What felt like an eternity in between Week 4 and the Chicago Bears’ Monday Night Football matchup in Week 6, football is finally back and here to stay until the conclusion of the regular season in early January. Following a disappointing (0-2) start to the Ben Johnson era, the Bears were able to get back on track in their two games heading into an early Week 5 bye. This game was all about exercising demons from 2024. Whether it was a redemption arc for Tyrique Stevenson, the No. 1 overall pick outperforming
the No. 2 overall pick, or Johnson getting revenge after an early-round playoff exit last January, there were plenty of storylines to latch onto.
Over the last two games, the Bears have been able to exercise some of their past demons. Coming from behind (in sloppy games) to get last-second 25-24 victories in back-to-back games is not something we’ve seen them do over the last five-plus years. With a (3-2) record and a winnable game in Week 7 ahead, let’s dive into Week 6’s 10 Bears Takes following another thrilling win on the road.
1. Caleb Williams Versus Jayden Daniels Round 2 Goes To Williams, Although I’d Argue That Daniels Had The Better Game.
As in most games this season, things started great for the Bears. They forced two early takeaways and jumped out to a 13-0 lead. Williams was moving the ball down the field, and Daniels only had an interception and 27 yards on four attempts to show for the first quarter of the game. Then came the reset. With the script out the window and the anxious energy gone, the Commanders started their march toward victory.
As Williams cooled off, Daniels heated up. Not only was he completing almost every pass, but he was creating on the ground. The Bears’ 13-0 lead quickly shrank, and before the end of the third quarter, Chicago found itself down 17-16. During that stretch, Williams’ accuracy had completely left the building. Granted, some plays should have been made, but as we’ve seen for his 22-game tenure in Chicago, there were far too many non-competitive throws.
As the Bears’ offense stalled and the Commanders took an eight-point lead, it felt like the game was slipping away. It took two big chunk throws from Williams to Odunze and Williams to Swift to get them back in the game. When it mattered the most, Caleb made the throws. In reality, the run game, namely D’Andre Swift, was the biggest key to victory when the clock struck 0:00 in the fourth quarter.
On the other side, Daniels threw for three touchdowns, but fumbled the ball with a chance to put the game away. Last year’s No. 2 overall pick had the better numbers and, frankly, made the better throws, but in the end, he was the one responsible for two turnovers, while Williams was responsible for none. In reality, the “competition” between the two players means little, outside of when they play each other. Yet, when evaluating last year’s stacked class of first-round quarterbacks, it’s impossible to ignore what the other quarterbacks in Williams’ class have done. A little later, I’ll dive into a progress report for each of the six Top 12 picks from 2024, but for now, Bears fans should just be happy they found a way to win the game. The best is yet to come from their quarterback, but in some ways, it’s hard to ignore the comparisons when they are both on the field playing each other.
2. The Bears Came Out Of The Bye With Some Juice. That’s Something We Haven’t Seen Since The Lovie Smith Days.
Coming into Monday, the Bears were (1-12) in the post-Lovie Smith era, following bye weeks. Even during their 2018 playoff run, when they went (12-4), they failed to beat the Dolphins in one of the crazier games of the season. Following a rough (0-2) start, the Bears scratched and clawed their way back to .500 before entering an early Week 5 bye. It was fair to wonder what things would look like after it, especially with a new coaching staff.
Last year, Chicago went into their bye at (4-2), riding high on a blowout victory in London over the Jacksonville Jaguars. They dominated the game from start to finish, and to that point, it was Williams’ best game as a pro. It felt like they were on the cusp of breaking through. That was until the infamous Hail Mary, which was played at Naseum throughout the week, and on Monday night’s broadcast. The Bears went from a promising (4-2) start to losing 10 games in a row, leading to former head coach Matt Eberflus being fired on Black Friday.
Despite the extensive discussions about changing the culture at Halas Hall, it was easy to feel that Monday night was, in many ways, a “must-win” game for the Bears. Capturing that “culture-building” game in Las Vegas only went so far if they turned around two weeks later and blew a similar game.
In the end, it’s easy to chalk Week 6 up as an “ugly” win, and we’ll get to that more in a few, but how they came out swinging was the most promising sign of the night. It’s clear that head coach Ben Johnson and his staff made adjustments during the bye week and have a plan moving forward. There was far more motion than we’ve seen at any point this season, and for the majority of the first half, the offense felt free-flowing. The penalties and self-inflicted mistakes are still an issue, but it’s also easy to see where cleaning up a few mistakes will consistently lead to 30-point performances. If anything, one thing was clear after the first few drives against the Commanders: this coaching staff values adjustments and doesn’t overlook preparation. Through one game, Johnson delivered on his promise to self-evaluate during the bye, and there’s plenty of reason to believe that those changes will continue to evolve as the season goes on. The coaches learn more about their players’ strengths.
3. Learning How To Win Can Be An Art For A Young Team, And As The Bears Have Shown, It’s Not Always Pretty (Or Easy).
I think we can all agree that in a perfect world, the Bears winning games won’t always be as stressful as they have been the last two contests. These types of thrillers are not exactly great for the blood pressure, especially on Monday night when people need to sleep before work the next day.
Even so, it’s impossible to overlook the changes this group has gone through so far in 2025. Simply put, these were not games the Bears would have won during the Matt Eberflus era. In fact, I would argue that both games would have gotten away from them, much like it did in Week 1 against the Vikings. Admittedly, it was easy to go down the mental path of “here we go again”.
Chicago has shown flashes of good football, but the only game where they’ve sustained that was in Week 3 against the Dallas Cowboys. In their last two games on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders and Washington Commanders, the self-inflicted mistakes and costly penalties have made things much closer than they should have been. Ultimately, what matters is the results of these games, and the Bears have rebounded from that Week 1 loss by reeling off back-to-back 25-24 victories on the road. Even more impressive is that they’ve now won three in a row for just the second time in the last four seasons.
At some point, the Bears will need to start playing better complementary football, and they could stand to make a move or two at the deadline. With just three games before November 4th’s trade deadline, the Bears can use another week or two to learn more about themselves, and ultimately, their chances of being a playoff team in 2025. For now, we’ll just have to sit back and hope they can continue to string wins together. As we’ll touch on in a few, this five-game stretch coming out of the bye week could very well define their season.
4. This Game Was All About Unlikely Heroes. Sometimes It Takes Everybody, And It Sure Did On Monday Night.
Part of the saving grace that came with a Week 5 bye was the team’s ability to get healthy. All but two players (Grady Jarrett and Cairo Santos) were healthy enough to play on Monday night, and Austin Booker should be activated from Injured Reserve over the next week or two. In addition to becoming more nutritious, the coaching staff was able to make some adjustments to the starting lineup and their approach to each game. A three-plus-year starting left tackle found himself relegated to the bench heading into Week 6. In addition to that significant change, Santos’ leg issue allowed the team to get a look at another (maybe future?) kicker.
Although the drastically improved run game cannot be entirely attributed to Theo Benedet’s addition into the starting five, the cohesiveness of the offensive line was evident from the opening snap of the game. Johnson has stayed committed to the run game, but it wasn’t until Monday night that things started to click. Benedet was highlighted multiple times on the broadcast for making essential blocks in the run game. On first watch, it appeared that he held up well in pass protection, albeit against a relatively anemic pass rush. The former undrafted free agent has made quite the impression this offseason with the new coaching staff, and is well-positioned to get his third start in as many games on Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field.
Going back to the kicker spot, it was fair to cringe at the idea of the Bears relying on Jake Moody to be a difference-maker in his first career game in navy blue and orange. As fate would have it, that’s precisely what he was—a difference-maker. The former third-round pick has had quite the 2025 campaign so far. He initially made the 49ers Week 1 roster, but was cut shortly after, before landing on the Bears’ practice squad a few days later. His leg strength is one of his credentials, but consistency has long been an issue for the former Michigan Wolverine. Despite the lack of confidence from the fanbase, Moody went four-of-five, including a 48-yarder, and the game-winning kick as time expired. We’ll dive more into his performance later, but suffice to say, without a strong night on the road (and in the rain), the Bears don’t come out with the win.
Finally, it was the emergence of D’Andre Swift that really propelled the offense in a hard-fought contest. Since Johnson was hired, he has given high praise to the one he calls “Swifty” over the first four games, but that praise looked unjustified. Similar to last year’s Week 8 matchup, the former second-round selection of the Detroit Lions was the best offensive player on the field. He finished the game with 108 rushing yards (8.7-yard average), two receptions for 67 yards, and a touchdown. Although the biggest play of the game came on his 55-yard touchdown reception, he had multiple big runs on the final drive of the game, which ultimately set the Bears up for a walk-off victory.
For the most part, the majority of the team’s stars were quiet. Rome Odunze had just two catches for 32, while DJ Moore came in a bit better with three receptions for 42 yards. It took three unlikely heroes and another three takeaways to seal the game for the Bears eventually, and while some might view that as a bad thing, finding ways to win games with the unlikeliest of names is something good teams do when they aren’t at their best.
5. Speaking Of Jake Moody, The Bears Might Want To Take Their Time Allowing Cairo Santos To Come Back From His Leg Injury.
Am I advocating for the Bears to outright replace Santos? No. At least, not yet. But they owe it to themselves (for the sake of their long-term future) to at least see what Moody can do over the next game or two. Santos injured his kicking leg during the Raiders game before the bye week. Despite being a full participant all week (there are some questions about those designations, anyway), he reported reaggravating the injury over the weekend and was scratched from the game.
Could it ultimately hurt the Bears to let Santos take his time coming back from his injury? Sure, there’s always that risk, but the reward of finding your potential long-term answer at kicker in the form of Moody outweighs it all. Moody’s distance has never been questioned; his overall accuracy has been the much bigger issue. No matter how strongly I feel about not drafting specialists (unless it’s the seventh round), there’s also a reason he was taken with a Day 2 selection. The talent is there, as is the college pedigree. We’ve seen it happen quite often where a kicker will fail with his original team, only to go on to have success with their second-chance. I’m by no means guaranteeing that with Moody here, but at this point, the future gains of giving him an extended look (without cutting Santos) make all the sense in the world.
We’ll see what the situation on Santos is during a short week, but I have a sneaking suspicion (regardless of how well Moody did or didn’t do on Monday night) that Santos’ injury will keep him out at least another week. The good news for the Bears is that they have someone to consider as a potential future solution.
6. Although Caleb Williams Looks Improved From Last Year, His Accuracy And Consistency Needs To Improve For This Offense To Take The Next Step.
Earlier in the offseason, Johnson was asked about goals for Williams in Year 2. Although most head coaches do a good job of dancing around those types of questions, the Bears’ head coach was very decisive with his answer. He wanted to see his quarterback complete 70% of his passes in 2025.
Although I would classify this as a lofty goal for any quarterback not named Jared Goff, the general expectation was for Williams to improve his accuracy down the field drastically and simply hit the “easy button” when nothing is open past the sticks. Through five games, Williams is actually trending in a slightly worse direction (in that department) than he was last year. With Monday night’s 17-of-29 (58.6%), his completion percentage on the season is barely hanging above 60%.
The good news is that multiple other metrics are trending far better than they were in his rookie year, including EPA per dropback and his success rate on the deep ball. Even so, being able to hit the easy throws and generally be more accurate on the rest is something that Williams must continue to improve upon if he wishes to take the next step.
7. This Stretch Of Five Games Coming Out Of The Bye Might Define The Bears’ Season.
The reason I’m not more definitive in saying that it WILL define their season is that their final eight games are filled with seven NFC opponents, all of whom are currently over .500. Their lone “should win” game comes against the Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field in mid-December.
For any of those later games to matter when it comes to the playoff picture, the Bears must put themselves in an advantageous position, especially with how deep the NFC is proving to be. A win against the Commanders goes a long way for multiple different reasons.
- They win any two-team tie-breaking scenario with both the Commanders and Cowboys now. However, with Dallas’s tie in Green Bay, the likelihood of any tie-breaking scenario seems slim to none.
- They’ve notched a (2-2) conference record, after starting (0-2). Their .500 winning percentage in the conference puts them in the mix with most of the Wild Card contenders, which plays a massive role in most tie-breaking scenarios.
- With their next two conference games against the Saints (1-5) and Giants (2-4), they have a real opportunity to exit this five-game stretch at (4-2) in the NFC.
Despite specific teams not looking nearly as unbeatable as they once did, the Bears still have one of the most demanding remaining schedules over the true second half of the season. With one win already in the books, here’s a look at their next four games.
Week 7: Vs New Orleans Saints (1-5)
Week 8: At Baltimore Ravens (1-5)
Week 9: At Cincinnati Bengals (2-4)
Week 10: Vs New York Giants (2-4)
On paper, the Bears *should* win all four of these games, but context is needed with each opponent. We’ll dive deeper into the Saints in a few, but to make a long story short, they’ve played all but one team (Seattle) tough this year en route to their (1-5) record. Baltimore has had a brutal start to the season. Still, they’ll be coming fresh off their bye week, and head coach John Harbaugh has confidently stated that both quarterback Lamar Jackson and All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith will be back for Week 8’s matchup against the Bears. Barring a miracle, Joe Burrow will still be out when the Bears head to Cincinnati in Week 9, making that a very winnable game. The Bengals have yet to win a game since Joe Burrow went down in Week 2. Finally, the Giants are playing much better football and possess a deadly defensive front. Still, Dennis Allen’s history with rookie quarterbacks and the Bears’ superior team performance should give them the edge.
Realistically, a (4-0) finish to this stretch (and a seven-game winning streak) is not likely the case. Yet, a (3-1) record over these next four games, which feels realistic, would give them a (6-3) record (and likely a (4-2) conference record), heading into the final eight games of the season. Although no projected finish could guarantee them a playoff spot, achieving a winning record is all fans can ask for as they look ahead to mid-November through the conclusion of the regular season. Buckle up, Bears fans. Things could get more fun in the coming weeks as the Bears enter a critical, and winnable, stretch of their schedule.
8. Year 2 Quarterback Check-In.
At the start of the season, I decided that it would be a good idea to track the progress of the second-year first-round quarterbacks throughout the season. In the moment, it’s easy to rush to judgment in Year 1 on a class, but as we’ve learned many times over the last decade, it can take years for a class to play out, especially one that was as deep as the 2024 group. Without further ado, let’s dive into each of the six quarterbacks taken in the Top 12 through the first six weeks of their sophomore seasons.
Caleb Williams
Outside of a rough Week 1, Williams has played consistently average-to-above-average. Through five games, it’s easy to argue that he’s had one bad, one great, and three solid performances. The biggest concern (as noted above) is his accuracy, which seems to fluctuate during the middle part of games. Consistency will be key for him to take the next step. We know he can make the big throws, but can he consistently hit the easy button when Johnson gives him the easy out? That will be the difference between him being a league-average quarterback and reaching the ceiling that most believed he had coming out of USC. Through five games, Williams is averaging 235.8 passing yards per game, 11 total touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating just under 100. The completion percentage is the most significant area of improvement in the numbers department.
Jayden Daniels
So far, it hasn’t looked quite as good as it did in 2024, but he’s not trending in the same direction that C.J. Stroud did in his second year. Through four starts, Daniels has thrown seven touchdowns to just one interception (which happened early in Monday night’s contest). His yards per game are down from last year, as is his explosiveness as a runner. The biggest concern for Daniels right now is durability. He was hurt last year but only missed most of one game; this year, he’s already missed two. With his frame and willingness to run, there’s always going to be an added risk to his game. We’ll see how things look as the season progresses and he gets healthier, but for now, he still looks like a Top 10 quarterback with plenty of ceiling still to reach.
Drake Maye
The New England Patriots are off to a surprising (4-2) start, and a big reason why is their quarterback. Maye looks like a star in the making. More impressive than anything is that his growth has been linear from Week 1 (where he wasn’t great) to Sunday. Not only did they take out the Buffalo Bills on National Television, but he hasn’t thrown an interception in three contests. For reference, he has five touchdowns and has taken just six sacks in that time. Maye has also averaged 10-plus yards per pass in half of his games so far in 2025. He’s been extremely decisive, and frankly, has put the offense on his back. Through six games, Maye has been the best of his class, and it really hasn’t been all that close.
Michael Penix Jr.
It’s been an up-and-down sophomore campaign for Penix Jr. so far this year, but there’s been more good than bad. Week 6 was a big-time performance, not only for the Falcons but for their young quarterback. Over his last two games, the former Washington product went 20-of-32 (62.5%) for one touchdown and played turnover-free football. There are still improvements to be made, but his ability to make big throws and not turn the ball over has shone recently. We’ll see how the offense looks as they start to get healthier.
J.J. McCarthy
After missing his entire rookie season due to a torn MCL, the former National Champion has played in just two of five games so far in 2025. To be completely transparent, all but one quarter of his NFL resume has been flat-out awful. Of his 41 passes, he averaged 7.3 yards per attempt, a 2:3 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and has thrown for just 150.5 yards per game. More concerning is that he’s taken nine sacks and has looked extremely inaccurate more often than not. It’s entirely possible that he comes back, gets healthy, and starts developing the way we’ve seen Kevin O’Connell transform his quarterbacks.
Bo Nix
I’ll be the first to say that I felt a lot of Nix’s rookie season was far more fool’s gold than actual production. Head coach Sean Payton deserves a lot of credit for consistently having the “easy button” available to his young quarterback. Now, don’t get me wrong, Nix had his flash moments, and his deep ball was much better than I had expected. So far in 2025, it’s been a mixed bag, with a lot of bailouts. Similar to last year, there are a lot of short throws designed to get him in a rhythm and to keep the offense moving. The bigger issue is that Nix’s deep accuracy has been off all season, and he’s struggled to get going in the first half of most games. The Broncos have an extremely talented roster, but in a conference with multiple elite quarterbacks, this team will go as far as Nix takes them. So far, I haven’t seen enough to convince me he can hang with the Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allens, and Lamar Jacksons of the league.
9. NFC North Lookaround: The Packers get back on track after the bye week, and the Lions hit a roadblock in Kansas City.
Week 5 saw byes for two NFC North teams, the Green Bay Packers and the Bears. This week, it was the Minnesota Vikings, who desperately needed it to get healthy. That left three teams within the division with a game to play, and the NFC North is shaping up to be another dog fight down the stretch.
We start with Sunday’s results, which saw the Packers hang on at Lambeau Field against Joe Flacco and the reeling Cincinnati Bengals. The offense took a while to get going, and the defense still doesn’t have quite the same bite that it did over the first two weeks of the season. In the end, Green Bay was the better team, and despite a late comeback from the Bengals, the Packers advanced to (3-1-1) on the season. Most surprising was that Flacco was sacked just one time on 46 dropbacks. Up next for the Packers is a reeling Cardinals team that has lost four in a row and might not have quarterback Kyler Murray. Then they’ll have an Aaron Rodgers reunion in Pittsburgh, followed by home games against the Panthers and Eagles. It’s easy to see a scenario where this is at least a (5-3-1) team heading into mid-November.
The Lions, on the other hand, did not find the same success in Week 6. Despite having three consecutive Super Bowl appearances, the Chiefs have been about as uneven as it gets to start 2025. With that said, they didn’t look like they had missed a beat on Sunday night when they hosted the Lions. The first half was close, but the Chiefs looked to be in complete control from the moment they received the ball to start the third quarter. The Lions offense continues to look dangerous, but eerily similar to last year, their secondary personnel is dropping like flies. With multiple starting cornerbacks out for an extended period of time, and both starting safeties banged up, they’re going to be tested in the coming weeks against the Buccaneers, Vikings, Commanders, and Eagles over the next five weeks. At (4-2), they sit in a comfortable spot, but with a (1-3) stretch, things could get really interesting, very quickly.
Heading into Week 7, here’s how the standings look:
Packers (3-1-1)
Lions (4-2)
Vikings (3-2)
Bears (3-2)
10. Week 7 Look Ahead: Heading Back Home To Host The (1-5) New Orleans Saints
Heading into 2025, the Saints were firmly in the “in-between” stage of their franchise lifecycle. Following years of general manager Mickey Loomis kicking the can down the road with a reckless cap management approach, the talent is starting to dry up in New Orleans. Couple that with a first-time head coach, and you get a (1-5) team that has shown some fight, but has a long way to go.
An underrated storyline of Sunday’s matchup is the two quarterbacks. For those who are not Oklahoma fans, let me give you some background: Spencer Rattler was a highly recruited, well-thought-of player coming out of Arizona when he committed to Oklahoma. In fact, 247Sports and Rivals had him as a Five-Star. After appearing in just three games during his first year, he took over as the unquestioned starter in 2020. He was briefly benched against Texas, but turned things around and went into 2021 as a Heisman favorite.
Meanwhile, former Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley was behind the scenes recruiting hard for Caleb Williams during 2020, when he finally got Williams locked in late July of that same year. After another slow start by Rattler in 2021, Williams replaced Rattler during the Texas game, led the team to a comeback, and never relinquished the job as a true freshman. Rattler transferred to South Carolina, and following the Bowl game, Williams followed Riley to USC. Although there’s been little evidence that the two quarterbacks’ relationship was ever strained, Williams has since said that he always felt like he should have been the starter to open Oklahoma’s 2021 season.
We all know the story of how the draft went, with personalities like Daniel Kelly (First Round Mock on X) proclaiming Rattler to be the better prospect. So far in 2025, both quarterbacks have played well. Rattler has started all six games, averaging a 68.5% completion rate, 202.83 passing yards per game, and a 6:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Considering he was a fifth-round pick, the former Sooner and Gamecock has far outplayed his draft status through the early part of this season.
Simply put, the Saints are not a good team. They are (1-5) for a reason, but that doesn’t mean the Bears should overlook them. Outside of their 44-13 blowout loss to the Seahawks, New Orleans has played each opponent tough. Even their 31-19 loss to the Bills in Week 4 wasn’t nearly as lopsided as the score might suggest. Similar to many bad teams, they’ve struggled to finish games, something Bears fans should be very familiar with during the Matt Eberflus era. Should the Bears come out of Week 7? Absolutely. With that said, it’s not likely to be an easy game, and they’ll need to exercise some demons against a team that has had their number over the last decade-plus.
