When Mike Ditka’s 1984 Bears played the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, their 23-0 loss at Candlestick Park might not have seemed like a prelude to greatness. They put up a fight in the first half but never really threatened with Steve Fuller at quarterback.
But to Ditka, it was a statement game. And he literally made one.
“We will be back,” he said confidently afterward.
Those Bears famously kept that promise, of course, setting a standard for success in 1985 that no Bears team has been able to match since.
Coach Ben Johnson’s 2025 Bears are a long way from that, but they took a big step in that direction Sunday with the biggest “statement loss” since that disappointing day in San Francisco nearly 41 years ago.
These Bears have been “for real” since a 24-15 road victory over the defending champion Eagles on Nov. 28. But in going toe-to-toe with coach Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers in Sunday’s thrilling 42-38 loss at Levi’s Stadium, they made almost a bigger statement in defeat than they did in victory against the Eagles: With this coach and this quarterback — the combination of Johnson and Caleb Williams — they are a team to be not just respected but feared. Even if they can’t stop you, they’re still a threat to outscore you.
The feeling of excitement about that possibility, from anyone who has lived and died with this team over the years, was palpable in the aftermath of Sunday’s game. For Bears fans of almost any age, it’s a brand of football they’ve only seen from the wrong side: the fear of giving the other quarterback too much time. This is like a new toy.
Many fans can’t remember feeling so good after a loss. In 2018, a 24-23 loss to the Packers in Matt Nagy’s head-coaching debut was overall a positive sign of improvement after the Bears had gone 6-10, 3-13 and 5-11 under John Fox. But losing a 20-0 lead took the edge off the excitement.
In 2006, coach Lovie Smith’s 9-1 Bears gave Tom Brady and the Patriots a challenge in a 17-13 loss at Gillette Stadium, but Rex Grossman’s three interceptions were “Bad Rex” behavior that doused any flame of optimism.
In 2001, coach Dick Jauron’s Bears opened with a credible 17-6 loss to the defending champion Ravens in Baltimore, breeding hope for progress after five consecutive losing seasons. The Bears ended up going 13-3. But that was another team with no staying power, with a defense propping up the offense and a shaky quarterback situation.
This is not that. Or any of those. You have to go back to the Ditka era to find a loss that elicited more hope than dread and opened eyes around the NFL.
Reality check: The Bears are unlikely to survive in the postseason without a better defensive performance than they had against the 49ers. But the strength of this team is and will be its offense, and Johnson isn’t going anywhere. As it stands right now, “We will be back” seems like a fair statement in defeat.
2. Williams has been a clutch performer in crunch time this season, with an NFL-record six comebacks in the fourth quarter. But even in coming up one play short against the 49ers, he took his biggest step yet in developing the “it” factor as a quarterback who can put a team on his back and strike fear in opposing players and defensive coordinators. He met the moment in a playoff-charged atmosphere, virtually from start to finish.
His performance included an Aaron Rodgers Special — turning a free play into a 36-yard touchdown pass to tight end Colston Loveland after drawing the 49ers offside in the second quarter. Just going for the home run in that situation is an improvement for Bears quarterbacks.
3a. Bears starters probably could use a break after playing 12 consecutive weeks after their bye in Week 5, but Johnson said he’ll go all-out against the Lions on Sunday, with the No. 2 seed in the NFC at stake.
A Bears loss and an Eagles victory over the Commanders would drop the Bears to the No. 3 seed, which would put a potential Bears-Eagles rematch in the divisional round at Lincoln Financial Field instead of Soldier Field.
3b. When he starts Sunday, Williams will become the first Bears quarterback to start every game in back-to-back seasons since Bob Avellini in 1976-77, when the NFL schedule was 14 games. Williams has started 33 consecutive games, third on the Bears’ all-time list behind Avellini (42) and Bill Wade (37).
Still, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get backup Tyson Bagent some meaningful snaps, just in case. Bagent has thrown just six passes in the last 43 games since his last start against the Panthers in 2023.
And after seeing Brock Purdy — the last pick of the 2022 draft — excelling in Shanahan’s 49ers offense, there’s intrigue in seeing Bagent operate in Johnson’s offense, no matter how proficient Williams is.
4. The Ben Johnson Effect I: The Bears have four players with 600 or more receiving yards for the second time in franchise history: DJ Moore (671), Rome Odunze (661), Loveland (622) and Luther Burden III (617). That matches the 2014 Bears under coach Marc Trestman, which had Alshon Jeffery (1,133), tight end Martellus Bennett (916), running back Matt Forte (808) and Brandon Marshall (721).
5. The Ben Johnson Effect II: Although the Bears failed to score on their opening drive for an eighth straight game Sunday, they still scored 14 points in the first quarter to give them 102 in the first quarter this season — fourth-best in the NFL. Last season, they were last with 27 points in the first quarter.
6. For trivia buffs only: With linebacker T.J. Edwards’ pick-6 against the 49ers following Williams’ walk-off touchdown pass against the Packers, the Bears scored a touchdown on consecutive plays from scrimmage for the first time since 2012, when Jay Cutler threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kellen Davis before cornerback Tim Jennings returned an interception of Cam Newton 25 yards for a touchdown on the next play from scrimmage in a 23-22 victory over the Panthers.
7. Burden’s return was all it took to make Moore look expendable again. A week after Moore had five catches for 97 yards and a game-winning 46-yard TD to remind everyone of his value, he had one reception for seven yards on four targets against the 49ers.
Burden, as demonstrative as Moore is mellow, had eight receptions for 138 yards and a 35-yard TD on nine targets. As a rookie, he’s becoming as dynamic in Johnson’s offense as you would think Moore would be after being productive in bad offenses throughout his career. Even for the very best players, success in the NFL is often circumstantial.
8. Quick hits: Left guard Joe Thuney and center Drew Dalman are the Bears’ first offensive linemen to be named to the initial Pro Bowl roster since guard Kyle Long in 2014 and the first pair of Bears offensive lineman voted in since 2001, when center Olin Kreutz and right tackle James “Big Cat” Williams made it. . . . The Bears are 0-2 when they get a pick-6 this season. The rest of the NFL is 16-4. . . . Purdy and the Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy had a combined 141.4 passer rating after throwing a pick-6 against the Bears (five touchdowns, no interceptions).
9. Josh McCown Ex-Bear of the Week: Niners tight end Jake Tonges had seven receptions for 60 yards and a TD against the Bears. As an undrafted Bears rookie in 2022, he had no receptions and one target. He was waived/injured in training camp in 2023 and signed to the 49ers’ practice squad.
10. Bear-ometer — 12-5: vs. Lions (W).