The Chicago Bears were one of four NFL teams to draw the earliest possible bye week for the 2025 NFL season. They will get a break in Week 5 after playing just four games.
That could end up being a good thing for the Bears, in the opinion of Chicago’s new coach Ben Johnson.
“I actually like where that bye week is, because it usually takes about four weeks into the season to find out who you are as a team, what you do well and what you don’t do well,” Johnson explained in a Friday appearance on “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd. “That’s a good time so we can reflect on that as a coaching staff to really hone in on what we want to be for the remaining three-quarters of the season.”
The Bears had a relatively early bye week during the 2024 campaign but failed to take advantage of it. Chicago came out of its Week 7 bye for a touted Week 8 battle against Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders. The Bears lost that game on an improbable Hail Mary, starting a tailspin during which they lost 10 consecutive contests.
Johnson will look to take better advantage of Chicago’s early bye week in 2025, and he doesn’t have to look far to find an example of an early-season break helping a team.NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
The Philadelphia Eagles drew a Week 5 bye in 2024. After a 2-2 start to the season, the Eagles logged a 10-game winning streak and finished the regular season with a 14-3 record. Philadelphia then thrived in the postseason before eventually trouncing the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl 59.
As such, the early bye week could benefit Chicago as they look to create an identity under Johnson.
That said, the first-year coach also understands the Bears – who underwent significant changes to their coaching staff and offensive line during the offseason – may take a while to jell and reach their full potential.
“My experience has been when you get a new group together, it could take up to half the season before they really start to mesh and come together,” Johnson said.