There are plenty of reasons why the Chicago Bears finished the 2025 regular season as NFC North champions and as the No. 2 seed in the conference.
Six fourth-quarter comebacks, an NFL-leading 33 total takeaways, and the number three rushing offense in the NFL with 2,456 yards on the season. All those stats, and plenty more, played a huge role in why the Bears (11-6) finished with a winning season for the first time since 2018 (12-4).
Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon recently wrote an article detailing the one stat that defines every NFL team for the 2025 season. Here is what Gagnon provided for the Bears.
Chicago Bears Stat to Know: +22
“That's the league-best turnover differential posted by a Bears team that led the NFL in takeaways (33) and posted a league-low 11 turnovers on offense. No other team in football had a turnover margin better than plus-17, and only four others were better than plus-7! That'll get you a division title. Ben Johnson and Dennis Allen have done an unbelievable job in Chicago.”
Taking the football away while not turning it over has been a winning formula for Ben Johnson's team this season, and that will have to continue if Chicago is going to make a run in the playoffs.
Speaking of the playoffs, here is what Gagnon wrote for the Green Bay Packers, who the Bears will play in the Wild Card at Soldier Field.
" Green Bay Packers: 83.2 - That's the 26th-ranked pass-blocking efficiency grade from PFF for Green Bay's offensive line. That unit surrendered 1.4 sacks per game in the first 14 weeks of the season and then 2.8 per game in the last four weeks. They also ranked 25th with just 4.1 yards per attempt on the ground. The line could be a problem in January, especially if Jordan Love and/or Josh Jacobs aren't 100 percent."
Read more: Bears coach didn't hold back on assessment of Caleb Williams' Week 18 mistakes
The Bears’ defense has struggled to create consistent pressure all season, but given Green Bay's struggles, this could provide a prime opportunity for Chicago's front to impact the game.