Chicago Bears’ resurgence reaches CNN as national interest surges

Who would’ve thought that the Chicago Bears would suddenly become a story that CNN is covering?

Welcome to the 2025 NFL season.

The Bears have experienced such a massive turnaround in fortune that they’ve crossed over from the traditional big sports media coverage (say, ESPN) to a completely different network altogether.

I guess that’s what happens when a win leads to the entire city of Chicago receiving a free hot dog.

Ben Johnson’s shirtless Week 13 post-game celebration led Wiener Circle to give out free hot dogs, which ended up being roughly 2,000 freebies.

MORE: Dane Brugler 2026 NFL Mock draft fills massive need for Bears in first round

Naturally, it caught the attention of CNN, which now has the Bears’ Cinderella season in its crosshairs.

Chicago Bears are the most fun team in the NFL

“A recently rudderless franchise that trained its fans to expect disappointment is now earning plenty of reasons to believe,” CNN’s Hannah Keyser wrote. “The Bears are winning, they’re likely headed back to the playoffs for the first time since 2020, and on Tuesday, fans lined up around the block in 20-degree weather for a hot dog that’s normally not even $7 – all because it was bestowed upon them by the coach who changed the culture of football in Chicago.”

Indeed, 2025 has been a fun ride for Bears fans, and one that hopefully continues through Week 14’s clash against the Green Bay Packers. If, however, Chicago lays an egg at Lambeau Field, questions about whether this team is nothing more than smoke and mirrors will resume.

Keyser summed the 2025 Bears up well:

“Trailing late in games isn’t exactly reflective of a dominant team that’s necessarily destined for greatness,” Keyser wrote. “And it’s not clear that the Bears are a great team, at least not yet anyway. They’re probably a little lucky, caught on the cusp between “bad” and “good” where the right calls and the right confidence can sway things just enough toward success that begets more success.”

No argument here. But if Caleb Williams wins in Green Bay again, one week after upending the Eagles? The narrative around the Chicago Bears will inch closer to a Super Bowl contender than a lucky late-game winner.