The NFL season is officially over as the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60. As the world watched the Seahawks' defense dominate the Patriots' attack, the Bears couldn't help but think about how they could improve their roster for the 2026 season.
Despite the strides that Chicago made, the Super Bowl showed that the Bears need to drastically improve their defensive front to become a Super Bowl contender.
Seahawks' SB Win Shows Where Bears Need to Improve in Offseason
In the victory over New England, Seattle finished with six sacks, which was one shy of tying the Super Bowl record. The Seahawks also generated 11 quarterback hits and logged a 51% pressure rate on Sunday. Entering the game, Seattle had a 35.8% pressure rate with just four rushers, which ranked third in the NFL.
That recipe for success played a role in their securing a Super Bowl, the perfect example to show the Bears where they need to improve. Chicago was tied for the seventh-fewest sacks last season (35), with Montez Sweat leading the way with 10 sacks. Gervon Dexter Jr. was second on the team with six sacks, but only two other players had more than 1.5, which is unacceptable by today's pass-rushing standards.
The best teams in the league have quality pass rushers, and that's an area where Chicago must get better at. The ability to win with your front four is huge, allowing the defense to drop more defenders in coverage. Although the Bears need better production in pass coverage as well in 2026, having a better pass rush would help in that area, as quarterbacks would have less time to throw the ball.
Chicago finished the regular season with the best turnover differential ratio in the league at 22. The arrow would continue to point up with a better pass rush, and the Super Bowl emphasized that.
The Bears have the head coach and QB combo locked down for the future. In the first season of the Ben Johnson/Caleb Williams tandem, the Bears were sixth in total offense (369.2) and eighth in scoring offense (25.9). This offense proved they are capable of being an explosive unit, and the offseason will be about making moves on the defensive side of the ball.
The Bears would be doing themselves a disservice if improving their defensive line isn't a top priority this offseason. The Seahawks' stifling defense proves that. Creating consistent pressure is a recipe for success, and Chicago can't ignore that if it wants to hoist the Lombardi Trophy sooner rather than later