The Bears still have a long climb in the NFC North, but there are three places where Chicago can look around the division and feel pretty good about its hand.
Those edges don’t erase the challenge ahead. The other three teams are still talented. But when you stack the Bears against each rival, the advantages are easy to spot - and they all point to areas where Chicago has a better chance to hold up as the season wears on.
Green Bay is the first place the Bears can feel that edge. The Packers’ kicking situation has become a problem again, with Trey Smack now dealing with the same kind of issues they saw from veteran Brandon McManus a season ago, plus some of his own.
That leaves real doubt about whether Green Bay can be trusted in clutch moments. Chicago, meanwhile, has more confidence in Cairo Santos, even with his limitations on longer kicks.
The kicking game was a major reason the Bears were able to pull off that epic playoff comeback and knock out their hated rival last season, and it’s fair to wonder whether Green Bay could be headed down that same road with a rookie kicker who looks like a weakness.
Minnesota’s issue is even more glaring: the quarterback situation has turned into a scramble. The Vikings moved on from J.J.
McCarthy and have tried to patch things together with Carson Wentz and Kyler Murray. Then came the move to add Kirk Cousins ahead of the deadline in an effort to jolt the offense back to life.
That kind of desperation only highlights how much better positioned Chicago is with Caleb Williams. No matter who ends up starting for Minnesota by season’s end, the Bears are in the stronger spot.
And with the Vikings’ offense looking so flawed, it’s hard to see that changing. Expecting an aging Cousins to rescue the season doesn’t sound like a plan built to last.
Detroit, for its part, is dealing with a different kind of problem. The Lions are finding out just how hard life gets without Ben Johnson.
Their offense looks nothing like the one Johnson ran when he was the team’s offensive coordinator, and the current version has been inconsistent and short on creativity. That matters because Chicago now has Johnson in-house, and the contrast is obvious.
The Bears are already seeing what life without him looks like in Detroit, and the Lions no longer look like the same dangerous force. Chicago has the better roster, and there’s every reason to think Detroit will keep missing Johnson while the Bears continue to move past a team that was once considered a trendy contender.
In Other News...
Dennis Allen Faces Three Big Bears Decisions During The Bye
The bye week has arrived with Dennis Allen carrying a familiar kind of midseason homework: sorting out a defense that has shown enough promise to justify a closer look, but not enough consistency to leave alone. For the Bears, the pause offers a chance to rethink some of the personnel and pressure packages that have defined the first stretch of the season, especially on the back end and off the edge.
One of the biggest questions is whether Malik Muhammad has done enough to claim a full-time starting role at outside cornerback over Tyrique Stevenson, a move that would signal a meaningful shift in how Allen wants to line up his secondary. There is also a case for getting Daniel Hardy on the field more often as a pass rusher, while the larger philosophical debate may be whether Allen is ready to lean harder into blitzing after spending much of his time in the league preferring a more measured approach. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Bye Week Could Quietly Fix A Few Trouble Spots
The bye week comes at a good time for a Bears roster that has been dealing with a few nagging issues and a few moving parts. Garrett Bradbury gets a chance to reset physically, while the extra time also gives Chicago a window to get healthier and sort through some of the depth-chart churn that has been forced on the lineup.
Kyle Monangai is expected back from injured reserve, Ozzy Trapilo may be ready to rejoin the lineup, and Malik Muhammad could be on track to return from injury as well. Sam Roush, meanwhile, can use the break to settle in after seeing more playing time than expected, which makes this stretch feel less like dead time and more like a quiet chance to clean up a few trouble spots before the next run of games. [Read more 🡒]
Bears May Have Found A Trade Bonus They Barely Can Use
The Bears trade for Clark Phillips III looked like a savvy little add-on when they sent Gervon Dexter Sr. to Atlanta for a fifth-round pick and the young cornerback. Phillips has flashed enough in limited snaps to make the move feel worthwhile, especially with his ability to hold up in coverage and contribute in pass-rush situations. For a defense that always values depth in the secondary, he has at least given Chicago something to think about.
The catch is that the Bears may not have an easy path to using him much more than they already have. Jaylon Johnson has been trending in the right direction, and Malik Muhammad is back from injury, which tightens the rotation at corner just as Phillips was starting to make a case for more work. It leaves Chicago in a familiar spot with a useful player who may simply be stuck behind healthier, more established options. [Read more 🡒]