The Chicago Bears will now face the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round of the 2025 NFL playoffs, but don’t expect a third matchup between the two NFC North rivals this season to shake the confidence of quarterback Caleb Williams.
The Bears fell short of a fourth-quarter victory for the second time in as many weeks when they closed out the regular season with a 19-16 loss to the Detroit Lions at home, but they still managed to secure the No. 2 seed in the NFC for next week’s postseason, thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles‘ backups losing to the Washington Commanders.
Now, with the 2-seed in hand, the Bears will own home-field advantage in the playoffs until at least the conference championship, if they advance that far. They will also have a third crack at the Packers — the No. 7 seed — after splitting the regular-season series.
And Williams, ever confident, seemed ready for the challenge after Week 18’s loss.
“Yeah, I feel good,” Williams said when asked in January 4’s postgame about drawing the Packers in the first round of the playoffs. “Feel good about anybody, whatever position we were going to be in, whatever position we are in right now, I feel good about us versus anybody, and I’ll keep carrying that mindset throughout the weeks.”
Bears & Packers Both Looking to Rebound in Playoffs
Williams seems to have the right mindset for taking on his team’s biggest rival in the NFL playoffs, but both his Bears team and the Packers will be looking to bounce back from a recent losing stretch when they meet again at Soldier Field next weekend.
For the Bears, things have gone a little sideways since they captured the NFC North crown ahead of Week 17’s matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. They lost to both the 49ers and the Lions despite fourth-quarter efforts to win in both games, raising a few alarm bells for a team seeking to play its best football in December and January.
Meanwhile, the Packers crashed and burned to end the season. After beating the Bears in Week 14 to take control of first place in the division, they proceeded to lose their final four games of the regular season — including Week 16’s overtime thriller to Chicago — in a deflating sequence that nearly resulted in their elimination from the postseason.
Now, it may all come down to whether the Bears or the Packers can right the ship faster.
Caleb Williams Set Bears’ Single-Season Passing Record
The Bears did not get the victory they wanted in their home rematch against the Lions, who swept the season series against them with their 19-16 win in Week 18. As far as the franchise record books are concerned, though, it was a triumphant day for Williams.
Williams completed 20 of his 33 passes for 212 yards with two touchdowns and one interception against the Lions on Sunday, moving him past former Bears quarterback Erik Kramer (3,838) to take sole possession of the franchise’s single-season passing yards record. He finished his second NFL season with a record 3,942 passing yards.
Williams also threw 27 touchdowns on the season, moving into a tie with Jay Cutler (2009) for the No. 4 spot on the franchise’s single-season passing touchdowns list.
At the same time, Williams fell short of the goals he set for himself before the season. He did not become the first Bears quarterback in history to throw for at least 4,000 yards, nor did he complete 70% of his passes — one of his loftier preseason goals.
Even still, the Bears should feel encouraged about Williams’ growth in Year 2.
Bears QB Caleb Williams Gets Honest About Facing Packers in Playoffs