The Bears head into their bye week sitting in a spot plenty of teams would love: 7-2, first in the NFC North, and able to spend Week 10 watching the rest of the league sort itself out from home. They don’t have to do anything this week except keep an eye on how the NFC playoff race shakes out.
And that race is tight. Chicago is currently the No. 2 seed in the conference, with the 49ers at No. 1, the Giants at No. 3, the Panthers at No. 4, the Lions at No. 5, the Vikings at No. 6 and the Packers at No.
- It’s a crowded picture, and the Bears are right in the middle of it.
One of the biggest reasons Chicago moved up is Minnesota’s slide. The Vikings have dropped two straight, including a 23-6 loss to the Bills on Monday night. That stumble helped the Bears’ standing, but it also serves as a reminder that the NFC North is going to be a grind all the way through.
Every team in the division currently has at least six wins, making it the only division in the NFL where that’s true. So while the Bears are in a strong playoff position, the division title is far from settled. Chicago has already taken two losses to NFC North opponents, and it still has four divisional games left: two against the Lions, plus one each against the Packers and Vikings.
The 49ers are another team Chicago has to keep watching. San Francisco keeps winning despite the injuries it has dealt with, and with some of those players starting to return, the source of concern is obvious: the 49ers could be getting even tougher down the stretch.
Chicago, though, has earned its place in the conversation. The Bears enter the bye on a four-game winning streak, and they survived a difficult stretch to get here. The second half won’t be simple, either, because four of their final eight games come against NFC North opponents.
After the bye, the Bears return against the Saints. They also still have the Dolphins on the schedule in mid-December, and those are the games that look more manageable. The Jaguars and Bills, meanwhile, will be much tougher tests.
That leaves the division matchups as the real swing games. If Chicago can win three of the four NFC North contests left, it should stay in the mix for the division. If the Bears sweep those games, the title is theirs.
A major reason for optimism is Jeffery Simmons. The trade has already paid off, and Chicago’s defense has looked better with him in the mix. Simmons has two sacks in two games, and his presence has helped lift players like Montez Sweat, Austin Booker, Grady Jarrett, and others.
That kind of impact is why the Bears feel like a team with room to keep climbing. Simmons has been the difference-maker so far, and Chicago’s move for him already looks like the kind that can reshape a season in a hurry.
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 🡒]