It is the first Monday after the end of the NFL regular season and our focus is not on Chicago Bears coaching or front office firings and hirings. What a difference a year makes.
Let’s get this out of the way at the top. This was a fun regular season. So thank you for reading, sharing, commenting, and connecting with us. Sure, the regular season ended with a clunker of a loss to the Detroit Lions. But these Bears continue to play a style of football that ensures that you won’t turn off the TV early if they are facing an early deficit. It probably isn’t good for my heart that every Bears game is like watching 2003 Joe Borowski trying to save a game for the Cubs. But I try to see these games as character-building moments.THE REGULAR SEASON IS OVER: Week 18 Highlights | Instant Grades | The Nightcap
Ben Johnson going to break: ‘Should’ve gone for it.’ pic.twitter.com/n1m6NXSTgi
— Ryan McGuffey (@RyanMcGuffey) January 5, 2026 Seeing that clip makes me think Ben Johnson learned a valuable lesson. For what it’s worth, the first-year Bears head coach thought (h/t ESPN’s Courtney Cronin) his offense would get the ball back. Perhaps, in the future, Chicago’s front office will build a defense that gets the ball back to the offense. But that defense isn’t here right now. Oh, well. Live, learn, and apply whatever lesson you take from defeat and apply it to the upcoming playoff game against the Green Bay Packers. I figured the NFL would have a local network carrying Saturday’s Bears-Packers game. So the good news is that you’ll get that game on FOX-32 (and without needing a streaming service) if you’re a fan in Chicago. If you’re reading this in Milwaukee, you can watch on FOX-6. And if you happen to be in Green Bay, it will be on NBC-26. With that being said, I’m still miffed that this game is on an exclusive streaming partner. It doesn’t have to be this way. I can’t imagine MLB putting a Red Sox-Yankees ALCS a on a subscription site. This game should be accessible to everyone. Don’t get me wrong. I realize that needing a bajillion streaming services is part of life as a sports fan now. But it hasn’t always been this way. And it certainly doesn’t mean I have to like it. Kyle Monangai breaks a tackle at Lambeau Field. | Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin The Packers rested their players because they had nothing to play for in Week 17. Meanwhile, the Bears were in a slop fest against the Lions because they were playing to secure the No. 2 seed without needing help from the Washington Commanders. I guess we’ll see how valuable that rest could be. My gut says that it won’t be a deciding factor in the game. But no one really knows when it comes to intangibles. My theory on why the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t play their starters in Week 18: The defending Super Bowl champs aren’t even a full year removed from beating the Kansas City Chiefs and preventing a three-peat. That team probably believes it can beat anyone anywhere. And when you topple the Chiefs dynasty, I can understand why you’d believe that. Hence, there is no good reason to push harder than necessary.PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THE BN BEARS PODCAST: Apple | Spotify | YouTube
Is Colston Loveland the Bears’ best receiver? Does Luther Burden III have the best spin move in football? Is there any rookie who is tougher to tackle than Kyle Monangai? I truly enjoyed watching these three draft picks develop, see their roles expand, and thrive as first-year players. The only thing rarer than seeing Bears picks get better as the year goes on is seeing them play in a way that makes you forget about the late-season rookie wall. If the Bears can draft a class of rookies who can contribute like that on the defensive side of the ball, then the 2026 team is going to be a force to be reckoned with moving forward. There are obvious pass-rush needs. But Chicago’s defense struggles to hang with speedy receivers. And that is a problem in the modern game where a vast majority of wideouts are burners. It was cool to see Tarik Cohen at the Bears game on Sunday:Great to see former Bears RB Tarik Cohen at today’s game! pic.twitter.com/96W2UYGtLa
— Larry Mayer (@LarryMayer) January 4, 2026 Could you imagine how much fun Ben Johnson could have with Cohen at his disposal? On the one hand, I love how Sunday Night Football ended. From a purely cinematic standpoint, the drama was so good that I couldn’t turn away. But on the other hand, I hate that Aaron Rodgers gets to play another game. All things being equal, I would have reather seen Lamar Jackson and the Ravens get a crack at the postseason without the boogeyman a.k.a. Patrick Mahomes standing in his way. Did you see Mitchell Trubisky’s Week 18 line vs. the New York Jets? The former Bears QB put up 259 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and a 142.1 passer rating to close out the regular season. Even though things didn’t work out the way he would’ve liked in Chicago, I’m happy to see him carve out a niche as Josh Allen’s backup in Buffalo. Once a Bear, always a Bear … right? This is a unique way to look at th 2026 NFL schedule of opponents:2026 NFL OPPONENTSEach team will play against each team with the same row, column, color, or shape. pic.twitter.com/zpSf44j00a
— Lee Sharpe (@LeeSharpeNFL) January 5, 2026 You can see the Bears’ opponents here.MORE BEARS FROM BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad-Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter
Blackhawks 3, Golden Knights 2 (OT) — Three Stars, Key Takeaways #blackhawks t.co/aokHdRTxHQ
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 5, 2026The Edward Cabrera Trade Situation Seems to Be Coming to a Head t.co/loJqkSsYq4
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) January 5, 2026Bulls Poised to be ‘Biggest Sellers in the East’ This Trade Deadline? (Report) t.co/MAeojeJ05W
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) January 5, 2026Hence then, the article about week 18 lessons 2026 bears opponents love for the rookies and other monday bullets was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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