The Chicago Bears sit at 3-1 on the 2026 season despite spending the previous two games without their starting quarterback. Three different starters this season have been under center and each has a lone win pointing to just how impressive Ben Johnson's system has been and why the pressure has all of a sudden dissipated when it seemed the Bears were destined to fall in the wrong direction. Chicago losing 2-3 games and digging a hole to climb out of while awaiting the return of Caleb Williams was a fair expectation.
Instead, the Bears are now only a game behind the Minnesota Vikings for the NFC North lead and have a margin for error due to struggles from both the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. No question, the Bears have to feel they are playing with house money as the return of Williams closes in and Chicago is still being considered one of the best teams in the league.
Looking at the upcoming schedule you have the Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, and New England Patriots scheduled. Each of these games appear incredibly winnable even without Williams in the lineup and, the starter is expected to return in this window making it clear that the Bears could be gearing up to go on a run.
Chicago took a bad situation and made the absolute best of it, being one missed Tyson Bagent pass away from being undefeated. There simply is no way around the fact the Bears have defied expectations with the past two wins and handed the franchise room to stumble a bit due to the early-season wins and clear layups left down the stretch of the season.
Bears have put team in incredible 2026 position despite dealing with Caleb Williams injury
This isn't to say that the Bears are going to struggle or stumble the rest of the way, but simply saying in a time where they had every excuse to underwhelm winning has created margin for error. It has taken pressure off the return of Williams and shown just what an advantage it is to have the superior coaching staff no matter who might be under center.
What is most interesting about this is how the Bears are going to manage things with Williams and whether there is a higher level of trust that the trio of next games are winnable letting the quarterback heal and make sure he is completely healthy with zero risk before making a return.
No matter the approach the franchise chooses, it is clear they are in a far better position than fans could've imagined two weeks ago. This is an extremely talented roster, one that has proven capable of winning without Williams, making it clear that Super Bowl expectations weren't misplaced but accurate for a coaching staff and roster that simply needs their elite quarterback to return to bolster this belief.
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