The Chicago Bears have started out their season at 3-1, a much better result than could have been hoped for after Caleb Williams went down in Week 2 with a hamstring injury. The team has fared well without their star quarterback, though several Bears players have been flying under the radar.
With the Bears headed up to Lambeau Field to take on the Packers for Week 5, these Bears players have room to step up and make their presence known when it really matters.
Zavion Thomas
Through four weeks, the Bears have the worst kick return average in the NFL, at only 21.3 yards per return. Thomas put on quite a show with his speed during the preseason, but he has yet to bring that attack to the regular season. Thomas has returned eight kickoffs for 170 yards, and his season long was a 27-yard return against the Jets.
Thomas has the skills needed to make the Bears return game stronger, and he'll need to do so against the Packers. At present, the Packers are sixth in the NFL, averaging 27.6 yards per return. The Bears will need to beat the Packers in all three phases of the game if they're to continue their ascent to the top of the NFC North.
Cole Kmet
Cole Kmet was a name heavy in the headlines prior to the start of the season due to the drafting of tight end Sam Roush. Many people thought the success of Colston Loveland in 2025 and the advent of Roush would spell a trade for Kmet. But a three tight end system is exactly what Ben Johnson wanted, and with Kmet under contract, he's not going anywhere.
But despite Ben Johnson's confidences behind him, Kmet has largely been absent on the stat sheet. That's not always a bad thing when tight ends aren't always used as receivers, but through four weeks, Kmet has only been targeted seven times.
Kmet does not need a huge stat line at Lambeau, but he has to matter somewhere, whether that is sealing the edge in the run game, leaking out off play action or finally giving defenses a bigger body to account for.
Kyler Gordon
While the Bears have yet to confirm whether or not Gordon will be emerging from the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, it's been heavily hinted at. Gordon has had a long and strange history with injury, and through the course of it, he's clearly lost the trust of the Bears.
General manager Ryan Poles said recently that he was unaware if Gordon would ever play for him again, and Ben Johnson has repeatedly stated that trust is huge in his locker room. Even if Gordon has earned a place on the field doesn't mean he's earned the trust of his peers and coaches. That's where stepping up for Gordon comes. Being ever present on the field, and being reliable, are two direct routes there.
This may be the first of two guaranteed matches between the Bears and Packers this season, but that doesn't take away from the severity of it. We're talking about one of the oldest rivalries in professional sports, and certainly a defining one in the NFL. If these three players can step up when needed, the Bears will be that much closer to taking hold of the NFC North again.
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