Time to pump the brakes a bit.
Last week, I wrote about Chicago’s Week 1 offensive onslaught of a win in the highest-scoring season opener in NFL history. I’m not sure anyone could have predicted how quickly the momentum would dissipate, as the Minnesota Vikings bested the Bears 9-3 in a game where neither team reached the end zone.
To cap off such an ugly matchup, Bears fans were sent into a collective pit of despair (if only for a little while) when quarterback Caleb Williams went down with an injury in the fourth quarter, heading to the locker room on the injury cart.
So, what really is going on in Chicago? Let’s try and make sense of a wild week for the Bears.
What’s the situation with Caleb Williams?
When Chicago’s franchise quarterback went down with what looked like a non-contact injury late in Sunday’s game against Minnesota, there wasn’t much reason for optimism. He had to be helped off the field by trainers, and was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Now, based on the immediate reaction from Williams, most fans assumed his season was over.
It turns out, after all the commotion, that Chicago’s signal-caller is week-to-week, according to head coach Ben Johnson. And while Johnson doesn’t expect Williams to practice this week, he did participate in walkthroughs, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.
There is no ideal time for a starting quarterback to miss a stretch of games, especially when a date with division rival Green Bay looms in Week 5. Even as Williams likely wants to return to the field as soon as he can, the Bears should keep him out until there’s little concern he’ll get hurt again.
The main takeaway here? It’s a matter of when, not if, the Bears get Williams back under center in 2026.
So, if Williams misses a few weeks, Tyson Bagent is a capable backup…right?
On any other week, the answer to this question would be yes. Former DII quarterback Tyson Bagent has been the backup option in Chicago since the Bears signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2023. He knows Johnson’s system, and signed a two-year contract extension before the 2025 season.
But Bagent is currently in concussion protocol after sustaining multiple hits in the final two drives of Sunday’s loss. That forces the Bears to turn to 15-year veteran Case Keenum, who hasn’t appeared in a regular season game since December of 2023 with the Houston Texans, but does have 66 career starts under his belt.
As long as Williams is out, there’s no reason to expect any hero throws from whoever the Bears quarterback is. But assuming the run game gets back to its Week 1 form, Keenum should be a serviceable fill-in.
What else needs fixing for Chicago to right the ship?
Look, there’s a lot of football games to be played. Remember last year, when Bears fans thought the sky was falling after an 0-2 start, including a game where Detroit demolished Chicago 52-21? Things ended up being alright after that stretch.
But there are some puzzling trends. Offensively, instead of tight end Colston Loveland (who led Chicago in receiving yards last year) or young wideouts Rome Odunze or Luther Burden III, it is Kalif Raymond who leads the Bears in targets and receptions through two weeks.
Loveland has just one catch for three yards this year. Certainly not ideal.
Defensively, rookies Dillon Thieneman and Malik Muhammad II have been fantastic additions, as Thieneman leads the team in tackles and Muhammad II has the only interception this year.
However, the big names are nowhere to be found, leaving those rookies to carry the load.
Corners Tyrique Stevenson and Jaylon Johnson rank in the bottom 15 among all corners according to ProFootballNetwork, and Stevenson is considered week-to-week with a hamstring injury of his own.
Combine that with the well-established shortcomings of Chicago’s pass rush over the last few years, and you get a bit of a grim picture.
The next two weeks should give a better picture of what defensive coordinator Dennis Allen can do with the unit. Chicago faces the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football in Week 3, and then plays host to the New York Jets in Week 4.
It will be a better time to make definitive statements about Chicago’s offense when Caleb Williams returns, but until that happens, it’s on the defense to pick up the slack and keep the Bears afloat.
