The Chicago Bears lost 9-3 to the Minnesota Vikings in an ugly game on Sunday.
The football was ugly (unless you love defense), the weather was ugly, and the injury to Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was ugly.
It was an unpleasant slog. But outside of Williams' injury, and perhaps the division race for playoff positioning, it means relatively little in terms of the big picture.
Yes, it's true that as of this writing, the news has come back on Williams' injury -- it's a hamstring injury and he's week-to-week. It could've been a lot worse, and admittedly I'd probably be a lot less optimistic if the news was indeed the worst.
That said, I'd still have some optimism. Even if backup QB Tyson Bagent was going to be helming this offense until the depths of winter arrive -- or if it was aging Case Keenum -- I'd still have some reasons for hope. A lot fewer reasons, perhaps, but I'd try not write the entire season off.
At least not after a night's sleep to think things over. I admit I was probably a lot more concerned about 2026 being a lost year as Caleb was carted off. But before the injury, I wasn't too worried about the poor play meaning much, big-picture wise.
So yeah, the early reports on Caleb's injury boosted my mood, as did this morning's official update. But let's set aside the injury and look at what was happening before Caleb fell awkwardly to the Soldier Field turf.
The Vikings exposed problems the Bears can still correct
The Bears were mostly struggling to move the ball, on the ground and through the air. Bears head coach Ben Johnson, an offensive wunderkind, looked overmatched and overwhelmed by the defense headed by Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Maybe the bloom was off the rose for Johnson, who has been enthusiastically received by Bears fans? How can the same team that scored 59 in the season opener managed just one field goal in four quarters?
On the other hand, the Bears defense looked a lot better than the one that allowed 37 to Carolina in Week 1.
Let's not ignore the rainy weather -- errant passes were aplenty as the ball appeared hard to grip.
So instead of being concerned that Johnson has lost his mojo, perhaps Bears fans can credit a blitz-heavy Vikings defense that flummoxed the Green Bay Packers in week one and appears to be one of the best in the league this year. Perhaps Bears fans can blame the weather for making Caleb's (and later, Tyson's) job harder. Perhaps Bears fans can simply blame players, particularly on the offensive line, for poor execution. Perhaps Bears fans can flush this one as just a bad game in bad weather.
Yes, it's concerning that Johnson's game plan apparently wasn't set up to stop the Vikings' ferocious pass rush -- and that the coaching staff struggled to adjust. Yes, it's concerning that the Bears' blockers were often either in the wrong spot or getting run over by Vikings defenders.
Ben Johnson and his staff must learn from the loss
That said, Johnson didn't earned this job for no reason. He'll learn and adjust. The Bears see the Vikings again, of course, since they're division rivals. Johnson and his staff will learn from this.
And, hopefully, so too will the Bears players.
That also goes for the penalties. As in Week 1, the Bears were heavily penalized. The Bears' coaching staff will focus on fixing that -- and I have faith they will succeed.
The Bears aren't the super team we saw against Carolina, nor are they as bad as we saw on Sunday. The NFL is a week-to-week league, and each game is its own story. We're just two weeks into the season.
Reasons for optimism include a strong running game, a defense that has holes but occasionally overachieves, a smart coaching staff, a deep receiving corp, and Bagent -- he's a serviceable backup.
Perhaps social media affects my perception of the fanbase -- the loudest voices, especially among the naysayers, tend to hit my feed more than the reasonable, rational takes. Perhaps that happens to you, too.
With that in mind, I am here to say that there's no reason to panic, Bears fans. Even if Caleb misses a few weeks. Even if the Eagles beat the Bears on Monday Night Football next week.
This is still likely a playoff team -- and one that can learn from the mistakes made Sunday.
Focus on the big picture and it will all be just fine.
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