The Chicago Bears have been battling injuries like every other team in the NFL. How you navigate them is often what separates the bad from the good. Granted, Chicago’s had it tougher than most. They lost Caleb Williams for nearly a month to a hamstring issue. Coby Bryant was lost before the season even began. Kyler Gordon missed the first five games and Dayo Odeyingbo just went on IR with a quad issue. So it didn’t feel great when Jonah Jackson left Sunday’s game in Atlanta with a hip injury.

Initial projections indicated that the right guard would miss time. The turnaround for Thursday night’s game against the New England Patriots was too short anyway. That meant the Bears would have to lean on Jordan McFadden or Luke Newman to fill the spot.

Then something improbable happened. After not practicing on Monday, Jackson was limited on Tuesday. That was the first indication that the guard might be trying to play. Still, the lack of time wasn’t in his favor. People weren’t getting their hopes up. Then the bombshell hit.

Jonah Jackson playing can’t be overstated.

It isn’t just because he’s a really good player. Jackson has been having one of his best seasons up to this point, forming a devastating run-blocking combination with Darnell Wright. It is the timing. The Bears are about to play a strong Patriots defense that carried that team to a Super Bowl last season. Its secret to success is a strong interior defensive line led by Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, and Dre’Mont Jones. They are a big reason New England has 14 sacks and ranks #9 against the run this season.

While known for his run-blocking, Jackson has only allowed 9 pressures on the quarterback this season, including no sacks. That Pro Bowl version of himself many thought was gone after leaving Detroit has resurfaced. The Bears are a far more dangerous offense when he’s on the field. If they have any hope of tangling with that Patriots front, he is a vital component. It remains to be seen how healthy he truly is, but it’s pretty clear he feels good enough to practice without restrictions.

The next two games are big ones.

At 4-2, the Bears have a real chance to position themselves well in the NFC playoff picture. However, that can change quickly. After facing New England on Thursday night, they have to head up to Seattle to face the Seahawks. That is a brutal 1-2 punch. It feels like Chicago has to take one of them to keep their season from getting off track, especially with how strong the NFC North is again. This next game feels like better odds. The Bears will be at home and facing an opponent that is also dealing with tons of injuries.

Besides, beating the Patriots has often come down to simple math. If you run the ball well, your odds improve. Since last season, three of their five losses saw them give up at least 100 yards on the ground. Another saw it at 97. That makes Jackson’s presence all the more crucial. Without Kyle Monangai in the backfield, the Bears badly need their offensive line to provide enough room.

The Chicago Bears sit at 4-2. They’re right in the thick of the NFC playoff picture. One must surmise that a win in one of their next two games will compel general manager Ryan Poles to make a move at the trade deadline. His team, like most others, could really use some help at certain key positions. It looks like there will be a handful of teams willing to sell. It shouldn’t be difficult to find a deal that Chicago likes. The obvious question is, who do they pursue if they decide to pull the trigger?

Insider Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated has a solid idea on that. He ran down a list of 15 possible trade candidates for the November 10th deadline. There are some surprise names involved, like Chris Godwin, Dallas Goedert, Brian Thomas Jr., and Jerry Jeudy. However, those weren’t the ones connected to the Bears. Verderame sees two names as likely options that Poles will or already has looked into. Both are pass rushers: Josh Sweat in Arizona and Khalil Mack in Los Angeles.

The Chicago Bears are likely to seek rush help.

Josh Sweat, edge, Arizona Cardinals

For the Cardinals to trade Sweat less than two seasons into his four-year deal, they would likely need significant draft capital. That might be tough for a team to give up, considering he’s getting paid a prorated figure of $9.7 million before $17 million each of the next two years, albeit nonguaranteed. Last year, Sweat notched 12 sacks but is off to a slow start this season with two sacks in six games.

Potential fits: Bears

Khalil Mack, edge, Los Angeles Chargers

It’s not every day you can acquire a player with more than 110 career sacks. Yet barring something bizarre, Mack will be dealt at or before the deadline with the Chargers entering fire-sale territory. This season, Mack has three sacks and is on pace for his best campaign since 2023, when he totaled a career-high 17. Any contender looking for a jolt in their pass rush could target Mack and likely give up no more than a mid-round pick.

Potential fits: 49ers, Bears

Sweat and Mack fit what the Bears need.

Right now, their edge rusher situation is dubious. Montez Sweat is serving a suspension. Dayo Odeyingbo is on Injured Reserve with a quad issue. Austin Booker is their only proven option left. The team was fortunate that Daniel Hardy, a special team ace, played so well in Atlanta. That luck is unlikely to hold in the coming weeks. If you want to win games against the best, you need guys who can win those 1-on-1 matchups on the outside. Sweat and Mack have both shown they can do that at a high level.

Going by recent production, Mack feels like the safer bet. Though 35 years old, he has 16 pressures and 3 sacks this season. He’s still an active threat that opponents can’t ignore. Sweat has 10 pressures so far, but his big advantage is being 6 years younger than Mack. You’d like to think he still has some gas left in the tank. Plus, you have two more years left of control on his contract after 2026. That would be a decent long-term solution, provided the Chicago Bears can get him back on track.

The price tag seems pretty straightforward.

Most believe Mack would fetch somewhere in the vicinity of a 5th round pick. Remember, Joe Thuney cost a 4th and he was a few years younger than him. Is that worth what would probably be half a season of work? That depends on how close the Bears think they are to competing for a championship. He can absolutely help them, but dumping a 5th rounder for a quick fix is always risky. That is why some may prefer to try for Sweat instead. He’d at least give the Bears more of a window.

If they can bring back the 2025 version, this would be an excellent addition. Both Sweats, Booker, and Odeyingbo would give Dennis Allen one of the deepest rotations he’s had in years. To say nothing of the vast playoff experience Sweat would bring. However, young players usually cost more. Best estimate is a 3rd round pick is what it will take. Would Poles consider that? That may depend on how much Allen likes the idea.

Innovation isn’t something you see much of from punters in the modern NFL. The entire process has been streamlined to a point where everything should be perfect. However, history says there are always new things to try. Teams that are willing to think outside the box are often rewarded for it. It appears the Chicago Bears found such a path forward with punter Tory Taylor. They wondered if they could put his unique ball control to better use than merely hitting precise kicks.

This eventually gave birth to the “banana ball.”

It is a type of punt where Taylor hits it along the side, causing the ball to start in one direction before curving back the other way. This makes it incredibly difficult for opposing returners to track. It has already yielded massive results. Carolina muffed one in the week 1 opener. Now the same thing happened to Atlanta on Sunday. Yet that isn’t the best part. Most assumed that Taylor got the green light to use the banana ball on that play. He did not

Apparently, the Bears’ punter went into business for himself, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.

That’s right. Taylor told me he set out to force three muffed punts, and six games in — after only 17 punts — he has two.

Taylor uncorked a 50-yard punt late in the second quarter, and Falcons rookie Zachariah Branch never got under it and wasn’t close to catching it when it went off his hands at the 10-yard line. Josh Blackwell was right there to recover it.

If it looked just like the muff Taylor forced in the Week 1 road win against the Carolina Panthers, it was.

The banana ball.

“I caught him,” Taylor said. “Honestly I feel like there are a lot of young kids that come into the league and they’re obviously pretty nervous back there. I said, ‘Screw it, I’ll hit one here.’”

Tory Taylor has a fearlessness that is so important.

Remember the context involved here. The Bears’ coaching staff, led by Ben Johnson, is known for being demanding and disciplined. They want things done a certain way. One has to imagine they don’t look kindly on players who freelance. Most players wouldn’t dare try something unless they get permission first. Not Taylor. He operated very much on an “Ask for forgiveness, not permission” when he decided to do that banana ball punt. It’s not like he went in blind. There was a strategy involved.

Tory Taylor knew that Atlanta was taking a risk by putting Zacharia Branch on punt return duties. The wide receiver was a rookie, selected in the 3rd round. He suspected that Branch would not be ready to handle a punt of that nature despite having 44 punt returns in college. Taylor did the same thing in week 1 against Carolina, recognizing that second-year receiver Jimmy Horn had little punt return experience. Both times, the calculation proved correct. Olamide Zaccheaus quickly replaced Branch.

The lesson for future opponents seems clear.

Don’t trot young returners out there. Taylor is like a dingo in the Australian outback. He can smell prey from miles away. If he sees a rookie or someone inexperienced back there, he has no problem gambling on a banana ball. It has already worked twice this season, and there are still 11 games left. His goal in 2026 was to get three of them. At this rate, he could double that number. More than anything, it is nice to see that there are still players out there who are willing not to be robots on the field.

While Taylor respects the coaching staff, he knows his own capabilities better than anyone else. If he thinks there’s an opportunity for a game-changing play, he will take it. Worry about the consequences later. You’ll often find some of the Bears’ most successful teams were filled with players like that. See Jim McMahon. It’s rare for a punter to have that kind of mentality, which makes Taylor all the more unique.

The Chicago Bears worried that Ozzy Trapilo might not return in 2026. It can be understood why. He suffered a patellar tendon rupture in January. The best-case scenario is a return in 9 months. From the way the team sounded when talking about it, there were real fears that Trapilo would miss the entire season. It was such a brutal outlook, both for the team and for the man himself. So you can imagine the shock when Trapilo returned to practice in August, far ahead of even the most optimistic estimates.

Not only was it possible that he could play in 2026, but maybe even more than half of the season. Considering the initial gloomy projections, that would be a massive win for the Bears. However, the Trapilo buzz died down as the season began. He kept practicing every week, but the team made no moves to activate him. Not until Sunday in Atlanta did the moment finally arrive. The big left tackle logged 23 total snaps, including 17 on the offensive line. He allowed 1 pressure on the quarterback. Trapilo admitted to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune that while he was thrilled to be back, he could’ve returned weeks ago.

“It’s hard to sleep without knowing,” he said. “It’s been exciting the last few weeks getting closer and closer, and then they finally said, pull the trigger, I’m dressing this week.

“Physically I had been ready to go. They were being cautious. Props to them. They want to make sure they were doing it right. And then when they talk about it upstairs, that’s all above me. You have to prepare every week like it’s going to be the one, and it finally happened.”

Ozzy Trapilo must be some sort of mutant.

That is the only way to explain his rapid recovery. Patellar tendon injuries are considered the worst among professional athletes. Potentially even more devastating than a torn ACL. There are few recorded instances of players returning from them and succeeding. Asking a 6’8″, 300 lbs tackle to accomplish that felt like a long shot. Trapilo was undeterred. He attacked his recovery with a single-minded focus. No distractions. No days off. One way or another, he would play this season and show everybody they gave up too soon.

Give the Bears credit. They easily could’ve bent to their sense of urgency once Ozzy Trapilo insisted that he was physically ready. Braxton Jones had gone down with a knee injury of his own. Leaning on Theo Benedet felt like a big risk. Head coach Ben Johnson refused to waver. He would not put Trapilo on the field until he and the coaching staff were 100% certain he was mentally ready. That meant showing confidence in the knee every time he put serious tension on it. Clearly, whatever they saw last week was enough.

Only one question remains.

That is how long it takes Trapilo to reclaim his starting spot. Right now, the team seems comfortable with Benedet. However, smart money says that changes are in the near future as the Bears face some of the league’s top defenses. Sooner or later, they must go with the best guy they have. Trapilo is that guy when he’s healthy. His confidence seems high. The talent is still there. All he needs now is reps. As he gets back into a groove, we should start seeing the player he was towards the end of last season.

This would be such a boon for the Bears. Their offense was already potent this year despite the revolving door at left tackle. Once Trapilo stepped in last year, they started racking up points in bunches. It is a constant reminder of how important the left tackle is. The timing of his return can’t be overstated. The schedule doesn’t get any easier in the coming weeks.

It felt like Caleb Williams was more dialed in than ever during the game on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. The Chicago Bears quarterback never seemed out of control. This wasn’t the Houdini-like savant who could make up magic on the fly. He operated like a true professional, distributing the football and conducting the offense like an orchestra. This was not something people were used to seeing. It looked like the player everybody kept saying Williams couldn’t be.

Tom Brady and Kurt Warner both said it was the best overall performance of his career. He looked calm, collected, and poised in the pocket. How did it come about? The transformation feels so stark. Williams explained after the game that he was getting riled up by all the media talk about his injury and the Bears’ struggles. It was around that time that he watched the movie John Wick, an all-time action classic.

Williams loved Wick’s mentality throughout the movie: calm, composed, precise, and relentlessly efficient. He was so inspired that he reached out to Keanu Reeves himself. The actor is apparently a big fan of the quarterback and shared some inside information about Wick, the character.

Caleb Williams wanted to be like Wick: inevitable.

It doesn’t matter what you do or where you hide, the “Baba Yaga” will find you. Williams posted Wick as his profile picture in the week leading up to the game. People thought it was merely a message signaling that he was returning from his injury. Everybody remembers this iconic scene where Wick told his captors, after being asked for most of the runtime, that he was indeed back. Williams apparently wanted to re-enter the picture in the same fashion. Bringing only destruction to those who stood in his way.

This is another reminder that Caleb Williams has an uncanny ability to find inspiration from almost anywhere. It can be a coach, a book, a newspaper headline, or a movie character. When he feels those juices flowing, it always translates to his play on the field. Those comparisons to Michael Jordan aren’t an accident. MJ was the same way. He’d constantly look for motivation wherever he could find it, even if he had to manufacture it himself. In this case, Williams used Wick and the national media’s coverage of his injury to light the fire.

The goal moving forward is obvious.

For Williams, nothing less than wearing a pristine suit to every game is acceptable. One must represent Wick properly. His next opportunity to claim a kill comes on Thursday night against the New England Patriots. They represent a far more challenging target, boasting both a top-10 quarterback and a top-10 defense. Then again, Wick never feared long odds. Williams doesn’t either. If anything, he loves it when the deck is stacked against him. That makes the games more fun.

A win would put Chicago at 5-2 on the season, with a long layoff until their next game in Seattle to face the defending champion Seahawks. Beating those two teams in back-to-back weeks would accomplish what Wick did when he killed that guy with a pencil. It would create a reputation. The Bears aren’t a team to overlook any longer. Williams has every intention of following through on that.