Final Word: The future is coming for the Chicago Bears, but there's always time to beat the Packers
The message was loud and clear all week long.
The Chicago Bears coaches and players had one week left. There was just one last chance with this group to play with each other.
There's so much that's going to change. Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson put it perfectly.
"New coach comes in, he brings in a whole new team," Johnson said. "You don't know what you have until you know what you have, and that's not until the offseason when we go through the free agency, we go through the draft and things like that heading into camp. So we'll see what it is. We'll see who returns, who doesn't, and we'll just see where they build the team from there."
Yeah, about all that.
The time to talk about the future of the Bears will come quickly on Monday. The Bears will clean out their lockers and disappear into the offseason.
The 2024 Bears found a way to make the future wait. They found a way to shift the focus from an impending coaching search and roster overhaul that's to come. How sway?
It's easy. There's always time for the Bears to celebrate a win over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau.
The Bears didn't need to be told what the score was. Most of them knew it. The Bears hadn't beaten Green Bay in six years and were coming on a decade of their last win at Lambeau Field.
When Cairo Santos' kick and 51-yard field goal sailed through the uprights to confirm the win, it was jubilation.
Bears were celebrating like kids. The holidays are technically over, but the celebrations continued for the Bears. Especially their kicker.
"Last game of the season," Santos said. "I just let it out."
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 05: Cairo Santos #8 of the Chicago Bears celebrates with teammates after kicking a field goal to beat the Green Bay Packers 24-22 at Lambeau Field on January 05, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott
Who can blame them? The Bears have lost a lot. They went on a generational run of losing.
Somewhere in Chicago, villain origin stories were told when the Bears lost to the Commanders on a Hail Mary, the Patriots with a short-circuited offense, the Packers on a blocked field goal, the Vikings in overtime and the Lions thanks to clock mismanagement.
I mean it when I say generational. One day we'll look back at that stretch in November and remember how hopeless it felt.
For a day, it was forgotten as the Bears won at Lambeau.
To be clear, beating the Packers on the road isn't a cure-all. The Bears face reality on Monday, but will do so with an extra win in hand at the end of the 2024 season which was proof Caleb Williams can be the guy at quarterback for the Bears.
He had two play callers and two different head coaches and still had one of the best passing seasons in Bears' history. Williams finally got to claim a game-winning drive to his resume when he got Santos into field goal range.
Yeah, he's fine.
Even when the Bears tried to give the game away with a fumble that led to a go-ahead Packers' field goal, Williams got the job done. It was part of his growth that Interim head coach Thomas Brown has overseen.
"When it comes to creating change, conflict is necessary," Brown said. "It’s been good dialogue between us."
Make no mistake, change is coming. The Bears will have a new coaching staff at some point in the near future.
Thomas Brown was asked about his future with the franchise and he wants to have another chance to be on a sideline, be it in Chicago or elsewhere in the NFL. He'll most likely get that chance.
But, Sunday wasn't about the future.
It was about the Bears ridding themselves of a few shadows they've had hanging over their heads.
The first is beating Green Bay. The Bears should have done that earlier this year.
Next is beating Green Bay at Lambeau Field. It's been almost a decade. Enough is enough.
Finally, it was about snapping a 10-game losing streak. After so many chances to get a win, the Bears can finally say they got one.
Now, instead of saying it's been 10 years since a win at Lambeau, Bears fans can say Caleb Williams is undefeated at Lambeau as the Bears quarterback.
The future is coming quickly. But, Sunday was one last ride for the 2024 Bears who gave us mountains of promise this offseason.
The 2024 Bears will go down as pretty forgettable. But the win over Green Bay to close the season means they've created one more memorable moment for Bears fans. This time, for all the right reasons.