***BESTPIX*** Chicago Bears v Philadelphia Eagles
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - NOVEMBER 28: D’Andre Swift #4 of the Chicago Bears scores a 3 yard touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter in the game at Lincoln Financial Field on November 28, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) ***BESTPIX*** ORG XMIT: 776323719
Mitchell Leff/Getty
Three things I think I know about the now-you-see-them, now-you-don’t Bears, who are 1-1 after an offensive disappearing act in a costly 9-3 loss to the Vikings:
1. They can’t rush Caleb Williams: Even if the star quarterback swears on a stack of playbooks that his strained right hamstring shouldn’t stop the team from sending him out there Monday night against the Eagles at Soldier Field, the Bears should duct-tape a clipboard to his hands and shroud him in bubble wrap until October 4 against the Jets at the soonest.
It’s probably a long shot that Williams will face the Eagles as it is, but the Bears ought to err on the side of caution even if it means starting backup Tyson Bagent against the Jets, too. If Williams is capable of playing the position well without fiendish scrambles and mad dashes for first downs and touchdowns, we’ve yet to see it. Is a relegated-to-the-pocket Williams any better than the next guy, in this case $5 million-a-year Bagent? Not sure why he would be. Bagent has command of the offense and — just saying — working legs to go with it. You paid the man, so play the man.
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— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) September 20, 2026
2. They have to rush the football: Look no further than last year’s game against the Eagles — a 24-15 upset the day after Thanksgiving — for an example of what a running game can do for a team.
D’Andre Swift carried 18 times for 125 yards. Kyle Monangai toted it 22 times for 130. It was the first time in 40 years — since Walter Payton and Matt Suhey in 1985, the Super Bowl season — the Bears had two 100-yard rushers in a game. The Bears doubled the Eagles in first downs and came within a few ticks of doubling them in time of possession. Coach Ben Johnson famously tore off his shirt. The Bears had a fifth win in a row and were 9-3, alone in first in the NFC North.
It happened despite Williams’ lowest completion percentage (47.2%), passing yards (154) and passer rating (56.9) of 2025 — Johnson admitted afterward he’d called too many passing plays (37) — and yet it was as good a win, and as good as the Bears felt after a win, all season. That’s a timely lesson on which to hark back.
3. They have to take turns: Of all the turnovers created last season by the Bears, the biggest might have been Nahshon Wright’s cagey, brilliant yank-out of the ball from Eagles QB Jalen Hurts on a “tush push” sneak in the red zone. Wright isn’t a Bear anymore, but the echoes of a team that created the most turnovers in the league and committed the fewest remain.
After Swift’s crushing fumble at the 1-yard line against the Vikings — who won the turnover battle 2-0 — the Bears have to rediscover this critical part of their identity. Without it, they might not be anything special.
Look who’s coming: the Eagles
They’re 2-0, which sounds great if you’re the Bears and taking them in from a 1-1 point of view, but they haven’t looked like one of the league’s top teams yet. Might that change? Sure. So far, though, they’re a middle-of-the-pack team offensively as well as when it comes to defending against the run. That might make them the type of opponent the Bears are looking for.
In particular, the Eagles are concerned about their offensive line. The offense had a mere 10 first downs in an opening win against the Commanders, and Hurts ran for his life for much of a 24-20 win at the Titans in Week 2. One would like to think the Bears are better than either of the Eagles’ opponents to date.
Vikings Bears Football
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson walks off the field after the Bears lost to the Minnesota Vikings in an NFL football game in Chicago, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) ORG XMIT: FLLS170
Nam Y. Huh/AP Photos
Ben-o-meter: 5 out of 10
Johnson’s offense ran wild in a 59-point game at Carolina to start the season. Hello, genius.
Next came the mother of all tail-kickings by defensive coordinator Brian Flores and the Vikings. Hello, fraud.
So which is it? Genius or fraud? Neither, of course. Let’s not be too reactionary here.
But with the Bears coming off a game in which their offense bumbled and crumbled, it’s fair and reasonable to hold Johnson to account and expect him to respond with a good week. In the NFL, reputations are fleeting.
Take the North
Heading into the season, oddsmakers had the Vikings as the worst team in the division. Now, the Vikings are the betting favorite. See? Fleeting.
By the way, the Bears currently are the longest shot to win the North. So they’ve got that going for them.
Three and Out
1. Old face, new place: When former Bears receiver DJ Moore was knocked out of the Bills’ Thursday-night win against the Lions, it didn’t look great. Five days later, it was a nice surprise to see he’s expected to practice this week. Who needs a left shoulder, anyway?
2. It could be worse: Williams’ hamstring or Giants QB Jaxson Dart’s knee (left, apparent MCL sprain)? Or Commanders QB Jayden Daniels’ elbow (non-throwing, dislocated)? We’ll take the hammy, we think.
3. Is it Monday yet? The sooner the Bears get the stink of Sunday’s debacle off them, the better. Unless it goes downhill from here, if that’s even possible.