The Chicago Bears had an underwhelming end to an exciting 2025 regular season, losing the finale to the Detroit Lions. While the 19-16 final score points to a competitive game that came down to a walk-off field goal, the reality of the action is that Chicago was MIA for most of the game. The Bears gave themselves a chance to win in the end, but they ultimately couldn't overcome their early struggles.
Things were so bad for Chicago for most of the game that NFL legend Tom Brady, who was on the call, openly criticized the team. Before the Bears scored their first points, Brady called them out for not being “crisp in any phase,” pointing out how “nobody’s really stepped up and made the kind of play they needed to get a little bit of momentum on their side.”
Tom Brady calls out Bears for not being crisp in regular-season finale vs. Lions
After these words from Brady, Chicago went on to score two fourth-quarter touchdowns, successfully converting both two-point attempts to tie the game up. While that gave the Bears a chance in the end, they still picked up a deserved loss. Chicago waited absolutely too long to show up in the game, not playing like a team that deserved to win.
The offense couldn’t really get going until the fourth quarter, and the defense didn’t have much of an answer for Detroit, giving up 433 yards, on six yards per play. Jared Goff had his way, throwing for 311 yards, and Detroit’s running game was also rolling with 122 rushing yards. The game surely gave Bears’ fans something to think about as they head into the postseason on a two-game losing streak.
It was a disappointing end to a fun regular season, but the good news is it’s not the end of Chicago’s season. At 11-6, the Bears are still NFC North champions and will enter the postseason as the NFC’s no. 2 seed, thanks to a Philadelphia Eagles’ Week 18 loss.
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That sets up a third matchup between Chicago and the seventh-seed Green Bay Packers. Chicago will host the game at Soldier Field, and the team needs to get off to a much better start than it did in Week 18, or the playoffs will be short-lived.