Chicago Bears 2024-25 Season Recap
Another year, another disappointing Bears season.
The Chicago Bears entered this season with playoff hopes and high expectations this city hasn’t had since 2019. After drafting a “generational” quarterback prospect with the #1 overall pick and drastically improving the roster, fans were ready for a winning season.
But through countless trials and tribulations, the Bears fell short.
Game Recaps
Solid Start
- Week 1 vs. Tennessee Titans: The Bears opened their season with a home game against the Tennessee Titans. It was quite the roller coaster to start the season, as the Bears needed a blocked punt touchdown from Jonathon Owens and a game-winning pick-six by Tyrique Stevenson to beat one of the worst teams in the NFL. Score: 24-17
- Week 2 at Houston Texans: On Sunday Night Football, the spotlight was too big for the Bears. Caleb was sacked seven times as the offensive line collapsed, and the Bears dropped their first game. Score: 19-13
- Week 3 at Indianapolis Colts: Caleb Williams threw for a season-high 363 passing yards, along with two interceptions. Rome Odunze broke out for 112 receiving yards and a touchdown in his best game of the year. But the Bears couldn’t pull off a win on the road. Score: 21-16
- Week 4 vs. Los Angeles Rams: The Bears faced an injured Rams team missing Pro Bowl wide receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. They got the job done and were finally able to establish the run game, rushing for 131 total yards and securing the victory. Score: 24-18
- Week 5 vs. Carolina Panthers: Carolina was a struggling team, and the Bears took advantage. Caleb threw for over 300 yards again, and the offense thrived as they hung 30 points on Andy Dalton and Carolina. Score: 36-10
- Week 6 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (London): The London game, a.k.a. the best game of the season. The Bears’ offense played their most complete game. Caleb threw for a career-high four touchdowns, and the offense looked functional. Heading into the bye, the Bears were looking great at 4-2. Score: 35-16
- Week 7 Bye Week
Hail Mary Meltdown
- Week 8 at Washington Commanders: In a very sloppy offensive game, the Bears trailed for most of it until the 4th quarter, when Roschon Johnson scored a touchdown with 25 seconds left. The Commanders quickly drove down the field, and Jayden Daniels completed a Hail Mary to Noah Brown for the win. Chicago lost in an ultimate heartbreaker. Score: 18-15
- Week 9 at Arizona Cardinals: After the Hail Mary, the Bears fell apart. They weren’t ready to play against Arizona, and it showed. The Cardinals ran for 213 yards in their blowout win against Chicago. Score: 29-9
- Week 10 vs. New England Patriots: The Bears matched up against one of the worst teams in the league and still couldn’t manage to score a touchdown. Just a complete embarrassment for the organization. Score: 19-3
Bears Gonna Bear
- Week 11 vs. Green Bay Packers: Bears vs. the Packers. A historic rivalry in which the Bears hadn’t won since 2018. They had a chance to do it with a 48-yard field goal from Cairo Santos. But Karl Brooks blocked the kick, and the Packers were victorious. Score: 20-19
- Week 12 vs. Minnesota Vikings: The Bears were down for most of the game, but they scored 11 points in the final 22 seconds thanks to an onside kick and some incredible, clutch throws from Caleb Williams. In overtime, the Bears offense had to punt on their opening drive, and the Vikings marched down and kicked a game-winning field goal. Score: 30-27 OT
- Week 13 at Detroit Lions: It was Thanksgiving day, and the Bears were getting stomped 16-0 at halftime. But in the second half, the Bears clawed back to make the score 23-20 with two touchdown passes from Caleb Williams. Late in the game, the Bears had a chance for a game-winning drive. They began at their own one-yard line and drove down the field. It was 2nd and 20 on the Detroit 35 when Caleb took a sack. With about 30 seconds left, the Bears decide to keep their timeout, causing the clock to run down to eight seconds. Caleb threw a deep ball to Rome but it was incomplete. The Bears blew the game. Score: 23-20
Home Stretch
- Week 14 at San Francisco 49ers: After firing Matt Eberflus, Thomas Brown took over as the interim HC. The Bears looked lost without Flus as they got decimated by the 49ers. Score: 38-13
- Week 15 at Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings dominated the Bears in this matchup. After a blocked punt, the Bears were finally able to score a touchdown. But one touchdown wasn’t enough. Score: 27-13
- Week 16 vs. Detroit Lions: Caleb Williams played exceptionally well against the Lions, throwing for 334 yards, 2 TDs, and a 107.7 passer rating. He also extended his streak without an interception to 326 pass attempts, the longest streak in Bears history and by a rookie in NFL history. His efforts weren’t enough as the Lions won convincingly. Score: 34-17
- Week 17 vs. Seattle Seahawks: In one of the most miserable offensive games of the season, the Bears couldn’t even score a touchdown. Their defense stepped up, but 3 points aren’t usually enough to win a football game. Score: 6-3
- Week 18 at Green Bay Packers: The Bears had lost 10 straight games and 11 straight matchups against the Packers at this point. They had nothing to play for, yet they came out swinging. Josh Blackwell returned a punt for a touchdown on a “fake catch” play that originated from former Bears’ special teams coordinator Dave Toub. The Bears’ defense created two turnovers, and Caleb led the team on a game-winning drive. Cairo Santos drilled a 51-yard field goal to beat the Packers in Lambeau. Score: 24-22
Caleb Williams’ Rookie Season
PHOTO: ClutchPoints
Caleb Williams was drafted #1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears from the University of Southern California. Williams’ rookie season was filled with ups and downs and unfortunate circumstances out of his control.
Poor Offensive Line
Everyone thought Caleb Williams would be stepping into the best situation for a #1 pick in NFL history. But that couldn’t have been further from the truth.
The Bears’ offensive line was atrocious this season and led to Williams’ being sacked 68 times, which is the third most in a single season. Not all of those sacks are a direct result of the poor offensive line, but the majority are.
Coaching Dysfunction
The Bears’ coaching staff was a complete mess this season. Offensive coordinator and play-caller Shane Waldron was fired after Week 10. Then, Thomas Brown was promoted from passing-game coordinator to OC. After the Thanksgiving game in Week 13, head coach Matt Eberflus was fired. Brown then took over head coaching duties and remained the play-caller. Wide receivers coach Chris Beatty was promoted to OC.
So, in just his rookie season, Caleb went through 3 offensive coordinators, 2 different play-callers, and 2 head coaches. That is not ideal when trying to adjust to the NFL.
Performance
Even though everything was stacked against Caleb, including the majority of fans, he was still able to have a good season. Caleb threw for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only 6 interceptions. He also ran for an additional 466 yards. That’s the 5th most passing yards in a season in Bears history. And when you look at his total yards of 4,007, he has the most ever by a Bears quarterback in a single season. I understand Chicago doesn’t have a rich history of quarterbacks to compare Caleb to, but breaking the total yards record as a rookie is insanely impressive.
In terms of skills and talent, I felt that Caleb showed plenty. His elite arm talent and strength were on full display. The way he’s able to throw from any arm angle and platform with ease is spectacular. I felt he showed that he could read an NFL defense and make changes at the line of scrimmage. He was far from perfect, but he proved he can do it. But what makes Caleb special is his innate ability to make something out of nothing. When he enters the scramble drill and has to become Superman, he excels. Whether it’s making defenders miss in the backfield, running for a first down, or making a cross-body, Jordan-esque throw on the run. There are some plays he makes that only a few guys in the league can replicate, and that’s what makes him a special talent.
Offense
Given their talent and expectations, the offense drastically underperformed this season. There’s plenty of blame to go around, but it starts with coaching. Shane Waldron began the season as the offensive coordinator and play-caller, but he was quickly let go after struggling early in the season. He lacked a clear plan for the team. Then, when Thomas Brown took over, the offense improved. They had three straight 20-point games against divisional opponents, and the passing game looked much better.
When Brown became the head coach, the offense struggled again. Brown felt it was too late to change Waldron’s offense, so he had to make the best of what he had. It also seemed as if Brown had too much on his plate when becoming the HC, understandably so.
Stats
- D’Andre Swift – 253 carries, 959 rushing yards, 6 rushing TDs, 42 catches, 386 receiving yards
- D.J. Moore – 98 catches, 966 receiving yards, 6 receiving TDs
- Keenan Allen – 70 catches, 744 receiving yards, 7 receiving TDs
- Rome Odunze – 54 catches, 734 receiving yards, 3 receiving TDs
- Cole Kmet – 47 catches, 474 receiving yards, 4 receiving TDs
In a “race to 1,000 yards,” the Bears had no 1,000-yard receivers. Everyone had a solid season, but it was still underwhelming. Rome Odunze showed a lot of promise and potential, putting up 700 yards in his rookie season as wide receiver three on the depth chart. Cole Kmet wasn’t involved enough, has he had a very quiet season. D.J. did catch 98 balls, but the majority were either at or behind the line of scrimmage.
Keenan played well enough for a 32-year-old receiver, but he wasn’t his Pro Bowl self. And D’Andre Swift had an interesting season. He’s an explosive player in space but seemed to struggle running in between the tackles. An improved offensive line would make his job a lot easier.
Defense
The Bears’ defense entered this season as a top-ten and potentially a top-five defense in the NFL. At times, they played like it, but for the most part, they were average.
Team Stats
- 354.2 yards allowed per game – 27th in the NFL
- 217.9 passing yards allowed per game – 16 in the NFL
- 136.3 rushing yards allowed per game – 28th in the NFL
- 21.8 points allowed per game – 13th in the NFL
- 46% red zone touchdown rate – 2nd in the NFL
- 37.6% third down rate – 13th in the NFL
- 40 sacks – 13th in the NFL
- 11 interceptions – 19th in the NFL
Looking at their average rank, given these statistics, the Bears were about the 16th-best defense in football. They weren’t great, but they weren’t a complete liability either.
Stat Leaders
Tackles
- Kevin Byard – 130 total tackles
- T.J. Edwards – 129 total tackles
- Tremaine Edmunds – 110 total tackles
Sacks
- Montez Sweat – 5.5 sacks
- Gervon Dexter Sr. – 5 sacks
- T.J. Edwards – 4 sacks
Interceptions
- Jaylon Johnson – 2 INTs
- Tyrique Stevenson – 2 INTs
- Josh Blackwell – 1 INT
In a massively disappointing season, there are still some positives to take away for the Bears. They have a franchise quarterback, some talented players, and a fan base that will never stop supporting them.
As we usher in the new year, the Bears are 1-0 in 2025, and they finally beat the Green Bay Packers. Now, the head coaching search begins, and so does a hopeful offseason.
PHOTO: ClutchPoints
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