The Bears don’t need to wait around for Caleb Williams to get back before they can keep stacking wins. With Williams expected to miss at least another two weeks, Chicago has a real opening here, and it starts with Dennis Allen’s defense doing the heavy lifting.
Allen’s Week 3 game plan against the Philadelphia Eagles was exactly what the Bears needed. He shut down an offense that had looked respectable in the first two weeks, kept Jalen Hurts bottled up, and forced Philadelphia into trying to push the ball down the field. That kind of control can travel, and Chicago suddenly has a defense capable of carrying the team while the offense leans on its backup quarterback.
The next stretch looks especially friendly for the Bears. In Week 4, they’ll face the New York Jets, who are starting veteran Geno Smith, and Breece Hall will be out, which makes the Jets’ rushing attack a much smaller problem to solve.
After that comes Green Bay, and the Packers have had trouble running the ball and protecting Jordan Love. On paper, both matchups line up well for Chicago to keep the momentum rolling in the NFC North.
That’s a big shift from where this defense started. After the opener against Carolina, there were plenty of reasons to worry.
Bryce Young threw for three touchdowns and well over 300 yards, and the Panthers moved the ball with ease. But since then, the Bears have improved week by week, and the unit now looks far more trustworthy.
That matters because Chicago believed enough in Allen to reshuffle the secondary and let him build pressure around Montez Sweat. Getting the most out of a roster is a huge part of what makes a veteran defensive coordinator valuable, and Allen has already shown he can do that.
For the Bears, that means the outlook has changed fast. What began as early-season concern has turned into confidence that the team can grab at least one more win before its starting quarterback returns. If Allen keeps making the right adjustments, Chicago has a chance to keep proving it belongs in the mix.
In Other News...
Bears Let An Ugly NFL Streak End At Soldier Field
A long-running oddity finally disappeared at Soldier Field when the Jets snapped an interception drought that had stretched beyond 1,000 days and more than 600 pass attempts. The takeaway for the Bears was a familiar one in a season full of quarterback turnover: backup Tyson Bagent was in at the time, and the turnover came in the second quarter with New Yorks secondary taking advantage of the situation.
Minkah Fitzpatrick was the one who made it happen, and he did it soon after returning from a groin injury. For a Jets defense that had gone far too long without a pick, the play ended one of the longest active droughts in recent NFL history and offered a small but notable defensive lift in Chicago. [Read more 🡒]
Ben Johnson Sent A Clear Message About The Bears Quarterback Room
The Bears took care of the Jets with a run-heavy showing that leaned on Kyle Monangai, who ripped through New York for 146 yards and two touchdowns as Chicago controlled the game on the ground and on the clock. It was also a notable night for the quarterback room, with Ben Johnson opening the game by giving veteran Case Keenum one snap before turning things over to Tyson Bagent, who settled in and handled the bulk of the work.
Bagent finished 25 of 34 for 268 yards and an interception, a line that fit the way Chicago wanted to play in a game where the defense and run game carried plenty of the load. The choice to start Keenum for a play and then move quickly to Bagent was hard to miss, especially in a win where the Bears were able to dictate terms while the Jets struggled to generate much without Breece Hall. [Read more 🡒]
Tyson Bagent Faces One Bears Test That Could Decide Everything
Tyson Bagent is set to make his first start since the 2023 season in Week 4 against the Jets, with Caleb Williams still out because of a hamstring injury. Bagent has been handling most of the first-team reps in practice, and this week has become a real test of how the Bears want to function with a different kind of quarterback in place.
For Chicago, the question is less about asking Bagent to be a hero than about what a workable game plan looks like around him. His style gives the Bears a chance to lean into what he does well, but the bigger issue is whether the offense can stay on schedule and avoid forcing him into spots that dont fit his strengths. [Read more 🡒]