NFL great Mike Singletary wants consistent dominance from 2026 Bears

Singletary praised the 2025 Chicago Bears' fight, but hopes to see them dominate from start to finish next season.

Feb. 18, 2026 at 6:31pm

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Hall of Famer Mike Singletary was impressed with the 2025 Chicago Bears' fight, but told UPI he hopes to see consistent dominance from the Caleb Williams-led roster in 2026. The Bears, who posted the NFL's No. 6 offense and No. 29 defense, were a roller-coaster watch, losing their first two games before winning nine of their next 10. They went on to overcome a 21-3 deficit against the Green Bay Packers in the wild card round to win their first playoff game in 15 years.

Why it matters

Singletary, who also served as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, watched the Bears reach the postseason just seven times over the 32 years between the end of his playing career and the 2025 campaign. He wants to see the Bears take the next step and dominate games from start to finish, not just rally late.

The details

The 2025 Bears rallied to victories seven times after trailing in the final two minutes of games, the most instances by an NFL team since 1970. They were aided by a league-best plus-22 turnover differential. Last month, Ben Johnson became the first Bears head coach in the Super Bowl era to win a playoff game in his first year.

  • The Bears lost their first two games in 2025.
  • The Bears won nine of their next 10 games in 2025.
  • The Bears overcame a 21-3 deficit against the Green Bay Packers in the wild card round to win their first playoff game in 15 years in 2025.

The players

Mike Singletary

A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and former Chicago Bears linebacker.

Caleb Williams

The quarterback for the 2025 Chicago Bears.

Ben Johnson

The head coach of the Chicago Bears, who became the first Bears head coach in the Super Bowl era to win a playoff game in his first year.

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What they’re saying

“This year, they earned the title fighters. They were fighters until the end of the game. Cardiac arrest kids, when I look at them this year. Next year, they've gotta start it at the beginning.”

— Mike Singletary, Hall of Famer (UPI)

“I take my hat off to the organization. I think they've done a nice job of getting a head coach and having a quarterback that to me, has the world by the tail. It's a matter of: can they come back from this year and all of the excitement at the end of the games and all of that? Can they come back next year and be able to settle down and not wait until the end of the game, but be able to control the game, be able to dominate the game from start to finish.”

— Mike Singletary, Hall of Famer (UPI)

The takeaway

Singletary wants to see the Bears build on their 2025 success and become a consistently dominant team that can control games from start to finish, not just rally late. The Bears' ability to overcome deficits and win close games was impressive, but Singletary believes they need to take the next step to become an elite team in the NFL.