No Chicago Bears fan is feeling particularly good about the team as they limp into the postseason after losing to the Detroit Lions 19-16 in the regular season finale.
Chicago's defense got exposed again, with 311 passing yards and 122 rushing yards allowed in the loss. The offense had zero life until the fourth quarter, with all 16 points being scored in that quarter, but it was too late to come back at that point as the Lions put it away with a Jake Bates game-winning field goal.
There were some good performances in the game, but there were plenty of ugly performances as the team lost three of its five games going into the playoffs.
Winner: Colston Loveland, TE
Once thought of as a bust at the beginning of the season, Loveland is now the leading receiver on the team for the season, and proved that much in the loss to the Lions. He finished with 10 receptions for 91 yards and one touchdown. Loveland looked great and clearly has a future in the NFL, with no expectations that he will be a Pro Bowler and All-Pro.
Losers: Bears' Running Game
One of the NFL's top rushing attacks looked like the group it was at the beginning of the season. D'Andre Swift had 10 carries for 40 yards, and Kyle Monangai had six carries for 14 yards. The Bears finished with 18 carries for 65 yards in the loss, so there's going to be some adjustments to that come the postseason.
Winner: Gervon Dexter Sr., DL
There were not many standout performances on the defensive side of the ball, but Dexter closed the season out the right way. He finished the game with three tackles, three quarterback hits, one tackle for loss, and one sack. Give him credit for playing hard with a defensive unit that struggled with giving up a lot of yards.
Losers: Bears' Cornerbacks
Wow. It wasn't just one bad performance at cornerback, but multiple, including from their top cornerback, Jaylon Johnson. The standouts in the worst way include Johnson allowing six receptions on seven targets for 81 yards, Nahshon Wright surrendering four receptions on five targets for 68 yards, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson getting it the worst with six receptions on eight targets for 93 yards. Yeah, not a great night for the secondary.
This shouldn't surprise anyone, but the Bears' cornerbacks struggled in this game.
— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) January 5, 2026
Jaylon Johnson: 6 rec on 7 targets for 81 yards
Nahshon Wright: 4 rec on 5 targets for 68 yards
C.J. Gardner-Johnson: 6 rec on 8 targets for 93 yards
Read more: Bears' full list of 2026 opponents confirmed after winning NFC North
Loser: Ben Johnson, Head Coach
It's hard not to argue that Johnson wasn't the biggest loser from this game, from the late-game decision to punt instead of going for it on fourth down, to again losing to his old team. The Bears are not exactly looking great heading into the postseason, and Johnson will have his work cut out for him to get things back on track.