ESPN is totally drinking the Bears Kool-Aid after setting incredible expectations for Caleb Williams and the team
The national media is starting to believe in what the Chicago Bears are building.
The Chicago Bears put the rest of the league on notice during the first season under head coach Ben Johnson after snatching the NFC North title and riding the momentum into the divisional round before falling short in overtime against the Los Angeles.
Winning a total of 12 games was impressive work and not anything anyone expected out of the Bears this past season. How the Bears won was even more impressive after continuing to pull out close wins thanks to the clutch play of second-year QB Caleb Williams.
Going into 2026, the Bears are set to make some necessary upgrades to turn those close games into blowouts and really take the league by storm. It won’t be that easy, but the Bears are on the right track and finally starting to create some believers in the national media.
ESPN is predicting big things for the Bears and Caleb Williams in 2026
ESPN posted some predictions for the 2026 NFL season that included Super Bowl matchups and potential MVP candidates going into the start of the offseason.
Matt Bowen was the only writer to have the Bears predicted as the NFC’s representative in next year’s Super Bowl facing off against the Buffalo Bills. Seeing a Super Bowl between Williams and Josh Allen would be a slam dunk for the league considering they’re two of the most exciting young QBs with Allen as a annual MVP-favorite and Williams quickly rising into that conversation.
Speaking of which, Williams was actually Dan Graziano’s pick to take home the MVP trophy next season.
“I see the arrow pointing up for Williams with Ben Johnson and a Bears team that arrived well ahead of schedule. Williams has that fourth-quarter clutch gene, and even if the Bears fix their defense to where he doesn’t need as many clutch performances, he should have plenty of opportunities to showcase his abilities in a tough NFC North.” – Graziano
Winning MVP might be a high bar, in fact it’s the highest bar for any player to shoot for as an individual. Williams certainly has the ability to be in that conversation once he cleans up his game and makes the necessary improvements going into Year 3. A more realistic goal would be shooting for his first Pro Bowl selection or his first All Pro selection, something Field Yates predicted.
“Caleb Williams will become an All-Pro,” Yates wrote. “There was a ton of good in Williams’ second pro season but still so much room for growth. Williams’ completion percentage will be the area that most point to, and I am bullish that number will improve dramatically next season. The Bears’ offense should return mostly intact in 2026, and that familiarity will be instrumental in their franchise quarterback’s development.”
Clearly ESPN has a lot of belief in that this team can accomplish next season, but predictions ultimately don’t mean much. The Bears have to prove they belong in the Super Bowl conversation and the same goes for Williams when it comes to MVP and All Pro honors. And that work has already started as soon as the season ended with the Bears back to square one.
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