The Chicago Bears went 2-2 in September. After a Week 5 bye, they will return to action Monday night against the Washington Commanders.
The bye week is a great time to take stock in what we’ve seen so far — and what we might expect the remainder of the season.
The Tribune’s Brad Biggs, Sean Hammond and Phil Thompson tackle five pressing questions facing the Bears after the bye.
1. What did we learn about Ben Johnson through the first four games?
Bears coach Ben Johnson goes over plays in the second quarter against the Lions at Ford Field on Sept. 14, 2025, in Detroit. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Biggs: Johnson’s consistency continues to shine through. He talked about being detail-driven since he arrived, and he has backed that up with actions. Remember, he pulled the starting offense off the field in the first training camp practice.
“That’s on par for how Ben is,” tight end Cole Kmet said, “If you’re not doing it right, he’s going to get you out and he’s not going to see that stuff continue.”
In attempting to rebuild the Bears, Johnson rolled everything back to zero and isn’t skipping any steps along the way. He realizes the scale of the task he’s managing and remains process-driven through both disappointing losses to open the season and the last two victories. That should benefit him in the long run when the process starts affecting the results more regularly.
Hammond: His players play hard for him. Look no further than his postgame speeches after the two victories. He’s a fiery coach who feels like a 180-degree turn from his predecessor.
Johnson might be a “snot-nosed computer punk” at heart — as Dan Campbell used to call him — but he’s a lot more than that. This is a coach who knows how he wants things to be done, and if it’s not working, he’s going to do something about it — like changing the lineup on the offensive line.
Thompson: We learned that, while Johnson can be no-nonsense and demanding of his players (not a bad thing), he also takes accountability for his role in his team’s shortcomings, including the running game and run defense. That’s all you can ask of a rookie head coach — for now.
Offensively, he’s not afraid to be aggressive or pull out a bag of tricks on occasion, but he’s not gimmicky. He has to iron out some kinks in game management, though.
2. What did we learn about Caleb Williams through the first four games?
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams throws a pass in the first quarter against the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sept. 28, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Biggs: Williams has made significant gains since the start of the offseason program, and you can also identify improvements from the opener through the Week 4 victory in Las Vegas.
Against the Minnesota Vikings, he looked very much like he did as a rookie, leaving the pocket unnecessarily, failing to play with tempo and being the victim of his own poor footwork. Since then he has been better playing on schedule and in rhythm. He’s more comfortable standing in the pocket and letting it rip, and he has been good situationally, especially at the end of halves.
As Williams’ command at the line of scrimmage grows — and it should with a lot of football remaining this season — he can ascend further.
Hammond: I see a quarterback who is showing signs that he’s figuring out how to deal with pressure. Watching Maxx Crosby wreak havoc in Week 4, it’s pretty remarkable that Crosby didn’t have a sack. Williams did a great job of avoiding pressure without simply bailing from the pocket, as he so often did as a rookie.
Was it perfect? No, but he avoided major errors. You can’t make boneheaded mistakes in the NFL and expect to win games. Other than one bad interception against the Detroit Lions, Williams has taken care of the football.
Thompson: It’s hard to tell from just four games. He still seems a little erratic under pressure, though he handled himself well in the second half against Crosby and the Raiders.
Williams’ completion percentage (62.3%) and interception rate (1.5%) are similar to his rookie season, but his touchdown rate of 6.2% (eight TDs) is a big leap from last season’s 3.6%.
3. Fill in the blank: The strongest position group on the 2025 Bears roster is ______?
Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze celebrates after a first-quarter touchdown against the Cowboys on Sept. 21, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Biggs: You’d probably like to say the interior of the offensive line, given the huge investment the team made in guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and center Drew Dalman. While the pass protection has been much better — the Bears are 10th in sack rate at 4.55% after ranking 32nd last season at 10.03% — the rushing offense has been problematic.
So I’ll go with the wide receivers. Rome Odunze is emerging as a No. 1 target for Williams with 20 catches for 295 yards and five touchdowns. Mix in DJ Moore, Olamide Zaccheaus and understand there will be an expanded role for rookie Luther Burden III as the season unfolds, and it’s easy to pick this group.
Hammond: I’m right there with Biggs. Before the season I would’ve said the secondary, but injuries have made that group thin. Looking at this team now, Odunze’s rise was one of the best storylines of September.
If Moore is your second option and Burden can come in and make a wow play every once in a while, that’s a pretty solid combination.
Thompson: The secondary. I know it sounds crazy to pick a group that has allowed a league-high 10 passing touchdowns, tied with the Dallas Cowboys, but consider this: The Bears lead the NFL with a 6.14% interception rate despite having some of the worst pass-rush numbers.
Quarterbacks have had the third-longest time to throw (2.95 seconds), which tracks with the Bears’ second-slowest time to pressure (2.97 seconds). And some of the secondary’s top contributors still are working their way back from injuries, including Kyler Gordon and Jaylon Johnson.
4. Conversely, what’s one aspect of the game or one position group where you feel less clarity than you did four weeks ago?
Bears running back D’Andre Swift (4) is helped up by teammates after fumbling the ball in the first quarter against the Lions at Ford Field on Sept. 14, 2025, in Detroit. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Biggs: The defensive line is under the microscope because the Bears have struggled to stop the run, an issue that didn’t just pop up last week when Raiders rookie Ashton Jeanty got loose. The Bears rank last in the league in run defense, allowing 164.5 yards per game, and last in yards per carry at 6.15.
That’s not just on the linemen, but they really struggled to get off blocks in Las Vegas against an offensive line that performed poorly through the first three weeks. The Bears are also tied for 26th with only six sacks, and while the pass rush (like the run defense) is a combination of the front and back ends of the defense, it starts up front. An examination of what ails the defense starts in the trenches.
Hammond: While the D-line has certainly been a concern, I’m going to point toward the running game. D’Andre Swift has been one of the least efficient running backs in the league.
Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Swift is spending an average of 3 seconds per carry behind the line of scrimmage. That’s eighth-most among 43 running backs with enough carries to qualify. Swift has been underwhelming, and a second option hasn’t really emerged.
Thompson: The tight ends. By his own admission, Ben Johnson hasn’t involved them enough in the game plan. And it hasn’t helped that rookie Colston Loveland has missed time with a hip injury.
5. To quote Dennis Green, are the Bears who we thought they were? In other words, have your feelings changed one way or another about where this team might finish come Week 18?
Bears coach Ben Johnson talks with quarterback Caleb Williams in the second quarter against the Lions at Ford Field on Sept. 14, 2025, in Detroit. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Biggs: The narrative surrounding Williams has certainly improved since the start of the season, and considering his development is the top storyline for this season, that’s a positive.
The Bears are 0-2 in the division and have a ways to go to be competitive on a consistent basis against their rivals. That hasn’t changed. The schedule looks more favorable than it did over the summer. I still think this is a team that hovers in the neighborhood of eight wins, which would represent a nice step forward from where it was in 2024.
Hammond: I expected this team to be around .500 and that’s exactly where it is after four weeks. The beatdown in Detroit was certainly concerning, and it doesn’t bode well for looming matchups against the NFC’s best, including the Green Bay Packers (twice), Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers and the Lions again.
There are enough winnable games that this team can reach eight or nine wins.
Thompson: My feelings haven’t changed at all. I expected some early growing pains — and there will be more to come. The lack of a pass rush isn’t all that surprising, but the lack of a running game is when you consider Johnson worked with Swift in Detroit.
But the birth of a competent passing game represents huge progress, given the Bears finished second-to-last in passing yards per game (181.5) last season.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/07/chicago-bears-5-pressing-questions-bye-week/
