The Chicago Bears enjoyed a tremendous 2025 season after an extremely disappointing 2024 season.
Winning the division, beating the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs, the growth of quarterback Caleb Williams, the turnaround on the offensive line, you name it.
It begs the question, were the Bears held back in 2024?
Talk show host Zach Gelb asked former Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen this exact question, and what comes after is extremely telling.
Keenan Allen on Bears’ 2024 Season
Allen mentioned how he wasn’t surprised by Williams’ success this season, and implied the team was held back by coaching in 2024.
Gelb: “You being in Chicago for a year, I know Ben Johnson’s now been there had a very successful season. Caleb Williams was the quarterback you were around him. Were you surprised by their success this year?”
Allen: “Absolutely not. When I was there, the team that we had a lot of talent just always kind of held back just by…I won’t get into it specifically.”
Gelb: “Coaching?”
Allen smirked and replied, “I won’t get into the specifics but we kind of held back. The roster was definitely in a good place where we could of done some things as they did this year. Definitely hats off to them. They did a great job.”
It’s ok, Keenan. Everyone knows coaching was a major reason why the Bears finished 5-12 during Williams’ rookie year.
When the head coach (Matt Eberflus) is saying “It doesn’t really matter,” when giving Washington Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin an easy 13-yard gain to help the Commanders defeat the Bears with a Hail Mary play, there’s a problem with the coaching staff.
Having multiple offensive play callers and coaches who won’t take accountability hurt the Bears in 2024, but Chicago doesn’t have to worry about that anymore.
Coaching Turnaround
GettyHead coach Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears looks on during the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns.
Now with Johnson as head coach, things are different. He brings accountability and a winning mindset.
“I’ll fall on the sword on that one,” Johnson said during training camp for a rough offensive showing. “I didn’t do a good enough job of installing those plays for them to come out and look the way they looked offensively.”
“We didn’t quite get aligned in the formation we wanted to,” Johnson said after the loss to the San Francisco 49ers. “It’s on me. I didn’t get the call in fast enough. So, [Williams] is trying to piecemeal it together. I gotta do a better job.”
It’s not just Johnson. The coaches he’s brought in have set the standard for excellence. The ‘Cardiac Bears’ don’t just become the ‘Cardiac Bears’ without a coaching staff that never gives up. In 2024, the Bears would not win one of those close games. In 2025, it’s a different story.
Teams across the NFL notice this stuff. It’s why the Kansas City Chiefs took Bears’ running backs coach Eric Bieniemy back. It’s why the Baltimore Ravens hired Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle to be their OC.
But despite all the struggles in 2024, the Bears are now heading into the 2026 season after a tremendous year of growth in 2025.
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