Chicago Bears predicted to fall short of 2025 projected win total

The Chicago Bears are a team on the rise. The players can feel it. The fans can feel it. Unfortunately, The Athletic's Vic Tafur isn't quite there yet.

In a recent prediction for every team's predicted end-of-year win total, Tafur has the Bears falling short of their projected 8.5 wins.

"The Bears won five games last season. Is wonderboy Ben Johnson worth four wins?" Tafur wrote. "He can run a nifty offense, but he has never been a head coach — can he motivate and lead men? Obviously, Caleb Williams will be better than last season, but how much? He almost seems like a magnet for sacks."

Wonderboy! That's a new one.

"Johnson added three offensive linemen in free agency, though Jonah Jackson was benched by the Rams last season," Tafur continued. "The Bears also drafted a tight end to feature in first-rounder Colston Loveland and then signed edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo. All good moves, but a midseason stretch where the Bears play six road games (with five against 2024 playoff teams) in nine weeks will prove too tough to finish with a winning record."

To be fair, it was GM Ryan Poles who added those new pieces to the offensive line, including second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo, who could end up being charged with protecting Caleb Williams' blindside.

And Tafur's 'under' prediction isn't necessarily about the Chicago Bears not being as improved as the fanbase thinks they'll be. Instead, the schedule (on paper) doesn't favor a team in transition, even if the talent is significantly upgraded.

Remember: The Bears could fall short of their 8.5 wins projection by improving to an 8-9 team. It would be a marked step forward after going 5-12 in 2024, and proof that Ben Johnson's system will, in fact, work in Chicago.