Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears Could Get Off to a Perfect 4–0 Start for the First Time Since 2006

Renewed optimism in Chicago amidst significant offseason changes

Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

Much has changed for the Chicago Bears following a busy offseason in which they brought in former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as the new head coach, and invested heavily in upgrading their offensive line.

Last season was supposed to be a major turnaround for the franchise after having drafted Caleb Williams with the number one overall pick, and plenty of offensive weapons to go along with that. However, the lack of a quality offensive line led to an underwhelming season.

But the good news is that general manager Ryan Poles and new head coach Ben Johnson identified the problems early and acted promptly, which means there is renewed hope from the Bears’ new-look roster. And that has led to speculation that Chicago could achieve something they haven’t done since 2006.

These Caleb Williams TD passes are even more impressive from this angle 🎯@CALEBcsw | @ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/HaOcSjbf84
— NFL (@NFL) July 17, 2025

Bears Favored in 3 of the First 4 Games

The Bears last started a season with a 4-0 record back in 2006 when they actually finished with a 13-3 record and reached Super Bowl XLI. Looking at the overall quality on their roster and the schedule of their opening 4 games, Chicago has a strong chance of replicating their 2006 start.

As per the odds on DraftKings, the Bears are favored to win in the first three of their four games to start the 2025 season. Chicago’s new campaign gets underway against NFC North rivals Minnesota Vikings, followed by the Lions, Cowboys, and the Raiders in weeks 2, 3, and 4, respectively.

For immediate release: pic.twitter.com/cXC10lLZs2
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 15, 2025

As per DraftKings, the moneyline for the Vikings is -120 against the Bears in their week 1 game. The week 2 game against Detroit is the only game where Chicago is an underdog, with the Lions having +180 odds to win. The moneyline for the Cowboys and the Raiders is -162 and -122 as the Bears return as the favorites once again.

How Caleb Williams Could Lead the Bears to a 4–0 Start?

The first overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft, Caleb Williams’s talent is known to one and all. His skills and ability to extend plays, run with the ball, arm talent, and more were on full display in his college years.

However, the jump to the NFL provided a big step up, and the lack of quality on the Bears’ offensive line, as well as his tendency to hold on to the ball much longer than required, resulted in many sacks and loss of yards.

However, with Johnson installing a new system as an offensive-minded head coach, it is more than likely that he can unlock Williams’ potential even further. Johnson did wonders with Jared Goff in Detroit. Goff’s QBR jumped from 45 before Johnson to 64, while his passer rating improved from 91 to 99, as did his TD-INT ratio, which was 19-8 before Johnson’s arrival, improving to 29-7 afterwards.

The right man for the job.

What will Ben Johnson unlock in Caleb Williams in year 2️⃣? pic.twitter.com/ElfNRLacyw
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) July 15, 2025

The 2025 season is just about a month and a half away, and we will find out soon enough what this Bears’ team is capable of. For now, though, Chicago’s fan base should be optimistic of having one of their better seasons since 2018.

Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

Ben Johnson

Caleb Williams

Chicago Bears

NFL

Devavrat Kulkarni

nfl

I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!