CHICAGO — Long, blank stares across players’ faces Sunday night in the Chicago Bears locker room at Soldier Field reflected the abrupt ending of the season.

Harrison Mevis’ 42-yard field goal in overtime propelled the Los Angeles Rams to a 20-17 victory and the NFC championship game. Fourteen hours later, Bears players were filling oversized cardboard boxes with belongings Monday morning at Halas Hall.

“It hurts because everybody puts a lot into this,” said defensive end Daniel Hardy, speaking slowly as he parsed his thoughts. “We all sacrifice so much. And you hate it ending like that. Nobody picked us to be here. Nobody gave us a chance. We just believed. We did it as a group. We stuck together. When the pressure was on, it just made us closer.

“Just knowing it’s never going to be the same group of guys ever, that’s really the tough part. I would take this group of guys over anybody if we could run this back. That’s the business we’re in, and that’s why every year counts. Lot of love and appreciation for these guys and these coaches and the way we came in and turned the culture around, turned the team around and helped ignite the city.”

That’s the cold reality of the NFL. It won’t be the same in 2026, even if general manager Ryan Poles works to bring back a portion of the 24 free agents on the roster.

After an 0-2 start, the Bears emerged as one of the league’s better stories, winning nine of their next 10 games, many with stunning last-minute rallies. Eventually they did what Poles talked about when he was hired four years ago — they took the NFC North.

Quarterback Caleb Williams made dramatic improvement over the course of the season. Those curious about his ability to settle into Johnson’s offense at the start of the season had become believers well before Williams threw it into reverse on fourth-and-4 from the 14-yard line in the final minute of regulation Sunday, retreated more than 25 yards and launched a touchdown pass to tight end Cole Kmet to force overtime.

Williams’ ascent — paired with the emergence of an offensive line that paved the way for the league’s third-ranked rushing attack and a stable of skill-position talent, including blossoming rookie tight end Colston Loveland — leaves plenty to like, especially when considering what coach Ben Johnson and his staff can accomplish with natural growth in Year 2.

As demanding and exacting as Johnson was while installing the offense last spring, he’ll be the same in pushing players to reach the next level in 2026. There’s work to be done on defense, but wise coordinator Dennis Allen showed creative vision even in times when he appeared short-handed, including against the Rams. Holding Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua and the league’s top-ranked offense to 17 points in regulation should have been good enough for a victory.

The Bears learned how to win in their first season above .500 since 2018 while also earning their first playoff victory in 15 years. That’s a valuable lesson for those who will return — and that those headed elsewhere can take with them.

From 2022 through 2024, the Bears had a combined 15 victories. They had 12 this season, including the wild-card triumph over the Green Bay Packers.

“It was amazing,” said defensive end Dominique Robinson, who will be a free agent after arriving in the 2022 draft class. “The culture here in the city. Just that pregame buzz. The national anthem. The experience was just a lot better this year. People were involved. It just felt better.

“It’s fun when you’re winning. Completely different. You’re not stressed out. You’re not worried about who’s getting released and all this other stuff. People are stressed out when you’re losing and the organization is trying to find a way to win.

“All my boys are here. We’re having a good time. It was like college again. I’m glad we were able to turn it around and go out a little bit on top. No moral victories. From the three years we had before to this, that’s going out on top.”

The Bears and New England Patriots — who will play the Broncos in the AFC championship game Sunday in Denver — both went from worst to first this season. Since 2002, when the NFL went to eight four-team divisions, 27 teams have gone from worst to first. Of the previous 25, only eight repeated as a playoff team the following season.

That’s the challenge ahead of the Bears — avoiding the grip of regression — as Johnson enters an offseason with the focus squarely on decisions to ensure sustained success.

“This is my first playoff win since 2019 in Tennessee,” said free safety Kevin Byard III, an All-Pro this season who also is a pending free agent. “I have been back to the playoffs three other times, but I’ve been a (No.) 1 seed, got bounced out in the divisional round, then missed the playoffs the next year. Then went to Philly, got bounced out of a wild card.

“This is not something that’s very easy to do at all, but I have belief in this group, in this team, in this organization. We’re all having these talks like, ‘Hey, man, we’ve got to run this back.’ But there’s no guarantee that it’s going to happen again. It’s going to definitely be tough to do.”

The Bears did ignite the city, as Hardy said, and they restored faith in a franchise that hadn’t done a lot to earn it or certainly retain it in the last decade and a half. Poles and Johnson are expected to share their thoughts on the season later this week and perhaps offer hints to the offseason ahead.

As players filtered out with gear to stuff in their vehicles, their heads were high. Exit meetings offered words of encouragement with a few things to work on while they’re on their own.

In the hallway stood a small group of veteran scouts. Told they had made a good run, there were affirmative nods.

“Not far enough,” one said.

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