The Chicago Bears are back at Halas Hall after their bye week and gearing up for Sunday’s road game against the Washington Commanders, featuring a marquee matchup between rookie quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels.
As the Bears look to extend their winning streak to four games, the Tribune’s team of writers examines what it saw over the first six games — and what might come in the months ahead — by answering four fill-in-the-blank questions.
1. Caleb Williams’ performance through six games of his rookie season has been _____.
Brad Biggs: Filled with the kind of steady development the Bears hoped they would see.
Williams struggled in the pocket in the first two games but has been more steady, and it looks like — at times — he’s forcing himself to remain in the pocket in instances that in preseason or college he would have pressed the eject button and relied on his athletic gifts to extend off-schedule plays. He has shown more confidence in climbing the pocket, and when he’s on the move, he’s almost always seeking to pass first, like the big completion to tight end Cole Kmet in the last game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
Williams has had a passer rating above 100 in his last three games and completed 74.1% of his passes in that stretch, and he’s beginning to show real comfort at the line of scrimmage, especially when the Bears go no-huddle. He has been comfortable working off his first read and sometimes even getting to the back side and his third read, and that’s a hurdle many young quarterbacks face in their second and third seasons.
He has developed a feel for what challenges the elements — it was very windy during the Week 4 win against the Los Angeles Rams — can provide for quarterbacks at Soldier Field and soon will face better defenses. The last four defenses the Bears faced rank in the bottom eight in the NFL in yards per pass attempt, but it’s reasonable to assume Williams keep progressing.
Colleen Kane: Exciting.
Yes, there were many not-great moments during the 1-2 start. But it would be hard for any longtime Bears observer to watch some of the throws Williams made in the 35-16 victory against the Jaguars and not come away invigorated by the No. 1 pick’s potential. The two touchdown throws to Keenan Allen were beautiful.
The growth in Williams’ comfort and feel for the NFL has been visible each week — and measurable, as he has topped a 100 passer rating three weeks in a row. And the excitement from teammates after the Jaguars game felt real. They have seen the steps he has taken, and many noted how badly Williams wants to be great.
That’s not to say there won’t be struggles ahead. The stretch of six NFC North games in the final eight weeks could be taxing. But after so many years of quarterback uncertainty, Williams’ start has given Bears fans reason to hope better things could be ahead.
Dan Wiederer: Promising.
It’s not just Williams’ recent production surge that has been impressive. It’s that he continues to handle everything coming at him with such steadiness.
The offensive’s pronounced struggles in September? No problem. Williams communicated with teammates, offered solution suggestions to coaches and kept grinding.
Crossed wires on the field with DJ Moore early in the season? No problem. Williams persevered to get Moore unlocked with a 105-yard, two-touchdown day in Week 5 against his former team, the Carolina Panthers.
An intercontinental trip to the United Kingdom? No problem. Williams stayed locked in and threw four touchdown passes in a blowout of the Jaguars.
And when he threw an ugly second-quarter interception in that game? No problem. Williams became, in his words, “pissed off” at that bad miss and channeled his competitive anger into a productive response, leading the Bears to four consecutive touchdown drives after the turnover.
In six games, Williams has shown an extraordinary combination of growth, maturity, playmaking brilliance and competitive drive. Yep. Pretty promising.
2. The most impressive player on the team has been _____.
Biggs: Jaylon Johnson.
A handful of players are worth considering, but it doesn’t take long to single out the cornerback, who was extended in March with a new four-year, $76 million contract. He’s making that look like money well spent as some defensive coaches will tell you there is no greater chess piece than a true shutdown corner. Johnson, who has two interceptions, arguably has been the best at the position in the league this season. According to NFL’s NextGen stats, he has a league-low passer-rating allowed of 20.8 when targeted (minimum of 15 targets). According to Pro Football Reference, he has allowed one touchdown reception in coverage in his last 861 snaps. The Bears haven’t faced the most daunting list of opposing quarterbacks, but Johnson has been air-tight in coverage, which makes him the easy choice.
Kane: Multiple players on defense.
Williams’ growth rightfully has been the major storyline. But take a minute to appreciate what this defense has done in helping Williams get on his feet.
The Bears have held opponents to 21 points or fewer in 12 straight games, the longest active streak in the NFL and the longest for the Bears since 2005. Entering Sunday, the defense was in the top 10 in multiple categories: fifth with 16.8 points allowed per game, seventh with 292 yards allowed per game, fourth with a 3.72% interception rate and sixth with a 9.57% sack rate.
And I honestly can’t pick one player who has been most impressive because so many have showed up. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson continues to play at a Pro Bowl level with two interceptions and five passes defended. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds has an interception, a forced fumble and a sack. Four more players have interceptions, and the Bears have accounted for six other forced fumbles.
Montez Sweat, T.J. Edwards, Gervon Dexter, Kevin Byard, Kyler Gordon, Andrew Billings and Jaquan Brisker all have made huge plays, and even backups Josh Blackwell and Elijah Hicks have contributed. The entirety of what this defense has done has been very impressive.
Wiederer: Cole Kmet.
Look no further than the game in London, where the veteran tight end showed what he’s all about. Yes, Kmet made a major impact on offense, catching five passes for 70 yards with two touchdowns.
But it was his ability to step in for injured long snapper Scott Daly that really turned heads. Kmet was far from perfect on his six snaps — five successful PATs and a field-goal attempt that was blocked. And truthfully, his honor as NFC special teams player of the week for that relief appearance was a bit gimmicky.
But Kmet’s contributions also represented his team-first, win-driven mentality. That’s what has made him such a favorite of general manager Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus. That’s what helped him be selected as one of four offensive captains. That’s a testament to his work ethic and an example of why his voice resonates in the locker room.
And I keep coming back to what fellow tight end and captain Marcedes Lewis told me in the locker room after the win in London, describing Kmet’s no-flinch determination when thrust into a role that, by his own admission, gives him great anxiety.
“He just looked at me and was like, ‘Hey, man, let’s (freaking) go!’ ” Lewis said. “That’s just a dude being a dude.”
3. Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders will be _____.
Biggs: Great theater.
Caleb Williams, raised in Washington and the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, will square off against Jayden Daniels, the No. 2 pick. The Bears and Commanders had quite a rivalry during the Mike Ditka era when his teams regularly squared off against Joe Gibbs and Washington. The Bears were 3-5 against Washington when it was Ditka versus Gibbs, including playoff encounters after the 1984, 1986 and 1987 seasons.
Since then, the teams have had only one meeting in which both teams were above .500, as they are now. DeAngelo Hall intercepted Jay Cutler four times in a 2010 meeting at Soldier Field that Washington won 17-14, leaving both teams 4-3.
Williams versus Daniels will garner massive headlines, and the head-to-head meeting was an easy choice for the league to move into the national television slot in late afternoon for CBS. Maybe it will serve as an early turning point when considering rookie of the year voting, but it’s also a big game for defensive end Montez Sweat, a former Washington first-round pick. The Bears have a superior defense, and even though they’re currently a short underdog, the difference on that side of the ball could prove pivotal in the game.
Kane: A good test for where the Bears really are as a team.
They did what they were supposed to do against inferior teams the last two games, beating the Panthers by 26 and the Jaguars by 19. But their four wins have come against teams that had a total of four wins through Week 6.
The Commanders are a different kind of test, particularly for a Bears defense that has locked down so many opponents. Daniels leads a Commanders offense that through Week 6 ranked in the top five in yards (378) and points (29.7) per game.
Meanwhile, Williams will be tasked with staying poised in a game that has a whole lot to its backstory. He’ll be playing in his hometown and facing off against the quarterback drafted directly after him. There’s a better chance he might have to come through in a tight game. That makes this one intriguing.
Wiederer: Hyped. Energized. Watched very, very closely.
Are you kidding me? The Williams-Daniels matchup is “made for the machine,” as I like to say, loaded with legitimate promise and intrigue yet capable of short-circuiting the NFL’s debate landscape.
The top two draft picks? Both playing really well? With Williams also returning to where he grew up and went to high school? No wonder the league flexed this into the late afternoon time slot on CBS with the network’s top crew of Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson on the call.
Truthfully, it should be a pretty entertaining show and, perhaps, the first of many battles between Williams and Daniels in their careers. Both players have shown the requisite playmaking flashes and overall maturity to meet this moment. Just be forewarned: No matter what the result is, an explosion of overreaction is forecast for the five or six days that follow.
4. For Matt Eberflus to lead the Bears to the playoffs this season, he must _____.
Biggs: Find ways to win divisional games leaning on his defense while there are expected ebbs and flows for an offense led by a rookie quarterback.
The Bears have won eight consecutive games at Soldier Field, the longest current streak in the league, and Eberflus has to turn around the team’s fortunes in the rough-and-tumble NFC North with all four teams above .500. The Bears have been woeful in division play for a long time — they’re 27-51, with the lone shining season a 5-1 finish in 2018, Matt Nagy’s first year. The Bears won two of their final three division games last season — including a home victory against the Detroit Lions — and their postseason chances are going to hinge heavily on the team’s ability to at least go 3-3 against NFC North foes. If Eberflus can accomplish that, figure the Bears have a good chance to reach the playoffs.
Kane: Continue to maintain an environment in which Williams can flourish.
It certainly was an interesting monthlong stretch for the Bears as they sought answers after back-to-back losses to the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts — and then finally saw their offense come alive under coordinator Shane Waldron and Williams.
There was a lot of talk after the Colts loss about the communication between coaches and players as they tried to iron out their issues. Since then players have spoken often about the strong leadership in their ranks. Wide receiver Keenan Allen recently called it a “player-led team.”
So while Eberflus has to continue his strong direction of the defense, his major challenge is overseeing the proper collaborative dynamic so the Bears can help Williams continue his ascent. If Williams continues to grow, that will benefit this team — and potential Bears playoff teams down the line too.
Wiederer: Help his team rise to the occasion.
Sure, Eberflus and the Bears have yet to beat a high-quality opponent. But they can only play the team in front of them each week. And their ability to trounce the Panthers and Jaguars by a combined score of 71-26 is a testament to their ability to handle their business with proper focus and effort.
We all know the schedule will get much more difficult soon, especially when the Bears play all six of their division games over the final eight weeks. The NFC North sure looks like the league’s most complete division. And to survive, Eberflus and the Bears will have to rise to the occasion. Repeatedly.
That’s with their preparation for each game. That’s with their ability to show resolve through adversity. It’s with the need to consistently make game-changing plays when those moments arise.
With big-time playmakers emerging across all three phases, the Bears should feel good about their potential to make a run at a playoff berth.
