(Photo: Mike Dinovo, USA TODAY Sports)
As much as there is to like about this team, there are still multiple areas that need improvement if they hope to be playing football by the second week of January. After all, this is an organization that combined for 15 wins in three seasons before 2025.
The defense, injuries, and all
The Chicago Bears have consistently thrived in the realm of good-to-great defenses and a strong running game. The last time this franchise had a successful offense, its defense was historically bad. Can we ever just have nice things without something else being an issue? This group has been ravaged by injuries since the start of Training Camp. Jaylon Johnson missed the first game of the season before making his season debut in Week 2, which was in turn cut short by a core muscle injury that has forced him out until at least December. Kyler Gordon, the Bears' other highly paid cornerback, has also barely played this year. The front office's high-dollar investment in veteran Grady Jarrett was rewarded with a three-game absence after he had a knee scope. The list goes on and on.
Even so, there have been issues within their control that are still, well, issues. The pass rush, despite having a significant amount of money tied up in the defensive line, has been more disappointing than adequate. They are giving up explosive plays at a concerning rate, currently ranking 29th in points per game (28.4) and 26th in total yards (368.8). Despite having one of the league's best offenses, they are (-12) in point differential, which leaves them as one of just three teams in the league with a winning record and a negative point differential on the season. For as positive a development as the takeaways have been, it's the only thing keeping them from being the worst defense in the league through Week 9. Things must improve, and they must find a way to start impacting the quarterback more if they hope to be a serious contender in December and January.
Offensive Penalties
Shockingly, the Bears don't lead the league in penalties (or penalty yardage), but they rank fourth in total penalties (71) and fifth in yardage (576). They've had 83 total calls, with nine being declined and another three being offset. For the offense, pre-snap penalties have continued to be a sizable issue with 18 total, and 17 of those being false starts. Even more frustrating is the typical timing of penalties, usually in or near the red zone. For this offense to take the next step, it needs to clean up its mental mistakes and improve on its (51.72%) touchdown conversion rate in the red zone.
Special teams woes at every corner
Whether it's been the coverage units, kicking game, penalties, botched onside kick, or even Cairo Santos' long-distance kicking woes, special teams has often negatively impacted the Bears. Luckily for the Bears, the unit has not yet fully cost them a game, but there are far more issues than answers thus far. Last Sunday, the team's kickoff coverage started by giving up a 99-yard kick return for a touchdown, and later gave up a 38-yard return to Semaje Perine. As a whole, the Bears' return units are in the bottom half of the league in combined return yards, while giving up a league-high 144.75 return yards per game. To make matters worse, Santos's lack of long range in colder conditions, and Tory Taylor's below-average net (41.5) have not helped compensate for this unit's shortcomings in other areas. With so little margin for error, this is a unit that needs to show vast improvement over the final nine games of the season.