The Chicago Bears got the job done on Thursday night, defeating the New England Patriots 30-24 to improve their record to 5-2 for the season. It was a particularly strong performance from their offense, as Caleb Williams threw for 308 yards and two passing touchdowns in the victory.
In the four games that Williams has played, the Bears are 3-1. In the three of those games that weren’t played in the pouring rain, the Bears are 3-0. We haven’t seen much of this team at full strength, but when they have been
there, the results have been extremely promising.
Even with a short week against a tough opponent, the Bears were able to pick up the win, and they now have a few extra days of rest leading into their Week 8 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. For this week, though, these are some of my takeaways from the game.
Another high-powered offensive performance
Going back to the “when Caleb Williams is healthy” bit, the Bears are now averaging 40.0 points per game in the three healthy, non-monsoon games that he has played in 2026. Granted, that’s partially swayed by the Panthers game in which the offense put up 59 points, but Chicago is still coming off of consecutive games in which its offense scored 30 or more points, as well as consecutive games in which Williams threw for over 300 yards with multiple touchdowns and no interceptions.
It feels weird to say, but it feels like the Bears genuinely have an elite quarterback. After Thursday night, Williams ranks No. 4 in the entire NFL with an 84.2 PFN QB Impact grade. He’s surrounded by one of the brightest offensive minds in football, and he has plenty of talent on the offensive line and in the skill positions surrounding him. Against a solid defense in the Patriots, the Bears were incredibly effective. Thursday was just another instance of this team showing why it has one of the best offenses in the game.
The Jaylon Johnson conversation
Involving personal bias, it hurts to talk about Jaylon Johnson in a negative light. He was a rare bright spot on so many bad Bears teams, and he’s finally getting the chance to experience team success with the organization that drafted him back in 2020. By all accounts, he seems like a great guy. That said, his performance so far in 2026 is unacceptable for the massive salary he’s currently making.
So far this year, Johnson is allowing a targeted completion percentage of 71.4% and a targeted passer rating of 113.1 for the Bears. He looks a step slower coming out of his breaks than what we saw from him in his All-Pro campaign in 2023, as well as his Pro Bowl season in 2024. Additionally, he had two major whiffs as a tackler against the Patriots, including the last-second receiving touchdown by Rhamondre Stevenson, which saw him waltz into the end zone thanks to passive coverage by Chicago’s secondary and bad tackling by multiple players, including Johnson. Unless he can bounce back to his prior form, it’s starting to feel like the beginning of the end of his time with the team.
The ceiling of this Bears team
Negativity around that one subject aside, this was a massive win for the Bears. The Patriots were a red-hot team who had won three games in a row going into Week 7, and Chicago managed to shut them down and pick up the win. Now sitting at 5-2, this group is well-positioned for a playoff push and contention for first place in the NFC North, even with how talented the division is currently.
The Bears’ offense is operating at an incredibly high level. Their defense is manufacturing pressure up front with creative blitz looks and is still generating turnovers. I think it would really benefit the team to pursue a trade for a top defender before the 2026 trade deadline, as weaknesses at defensive tackle and cornerback still stand out. Even so, this Bears team is one that has proven it can take on top competition and be victorious. They could be a dark horse to make a deep playoff push when it’s all said and done.
