Windy City Gridiron
Finally getting a win goes a long way. It allows for at least a week of generally good feelings. There is always room to improve, but winning makes the blemishes a little easier to tolerate.
The Chicago Bears still have a lot of unanswered questions. Two straight division losses to open the season and one win against a bad defense aren’t going to make anyone think this team is better than it is.
The team needs to keep improving and winning.
In the meantime, let’s look at the rankings.
22. Chicago Bears (1-2) Previous Week: 26
One week ago, it felt like the sky was falling in Chicago. They started (0-2), capped off by a 52-21 blowout loss to the Lions in Detroit. Head coach Ben Johnson publicly challenged his team last week, and it appeared to have worked. Last year’s top pick, Caleb Williams, had a career day, throwing for 298 yards and four touchdowns. Just as promising was the defense giving up just 14 points after having a 50-spot hung on them in Week 2. With an early Week 5 bye on the horizon, getting to .500 should be the top priority.
19. Chicago Bears (22) – This was the Ben Johnson offense Bears fans signed up to see. Immediately, they attacked Dallas’ most glaring weaknesses — defending shot plays up the seams — and didn’t slow down until late. It was a far cleaner and more consistent offensive effort against the Cowboys than we’d seen in the first two games. While there were glimpses of hope in Weeks 1 and 2, Week 3 provided the vision, even if the Cowboys clearly have their issues on defense. The Bears managed their secondary issues fairly well and came up with enough big plays on that side of the ball to feel good about things. They’ll have a chance to keep both elements going this week against a battered Raiders team, with the bye shockingly upon them in Week 5.
19. Chicago Bears (26): Sunday was sophomore QB Caleb Williams’ best day as a pro. It was also the first time in 20 NFL starts that he wasn’t sacked − all the more remarkable given he should have been wrecked while executing one of the worst flea flickers of all time.
19 (25): Chicago Bears (1-2) – Caleb Williams looked great, as did the playmakers around him. There should be hesitancy, considering it came against a terrible Cowboys defense, but it was clearly a step in the right direction.
23 (28) I hope people have actually been watching Caleb Williams instead of following with the most pervasive narratives about the Chicago QB. Williams has always been capable of making eye-popping throws (and we’ve seen a few this season already), but I can tell that he’s settling into his new offensive system and...
