The Bears head into Week 5 with a chance to keep a familiar run going against the Packers, and there are a few reasons to think Chicago can make life miserable for Green Bay again.
Even with Caleb Williams and Kyle Monangai unavailable, the Bears still have enough on offense to make noise. The bigger picture is simple: Chicago is trying to stack a third straight win on the season and a third straight victory over the Packers, and that gives this matchup plenty of bite.
One place the Bears could lean hard is the ground game, where Roschon Johnson is a name to watch. Monangai’s turf toe injury has him in a boot, so D’Andre Swift is set to handle most of the work.
But Johnson should still get opportunities, and he has a chance to turn those into a bigger night than expected. He flashed some physical running in the Bears’ Week 4 win over the New York Jets, when he picked up 16 yards on four fourth-quarter carries.
With Chicago averaging nearly 200 rushing yards per game, 75 yards for Johnson is aggressive - but not out of reach.
Tyson Bagent is another player who could put up a number that jumps off the page. He threw for 268 yards against the Jets and was intercepted once, though four other picks were wiped out by penalties.
Now he gets another week as the starter and a shot to sharpen things up. The challenge is real, though, because the Packers bring one of the NFL’s best passing defenses.
Still, with Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, and Colston Loveland in the mix, Bagent reaching 300 passing yards is squarely on the table.
On the other side of the ball, Dillon Thieneman keeps looking like the kind of rookie who changes games. He has an interception and three pass deflections this season, and he leads the Bears with 30 tackles.
The article already calls him the MVP of this defense, and he’s positioned to stay in the Defensive Rookie of the Year conversation. Against a Packers offense that has struggled, a sack and an interception for Thieneman would not be a surprise.
Jordan Love may be the quarterback under the most pressure. He has already been sacked eight times in four games, and Green Bay’s offensive line has been dealing with injuries and changes, including three new linemen signed in recent weeks.
That sets up a favorable spot for a Bears pass rush that has outperformed expectations, even after a quiet offseason. Chicago has 10 sacks as a team, with Dayo Odeyingbo leading the way with three, and four sacks on Love feels like a realistic target if the Packers are throwing 35 to 40 times.
The easiest prediction of the bunch may be the Bears shutting down the run. Green Bay’s rushing attack has been the worst in the NFL, sitting at 58 yards per game, and Josh Jacobs is out. Chicago is allowing 102.5 rushing yards per game, which ranks 13th, and that should be enough to smother a Packers ground game that needs help it probably won’t get.
In Other News...
Caleb Williams Return Talk Just Put Bears Fans On Edge
Caleb Williams finally took a small step back onto the practice field Friday, working in a limited capacity for the first time after nearly three weeks away with the hamstring injury he suffered in Week 2. The Bears already ruled him out for Week 5, but the sight of their quarterback doing anything at all in practice was enough to get the discussion moving again around when he might be ready to steer the offense back.
The immediate focus now turns to the next game on the calendar, with Williams pushing to get back in time for a matchup with the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6. Before the injury, he had given Chicago a promising glimpse of both his arm and his mobility, and the Bears will be watching closely to see whether this recovery trend keeps building or forces them to stay patient a little longer. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Offense Just Made Caleb Williams Even More Essential
Chicagos offense has spent the past week reminding everyone how quickly the conversation changes when Caleb Williams is not on the field. Tyson Bagents rough outing against Green Bay only underscored how much the Bears have leaned on Williams since his strong start to the season, and the absence of running back Kyle Monangai has added another layer of strain to an attack trying to find any kind of rhythm.
With the Bears heading into Week 6 against Atlanta, the next few practices matter a lot. The expectation is that Williams will be back in the starting lineup, but his availability will come down to how he looks in the lead-up, which leaves the offense waiting on its most important piece before it can really settle back in. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Left Lambeau With A Problem Fans Feared All Along
The Bears left Lambeau Field with more than a lopsided loss on their hands. In a 31-7 defeat to the Packers, Chicago spent most of the afternoon searching for any kind of rhythm on offense, and the result only sharpened questions that had been hanging over the unit for weeks. Tyson Bagent got the start at quarterback and the Bears leaned on him to settle things down, but the game never really moved in that direction.
Chicagos ground game, which had shown more promise earlier in the season, was bottled up for the kind of production that leaves little margin for error. With the offense stuck in neutral and the scoreboard moving the wrong way, the Bears came away from Green Bay facing the same concern their fans feared all along: whether this group has enough answers when it cannot run effectively or find stability behind center. [Read more 🡒]