Football is officially back with the first game of the 2025 NFL season kicking off tonight between the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and the Micah Parsons-less Dallas Cowboys. 

The time of year for hypotheticals is nearly over, and there will be actual games with results that matter to discuss from here until the early parts of February. 

The Chicago Bears will close off Week 1 with their primetime matchup against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football at Soldier Field. 

So, Bears and Vikings fans will have to wait a little longer than every other fanbase to witness what their respective teams will do, but that does give more time to review predictions for the 2025 NFL season. 

NFL.com analysts gave out their predictions for this upcoming season.

Protector of the Year

There were 29 NFL.com analysts who submitted votes, and Bears left guard Joe Thuney received one vote for the Protector of the Year award, tying him for seventh place. Adam Rank, a Bears fan, voted for Thuney. 

Lions right tackle Penei Sewell received the most votes with nine. 

It’s not crazy that one of the most consistent and reliable guards in football right now would receive a vote. In his entire nine-year career, Thuney has missed one offensive snap. He has given up just 16 total sacks in 9,882 snaps played, according to Pro Football Focus. Thuney has helped keep Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady upright on the way to four Super Bowl victories. 

Now, the veteran guard gets the opportunity to block for Caleb Williams in his first season with the Bears.

I see why Rank voted for Thuney. 

Offensive Rookie of the Year

Colston Loveland received a single vote for the Offensive Rookie of the Year, putting him in seventh place with Green Bay’s Matthew Golden and Indianapolis’ Tyler Warren. Rank voted for the Bears’ tight end. 

Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty had the most votes with seven. 

I believe Loveland is going to be a great addition to Johnson’s offense, but in no way do I see him winning this award. The main issue is the lack of volume when it comes to targets, receptions and touchdowns. 

The Bears have a lot of weapons on this offense, and Loveland will get his opportunities, but not enough to leap Jeanty or Jacksonville’s Travis Hunter and Tennessee’s Cam Ward. 

Coach of the Year

Ben Johnson was voted the overwhelming favorite to win the Coach of the Year award. He received eight votes, while the New England Patriots’ Mike Vrabel finished in second with five votes. 

It makes sense that two first-year head coaches would be at the top of the voting boards, especially since the Bears finished 5-12 and the Patriots ended 4-13 in 2024. 

But Johnson has a more talented roster to work with in Chicago than Vrabel does in New England.

These first two games against the Vikings and Detroit Lions will tell us a lot about Johnson’s Bears. If they can start the season with back-to-back wins in the NFC North, you can lock in Johnson for this award by the time the end of the year rolls around. 

The more realistic scenario, though, is that the Bears split the first two games (or lose them both), and then the up-and-down ride that is an NFL season will go from there. 

It’s not just Bears fans who have high expectations for Johnson this season, but NFL analysts as well.