The Chicago Bears had a miserable Week 2. They couldn’t get much going against the Minnesota Vikings’ stout defense, and the day got worse when Caleb Williams left with a hamstring injury.
Still, there was at least one way for Bears fans to feel a little better about themselves: the Green Bay Packers are making a mess of things, too. Both teams sit at 1-1, but the Packers already look a lot closer to trouble than contention.
That picture got uglier with the news that starting RT Zach Bako-Bewele is out for the season. What was already shaping up as a complicated stretch for Matt LaFleur has started to look like a full-blown nightmare.
The Packers’ offensive line was already graded 27th by Pro Football Focus after Week 1, and that was before losing Bako-Bewele, the one dependable piece up front. Josh Jacobs is still on the Commissioner's exempt list, which only makes the whole situation look shakier.
Green Bay’s first win didn’t exactly inspire confidence, either. LaFleur’s team needed a miracle special teams play and overtime to beat the New York Jets, and they were down by double digits to Geno Smith’s Jets before pulling it out.
There’s also the Micah Parsons situation. He’ll be out until at least Week 6, which likely means he misses the first matchup against the Bears. Even after he returns, there’s no guarantee he’ll be back to full speed right away.
Stack it all together and the Packers are staring at a rough road: a shaky cornerback group, their best player sidelined, no running game, a patched-together offensive line, and a head coach with a reputation for blowing double-digit leads.
The Bears aren’t spotless, of course. Their secondary has to play like it did in Week 2 and not like it did in the opener, and the pass rush still needs work.
But Chicago does have some clear advantages, including the quarterback spot, the coaching edge, a strong group of weapons for Caleb Williams, and one of the league’s better offensive lines. In other words, Bears fans have good reason to enjoy the Packers’ misery a little.
In Other News...
Bears Offensive Problem Just Got Harder For Ben Johnson To Ignore
The Bears offense was already in a tough spot before Caleb Williams left Sundays 9-3 loss to the Vikings with a hamstring injury. Chicago moved the ball better than Minnesota in total yards, but it never turned that into a touchdown, and the day turned into another reminder that sustaining drives and finishing possessions are still very much a problem. Williams went 15 of 26 for 138 yards with an interception before exiting, and the lack of rhythm around him made the entire unit look stuck in place.
Now Ben Johnson has a bigger question hanging over a team that already needed answers. The Bears are set to face the Eagles next, and if Williams cannot go, the offense will have to be reshaped on the fly while also trying to fix the same issues that showed up against Minnesota. For a staff looking for signs of progress, the timing could hardly be worse. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Fans Got One Bit Of Relief After A Brutal Week
The week did not get any kinder for the Bears after their loss to the Vikings, especially with the Caleb Williams injury situation now hanging over everything as Chicago looks ahead. At 1-2, the margin for error is already thin, and the next stretch only gets more important if the rookie quarterbacks availability remains in question.
Green Bay, however, gave Bears fans a small dose of comfort on Sunday by taking a 35-14 beating from the Falcons. Jordan Love never settled in, and the Packers defense had no answer for Bijan Robinson, offering Chicago at least a reminder that the NFC North race is still very much unsettled even as the Bears sort through their own concerns. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Head Into Monday Night With A QB Problem Nobody Wanted
The Bears are heading into Monday night with the kind of quarterback uncertainty nobody in the building wanted this early in the season. Ben Johnson said all three quarterbacks on the roster have a chance to play in Week 3, which leaves Chicago waiting on Caleb Williams as he deals with a hamstring injury and Tyson Bagent as he works through concussion protocol.
If both of those situations keep him out, Case Keenum is lined up to start, with Miller Moss positioned as the fourth-string option and an emergency backup. It is an uneasy place for a team trying to settle into a new rhythm under Johnson, especially with the spotlight of Monday Night Football waiting and no clear answer yet on who will take the first snap. [Read more 🡒]