RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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SportsMoney What Chicago Bears Compete With For ‘Highest-Scoring Offense Ever’ By John Cassillo ,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. L.A.-based lead analyst at The Measure, covering the data behind sports media topics. Follow Author Aug 12, 2026, 03:05pm EDT --:-- / --:-- This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . Summary The Chicago Bears, led by coach Ben Johnson, enjoyed a breakout 2025 season, finishing 11-6 and winning the NFC North. Johnson now sets ambitious goals: a Super Bowl victory and the highest-scoring offense in NFL history, aiming to surpass the 2013 Broncos' 37.9 points per game. This challenge is significant, as the Bears face the league's toughest 2026 schedule, contrasting sharply with the Broncos' easy path. Historically, the four teams that scored 35+ PPG all failed to win the Super Bowl that year, despite featuring legendary quarterbacks. While Caleb Williams shows promise and the offense boasts young talent, a porous defense and strong divisional rivals like the Lions, who have an easier schedule, present considerable hurdles to Johnson's lofty aspirations.
The Chicago Bears were one of the feel-good stories of the 2025 NFL season.
After finishing .500 or worse every year since 2019, Chicago went 11-6 in Head Coach Ben Johnson’s first season. The Bears won the NFC North for the first time since 2018, and won a playoff game for the first time since 2010.
Better still, the team was largely exciting to watch.
Chicago was sixth in offensive yards per game, with 369.2, third in rushing yards per game (144.5), but ninth in points per game at 25.9.
Johnson isn’t resting on that success, however.
As part of a profile with Dan Pompei at The Athletic , he stated some clear goals. One of those was winning a Super Bowl. The other, in his words: “I want to have the highest-scoring offense ever…”
He went on to acknowledge that the title there (in the Super Bowl era) currently belongs to the 2013 Denver Broncos, who scored 37.9 points per game; 12 full points more than what the Bears did last year. That Denver group is also one of four teams to put up 35 or more per game in NFL history.
Those 2013 Broncos faced one of the easiest schedules in the league – both by preseason evaluations and postseason assessments as well . Chicago, on the contrary, faces the toughest schedule in the league according to opponent winning percentages from 2025.
The other teams – again, in the Super Bowl era – to score 35 or more per game:
Interestingly, all four of those teams failed to win the Super Bowl in the same season.
Denver lost that year’s Super Bowl, 43-8 to Seattle, while the 2007 Patriots’ unbeaten run ended with a 17-14 defeat against the Giants in February. That Chiefs team, the unofficial “start” of the Chiefs’ dynastic run with Patrick Mahomes, fell to the Pats in overtime of the AFC Championship Game that year. Green Bay, meanwhile, fell to the Giants in the divisional round.
Every one of those quarterbacks (Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers) is either already in the Hall of Fame, or will be there soon enough. Putting the 2026 Bears in the same company as those squads could potentially foretell an impressive career coming for third-year Chicago QB Caleb Williams.
As mentioned, the Broncos accomplished their 37.9 points per game against one of the league’s easiest schedules. The 2026 Bears will face the NFL’s toughest slate – a first-place schedule that includes six games against difficult NFC North opponents, plus title contenders like the Eagles, Patriots, Seahawks, Bills and Jaguars.
Thankfully for Chicago, the games aren’t played on paper.
After an impressive year-two leap with 400 more passing yards, seven more passing TDs and 44 fewer sacks vs. his rookie campaign, Williams could potentially show even greater improvement in a second season under Johnson’s tutelage.
Beyond Williams, the offensive line should have similar success to last year provided everyone is healthy. Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III are both just 22 years old, and should be able to step into larger roles within the offense with DJ Moore traded to Buffalo. Rome Odunze is still just 24. Running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monagai both proved to be capable receiving options while still not being overtaxed during relatively efficient seasons.
All of those players will also be able to come along further within Johnson’s system now.
During the offseason, the Bears focused on defensive adds to fix a unit that allowed over 24 points per game. Unfortunately, the team has already lost one of those new faces, with Coby Bryant set to miss at least four months following knee surgery.
A defense that’s relatively porous may not help Johnson’s primary goal of winning a Super Bowl, though having offensive starters playing late in games would likely fuel efforts to score a ton.
The Bears have the pieces to be one of the NFL’s top offenses, but also aren’t the only team poised to light up the scoreboard this season.
Last year’s Los Angeles Rams led the league with 30.5 points per game, and bring back the primary players there (and strengthened the defense significantly in the offseason). The Patriots, Seahawks, Bills and Lions all scored 28 or more points per game as well, and return the quarterbacks that steered those ships.
Also key in that list is the fact that the Lions, the Bears’ divisional rival and Johnson’s former employer, face one of the league’s easiest schedules (opponents had just a .467 winning percentage last year) and play home games indoors.
The Lions – or any other team – scoring at a record pace doesn’t prevent the Bears from also doing so. At the same time, though, having another team in your division up for that challenge won’t make the task any easier for Johnson’s Chicago group.
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