After the first nine games of the season for the Chicago Bears, there is a lot to dissect. They have had dominant victories, but have lost both of their division games, which could become incredibly important in a close NFC North race where every team could realistically make the playoffs.
Chicago is currently 7-2. Starting quarterback Caleb Williams was out for three weeks with a hamstring injury, but the Bears went 2-1 during that time, including a dominant win on Monday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles when they still had quarterback Jalen Hurts. Chicago had Case Keenum at quarterback in that game and started Tyson Bagent at quarterback the next two games.
Defensively, they made a huge move by acquiring defensive tackle Jeffery
Simmons from the Tennessee Titans. He has made a massive impact on Chicago’s defense in just two games, especially when it comes to his college teammate, Montez Sweat, who has played much better since Simmons’ arrival.
Here is a look at the good, bad and ugly from Chicago’s first nine games of the season.
The Good
Run offense: Recency bias would suggest the Bears are not a good run team after having only 72 rushing yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, going into that game, they had the second-most rushing yards of any team in the NFL and the second-most rushing touchdowns. Running back D’Andre Swift was leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 10 and should break the franchise record for most touchdowns in a season. They have not even been at full strength for over half the season so far since Kyle Monangai has ben out, but he should be back after the bye wek.
Third down defense: One sign of a really good defense is the ability to get off the field on third down. Through the first eight games of the season, Chicago had the best third down defense in the NFL, only allowing teams to convert on 23.8 percent of third down attempts. They kept that up against the Buccaneers, allowing them to convert just two of their 12 third down attempts. The Bears will be looking to maintain their dominance on third down when they return from the bye week.
The Bad
Lack of takeaways: Last season, Chicago’s defense overly relied on generating takeaways to stop opposing offenses. They are not doing that anymore, but they are also not generating takeaways as consistently. Through the first five games of the season, the Bears defense only had a takeaway in two games. Luckily, this is something they improved on before the bye week, with at least one takeaway in each of their past four games. Still, this is something Chicago needs to continue to emphasize so they can increase their takeaways in the second half of the season.
Allowing explosives: The Bears have been worse against the pass than the run so far this season. Part of the reason is allowing explosive plays, especially scoring plays. Through the first eight games of the season, they have allowed seven touchdowns of at least 30 yards. That is not a recipe for winning football. Chicago has struggled with injuries in the secondary, which has not helped anything. But they need to start playing better in coverage.
The Ugly
Turnovers: In 2025, the Bears hardly turned the ball over. The same cannot be said for 2026. They already have more turnovers this season (17) than all of last season (11); that was actually the case before their five-turnover performance against Tampa Bay. It could easily be argued that turnovers cost Chicago their game against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2, although Williams’ injury also did not help matters. If the Bears are going to be a Super Bowl contender, they need to take care of the football.
Penalties: Going into their Sunday Night Football game against the Buccaneers, the Bears were the fifth-most penalized team in the NFL and that was also a problem against Tampa Bay. They had nine penalties, including a holding call that negated a 94-yard kickoff return. There is perhaps nothing more detrimental to a drive, besides a turnover or a sack, than a penalty. Rookie Zavion Thomas’ 15-yard penalty contributed to Williams’ first interception against the Buccaneers, also highlighting how penalties can alter the momentum of a game. This is something Chicago must address if they are going to be serious contenders.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Good, bad and ugly from Chicago Bears at midway point of 2026
