Windy City Gridiron
1. The Chicago Bears and New England Patriots finished the 2024 season with a combined eight wins. Just seven weeks into this year, they have seven wins combined and only two losses each. They went about it in different ways, with the Bears leaning heavily into offensive culture and scheming under Ben Johnson and the Patriots opting for the grizzled, defensive-minded Mike Vrabel. But the results have been about the same. That’s exactly the kind of growth you want to see from two young squads with two aspiring franchise QBs looking to make big leaps in Year 2. Speaking of which…
2. I have a challenge for you in the comments below: find me five NFL QBs playing better than Drake Maye right now. Because I don’t think you can. He’s somehow making a massive sophomore leap—even being compared to a young Patrick Mahomes (who obviously only played one game his rookie year as opposed to )—with little star power aside from 31-year-old Stefon Diggs coming off a knee injury. He’s literally doing things as a passer that not even Tom Brady did and has put himself on lists whose only members are Patrick Mahomes and Dan Marino. He’s the best deep-ball thrower in the league, and his efficiency is almost off the charts. And before we point to 5-2 New England’s strength of schedule, here’s your reminder that they beat the 4-2, AFC Division-owning Bills on the road. No disrespect to Sam Darnold, but Maye would have my MVP vote right now.
3. It’s hard to talk about Maye’s superstar without also mentioning Caleb Williams, who was taken two picks before Maye last year. The Bears sit at 4-2 more with Williams than because of him. Which is fine for now. It’s just not what you drafted him for. It’s also somewhat worrisome watching him miss his patented throws on the run, which is supposed to be his Superman trait. It’s also hard to use the “new offensive coordinator/new offense” excuse when the three QBs I just referenced are all in brand-new offenses, including the fellow second-year passer in Maye. Thankfully, Ben Johnson and the Bears’ defense have been as advertised. We’re still waiting on Williams to consistently hold up his end. It will come.
4. The D’Andre Swift redemption arc is honestly captivating. I specifically labeled him as an ex-factor this last game because I didn’t think he would have two strong games in a row. ‘Lo and behold, he did. Perhaps he’s figured something out, or Ben Johnson has figured it out for him. Either way, the Bears wouldn’t have won these last two contests without him.
5. It’s been over for Justin Fields as a viable long-term NFL starter. But now it’s over in the short term, too. And thank goodness because that was two straight games of straight-up SUCK. At some point, you have to get a guy off the field, not just for the team’s sake but his own. Time to learn Taysom Hill,...
