address in the offseason. Veteran quarterbacks, including the New York Giants’ Jameis Winston, have exposed Detroit in the second half of the season, and that has been part of the Lions’ undoing.
Provided weather isn’t a major factor, Williams very well could become the franchise’s first 4,000-yard passer. Something that looked like a bit of a long shot a month ago just might happen.
Having four players with more than 600 receiving yards seems impressive. Is it uncommon in the league? I’ve always thought it is better to have multiple go-to guys instead of just one receiver who gets 1,000 yards. A defense can’t cover everyone. Is this a trend in the league? — Dave, Albuquerque
Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III (10) celebrates with tight end Colston Loveland (84) after a touchdown reception in the first quarter against the 49ers on Dec. 28, 2025, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
It’s not uncommon for good passing offenses to have four receivers with that kind of production. Where it gets uncommon is when you start talking about having a trio of receivers with 900 yards or more. The Vikings last accomplished that feat in 2023 with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson. It has happened eight times since 2002.
What’s truly rare is finding a team with three 1,000-yard receivers, something that has occurred only five times. The Arizona Cardinals are the last to accomplish the feat in 2008 with Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston when former Bears wide receivers coach Todd Haley was offensive coordinator.
I agree that the Bears can create matchup problems for opponents with a wealth of options, and that’s why they used a first-round pick on tight end Colston Loveland and a second-rounder on wide receiver Luther Burden III. DJ Moore (671 yards), Rome Odunze (661), Loveland (622) and Burden (617) are all capable of leading the team in a given game.
The Bears have had four players with 600 or more receiving yards only once: in 2014, when Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Marshall, Earl Bennett and Matt Forte reached that level. They came close in 2018, when Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel and Tarik Cohen were over 600 and Trey Burton had 569.
As the passing game continues to evolve with Caleb Williams, we will see the Bears accomplish a lot of things from a receiving standpoint that haven’t happened in team history. Having four capable receivers isn’t really a trend as much as it’s something you see when you’re watching more advanced passing offenses.
Will D’Marco Jackson start getting snaps at linebacker over Tremaine Edmunds? Edmunds has been terrible since his return. — @joebaubkus
Bears linebacker D’Marco Jackson (48) tackles Browns wide receiver Gage Larvadain during the fourth quarter Dec. 14, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
There weren’t a ton of complaints about Edmunds a week ago after the Bears shut out the Green Bay Packers in five trips to the red zone, which was really the key to that remarkable comeback victory. The Bears’ red-zone defense was one thing that was solid about last year’s unit, and it has been good at times this season. Of course, the red zone was a disaster Sunday night, when the 49ers were 5-for-5 in the 42-38 loss.
Edmunds is one reason the Bears are solid in the red zone at times. When the field is compacted and passing windows are even tighter, he’s a difficult guy for quarterbacks to work around because of his size — 6-foot-4, 251 pounds — length and range. No one played well enough in the red zone against a high-powered San Francisco offense.
The mailbag included a number of questions about this topic this week after Jackson played only on special teams. The first thing everyone is missing is there isn’t a person inside Halas Hall who knows Jackson better than defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who was the head coach in New Orleans in 2022 when the Saints drafted Jackson in the fifth round out of Appalachian State. Allen was the man in charge in New Orleans (until the second half of last season) when Jackson got a grand total of 73 snaps on defense over three years.
I don’t want to take anything away from what Jackson has done when called upon this season. He’s one of many reserves the Bears have turned to and gotten solid play from, earning NFC defensive player of the week honors after the win over the Cleveland Browns in which he had seven tackles, an interception and a sack. He had 15 tackles in the win over the Steelers last month.
If we’re going to acknowledge Allen as one of the better defensive coordinators in the league, he’s probably deserving of the benefit of the doubt here. Allen is on the practice field every day. He’s watching video of practice daily. He has a lot of autonomy when it comes to making personnel decisions on defense.
The Bears used more 4-3 personnel against San Francisco than they have in a while with Noah Sewell on the strong side. He got 13 snaps before suffering an Achilles injury midway through the third quarter. The defense remained in sub packages for the remainder of the game, but at that point the 49ers were doing most of their damage with the passing game.
Jackson could figure into 4-3 plans moving forward, as it’s likely Sewell will be out for the remainder of the season. But I don’t believe you will see him replacing Edmunds. Let’s not overlook that Edmunds was playing the best he has since joining the Bears earlier in the season, when he had four interceptions, nine pass breakups and three quarterback hits through the first 10 games.
Winning teams need players like Jackson who can fill in when called upon. He reminds me a little bit of Jamar Williams, a reserve linebacker the Bears had for four seasons beginning in 2006. Williams once had 18 tackles in a victory over the St. Louis Rams in 2009. He had some solid games for Lovie Smith’s defense, but he started only three games in those four seasons.
Besides an awful defensive showing, the loss Sunday was on Ben Johnson for not doing what he knows often works best — run the ball most of the time to keep Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey off the field so the Bears could dominate time of possession. Almost the entire game the Bears were winning or within one touchdown, and each time the 49ers scored they did it quickly. Please ask Ben why he only called 17 runs — averaging more than 5 yards — and 42 passes. — Howard E.
Bears running back Kyle Monangai runs for a first down as 49ers linebacker Dee Winters falls during the tackle in the fourth quarter Dec. 28, 2025, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
I think the answer is more layered than the final numbers would lead you to believe. Time of possession was warped in the first half, when the 49ers ran 47 offensive plays, an extremely high number for one half, and held the ball for 21 minutes, 56 seconds. The reason the numbers were so skewed is the Bears were 0-for-3 on third down in the half, and on their two scoring drives, they scored quickly — possessions that lasted 1:54 and 1:24.
The Bears had 12 pass attempts, one scramble (on a called pass play) and six handoffs in the first half.
“I haven’t had a chance to look at the exact numbers,” Johnson said Monday when asked about running the ball in the first half. “My guess is we probably had less than 20 plays. A handful of those would’ve been second-and-longs and third downs. And so if you take those out, we’re probably about 50-50 run to pass, which is probably what we typically average.”
Looking at the gamebook, the Bears ran twice on second-and-8 in the first half. They threw on a second-and-10 and a second-8 and threw three times on third down when they needed 3, 4 and 7 yards. Like I said, the bigger problem was they couldn’t convert third downs and that short-circuited drives.
The 49ers are sixth in the league in run defense, allowing 103.3 yards per game. They rank 26th versus the pass and are 32nd in sacks per pass attempt. The Bears took advantage of a defense susceptible to the pass. I’d also point out that in the second half, time of possession shifted. The Bears held the ball for 18:23.
I don’t think the run-pass distribution was a real factor in the defeat. Where there a few instances when, in retrospect, Johnson may have preferred a run? Sure. You get 64 snaps in a game and you always will want a few calls back. But the defense was a sieve and I can’t blame not running the ball enough for that problem. That’s a stretch.
How can the Bears improve their passing defense prior to the playoffs to create a deep run? Do you have faith Ben Johnson and Dennis Allen will be able to fix these issues? — @jamesmacklin15
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings scores a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Bears on Dec. 28, 2025, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
The Bears have surrendered 880 yards over the last two games, and I think the focus has to begin with firming up the run defense. They allowed 392 rushing yards to the Packers and 49ers and consequently were back on their heels in both games. When the opponent can run with that kind of success, it gives the offensive coordinator a ton of options. Malik Willis completed 9 of 11 passes for 121 yards and was particular effective with play action because Green Bay was running the ball so well.
The Bears rank 28th in the league on first down, allowing 6.1 yards per play, and that’s suboptimal because second-and-manageable is an offensive play caller’s dream. The Bears are facing a host of issues on defense right now. They’re not new. They’ve been dealing with them all season, and the takeaways have helped mask some of them. The defense has produced six takeaways in the last four games, but three came in the victory over the lowly Browns.
“It always comes back to fundamentals, and so it’s gap integrity in terms of the run defense,” Johnson said Monday. “We were playing a really good offense. I do think that has to be stated because they were averaging about 35 points (34.4) over the last five weeks. So they’re hot.
“I didn’t feel like our offense did our part in the first half. We did not possess the ball. We had a couple three-and-outs, and you look at our defense and they got a pick-six, they got a couple punts and if we bow up in the red zone, I think we feel better about the performance.
“That’s not to take anything away from San Fran, they did a great job, but there are certainly things fundamentally that we can improve on we’re going to look to address this week.”
Some of the ongoing trouble spots — the run defense and pass rush — won’t be magically resolved at this time of year. Can the Bears play better on a week-to-week basis? Sure. They need to be better getting off blocks versus the run and be more sound in general. They need to win one-on-one matchups, when available, in passing situations.
The good news is the offense has been more consistent over the second half of the season, and the Bears have shown the ability to control a game with the running attack as quarterback Caleb Williams continues to improve while limiting turnovers.
Defensive success probably will come down to two key areas: continuing to produce takeaways and playing much better in the red zone (see the Green Bay game) than the Bears did last time out.
In the big picture, I don’t know anyone who said at the start of the season, “I wonder what this defense will look like at the end of the year.” The focus was where it should have been: on Williams and the development of the offense in Year 1 under Johnson. The Bears returned the majority of their defensive players from 2024. That unit looked like it had a chance to be maybe middle of the pack. I think that’s about where it is when you consider a broad spectrum of categories. We’ll see what it looks like Sunday. It will be a good test if the Lions come into the game motivated with some of their key players in action.
Why isn’t Tyrique Stevenson getting more playing time? He had some early season success, so much so that teams were going away from him. Jaylon Johnson has not been good and doesn’t even try to tackle. — @historyczar0
Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson shows off his oral jewelry before a game against the 49ers on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Johnson made a really nice play on the first snap Sunday when he read Jauan Jennings’ route and Brock Purdy’s eyes and broke up the pass, leading to T.J. Edwards’ interception return for a touchdown. Stevenson got into the game in the second half, playing 18 snaps when Johnson was rested. I asked Johnson about that after the game, and he emphatically declared that he’s 100% back from the injury that kept him on injured reserve much of the year.
Stevenson has been a little bit better this season. According to Pro Football Reference, opponents’ passer rating when targeting him is 86.3, a tick better than the 87.5 rating in 2024. Opponents have gone at Nahshon Wright with more regularity. He has produced some big plays with six interceptions but also has been the man in coverage on six touchdown passes as opposed to one for Stevenson. Wright took a poor angle on Christian McCaffrey’s 41-yard run.
There’s a decent chance we continue to see all three on the field Sunday and in the playoffs. They need to be better on the back end, but keep in mind pass defense is a combination of rush and coverage.
Understanding the Bears are down two DEs and have been without Kyler Gordon for most of the year, what position(s) are the biggest needs for free agency and the draft? — @mmesq11
That’s easy. A handful of positions will need to be addressed — and we have plenty of time to analyze that in the weeks and months to come — but they need a more consistent and formidable pass rush. That’s easy to identify as the No. 1 goal for the offseason.
While defensive end Montez Sweat has not been on the injury report of late, I suspect he’s dealing with something. No one has shared any information with me; it’s just a hunch I have. Sweat was on the field for 45 snaps (62.5%) at San Francisco and 49 (68.1%) the week before against Green Bay, and that’s below his typical rate. Generally he plays a little more than 75% of the snaps. Considering both games were very close, I’m of the mind that he’s dealing with some kind of ailment that has led the coaching staff to closely monitor his playing time.
The Bears are thin at defensive end right now unless Joe Tryon-Shoyinka can come out of concussion protocol this week. Austin Booker played 90% of the snaps against the 49ers, and Dominique Robinson (18 snaps) and Tryon-Shoyinka (16) rotated in.
Given that Ryan Poles completely rebuilt the interior O-line into a major force in a single offseason, is it feasible for him to do the same in 2026 on the defensive side? — Chris R., Midlothian
It will be a focus of the offseason. Let’s not ignore that the Bears made a pair of big moves on the defensive front, signing tackle Grady Jarrett and end Dayo Odeyingbo in free agency and committing pretty good money to them in three-year contracts that include guaranteed money in 2026. So I see them being part of the picture, and obviously the Bears will need more.
Not every move is a home run like the trades for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and the signing of center Drew Dalman. But improving the defensive line will have to be job one for the Bears come March.
Other than money, what levers do teams pull to keep their coaching staffs from being raided? What are the options beyond dollars? And do coaching salaries have any cap/limits to them? — @crickhowell
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There are really no ways to prevent coaches from seeking career advancement. It will be a very good thing if other teams come to the Bears looking for rising stars in the coaching world in the next couple of years. That would be the result of a lot of winning. If the Bears are just getting started with Ben Johnson — and that’s surely what most everyone reading this is hoping for — then prepare for his staff to be raided in the future. Every team looking for a new head coach or to build out a staff will want a piece of Johnson.
Consider a partial list of coaches who once worked under Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams: Zac Taylor, Matt LaFleur, Kevin O’Connell, Raheem Morris, Brandon Staley, Shane Steichen, Brian Callahan, Dave Canales and Zac Robinson. You know the primary reason the Rams have kept rolling along? McVay.
There’s no salary cap for coaching staffs and the Bears can try to sweeten deals to keep existing coaches. But how do you tell a coordinator, “Hey, it’s better to stay here than chase your dream of becoming a head coach?” Or how do you tell a position coach, “Why would you want to pursue a goal of becoming a coordinator when you have a job here?”
If the Bears continue to excel, the time will come when Johnson’s staff is poached. He did a terrific job in building the current staff, and one thing that stood out is he made smart hires with key coaches he never had worked with, such as defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, secondary coach Al Harris and offensive line coach Dan Roushar. If the idea of Johnson losing coaches to other teams really irks you, I’d suggest putting your faith in Johnson to make quality hires for their replacements.
This is one of the more irrational fears that folks have. If no one is coming to hire coaches away from a team, it means the team isn’t playing well and no one is impressed by the tape, which is ultimately each coach’s resume. If the Bears win and have coaching turnover and continue to win, guess what? Johnson will have a pool of strong candidates to consider when he’s looking to fill roles.
Winning coaches don’t just develop rosters. They aid in the development of coaches too.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/31/chicago-bears-mailbag-caleb-williams-4000-yards/
