The Bears are 3-1, Caleb Williams has already missed two games, and yet the early picture in Chicago still looks better than almost anyone would have guessed before the season. Williams went down in Week 2 with a hamstring injury, but he was not placed on IR, so the absence should not stretch out for long. In the meantime, Ben Johnson and Dennis Allen have helped push the Bears into a spot where they appear to be leading the NFC North.
On offense, the numbers jump off the page. Chicago is first in the NFL in yards per game at 429 and first in rush yards per game at 196.
The Bears are also ninth in points per game at 28 and sixth in third-down conversion rate at 47%. A lot of that production has come with Williams sidelined, which makes the start even more striking.
The run game has become the engine. Kyle Monangai sits seventh in the league with 324 rushing yards, while D’Andre Swift is right behind him at eighth with 311.
The Bears have been especially strong after halftime, and if you stripped away all of their first-half rushing yards, they would still rank 12th in the league on the ground. Outside of the Minnesota game, which the source calls a dud, the offense has rolled.
The passing game has not had to carry the load yet, and that shows in the receiving totals. Rome Odunze leads the team with 233 yards on 14 catches, but the wideouts have largely been secondary pieces because the ground attack has been doing the heavy lifting. With Williams set to return to an offense that already has a strong rushing foundation, the picture only gets more dangerous for defenses.
Defensively, the Bears have flipped the script from the preseason expectations. A unit that was widely expected to struggle has instead settled in and produced.
After giving up 37 points to the Panthers in Week 1, Chicago has tightened up considerably. The Bears are third in yards allowed per game at 282.3, fourth in points allowed per game at 16.3, ninth in sacks with 10, and 11th in takeaways with six.
Dayo has been a big part of that turnaround, leading the team with three sacks and looking like a different player this season. The Bears have also done this while dealing with injuries and while facing quarterbacks such as Carson Wentz, Jalen Hurts, and Geno Smith over the last three weeks. The schedule has helped some, but the defense has still been much better than expected.
Special teams has been more solid than spectacular. Tory Taylor has only had to punt eight times, the second-fewest total in the league, because the offense keeps moving the chains and Ben Johnson keeps pushing on fourth down.
Still, Taylor’s 50.3-yard average is sixth-best in the NFL, so when he is called on, he has done his job. Against the Jets, he barely had to touch the field beyond holding for a pair of extra points and three Cairo Santos field goals.
Santos is 7-for-8 on field goals, with the only miss coming on a block against the Vikings. His long is 50 yards, and while his range is limited, the accuracy has been there.
Zavion Thomas has not given the Bears much yet as a kick returner, and Khalif Raymond has been fine on punt returns. Thomas was a third-round pick, so the expectation is for more, but it has not shown up yet.
The coaching has been the biggest reason this start feels real. Johnson has made the Bears offense look organized, aggressive, and easy to plug quarterbacks into.
Case Keenum went 24 of 34 for 247 yards and two touchdowns against the Eagles in Week 3, with receivers running open all over the field. Tyson Bagent followed that up by going 25 of 34 for 268 yards and one interception against the Jets, again with Johnson creating separation and the run game setting the tone.
The message is clear: it has not mattered who is under center.
Dennis Allen deserves equal credit. The Bears now rank second in opposing third-down conversion percentage at 24%, trailing only Minnesota and Brian Flores. Allen has also gotten strong early work from two rookies on the back end, Dillon Thieneman and Malik Muhammad.
Richard Hightower has been steady too, aside from the blocked field goal against the Vikings. Chicago ranks third in kickoff return average allowed at 22.8 yards per return, though the Bears sit dead last in kickoff return average at 21.2 yards. That area still needs work, especially from Thomas, but it is a smaller issue compared with everything else working for this team right now.
In Other News...
Bears Open Week 5 With A Protection Problem Fans Feared
The Bears opened Week 5 with a familiar and uncomfortable sight on the injury report, and this one hit right where the offense can least afford it. Chicago listed 12 players heading into the week, with seven not practicing, including three starting offensive linemen in Jonah Jackson, Joe Thuney and Darnell Wright, a grouping that leaves the front in clear jeopardy before the game plan even gets into motion.
Caleb Williams was also ruled out and did not practice, adding another layer to an offense already trying to stabilize around a battered line. Kyle Monangai and D'Andre Swift were among the running backs sidelined by injuries, while the news was a little better on defense, where Kyler Gordon and Cam Lewis were full participants and appear close to returning. Still, the early week picture for Chicago was less about who might come back and more about how many key pieces are suddenly unavailable. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Strong Start Just Made One Trade Debate Very Real
Chicagos 3-1 start has changed the tone around the roster, and it has also turned a familiar conversation into a much more serious one: how much should the Bears lean into upgrading a defense that already looks capable of carrying real weight in the NFC? With the Los Angeles Chargers stumbling, the idea of Chicago shopping in that direction suddenly feels less like idle deadline chatter and more like a plausible way to address a unit that could still use another jolt.
The most obvious name in that discussion is Khalil Mack, whose presence would bring instant credibility and familiarity, but he is not the only Chargers defender drawing attention. Tuli Tuipulotu and Cam Hart also fit the kind of long-view roster questions that matter if Los Angeles begins to think differently about its future. For Chicago, the appeal is clear: if the Chargers are drifting toward a reset, the Bears may have a chance to pounce on a player who fits a need before the market gets crowded. [Read more 🡒]
Luther Burden III Just Added Real Heat To Bears Packers Week 5
Luther Burden III is making it clear the Bears are treating Week 5 like more than just another early-season game. The rookie wideout put the rivalry front and center this week, underscoring Chicagos eagerness to beat Green Bay and do it in convincing fashion, while the bigger backdrop only adds to the temperature around the matchup. Ben Johnson also brings some useful history into this one, with a strong track record against Packers coach Matt LaFleur, including a recent playoff win.
Chicago enters the week with reasons to feel better about where it sits than it has in past editions of this rivalry. The Packers have shown cracks along the offensive line, and the Bears own roster looks deeper and more stable, especially on defense. Burdens comments fit the moment well, because this is the kind of game where confidence, edge and a little extra bite can matter almost as much as the usual Xs and Os. [Read more 🡒]