Kevin Byard was considered a solid veteran addition last year who could bring some much-needed leadership to the Chicago Bears defense. Beyond that, expectations were tempered. He was already in his 30s, and it was unreasonable to assume he’d ever regain the All-Pro form during the 2010s. For the most part, those assumptions were correct. Byard was good enough last year, but nobody would’ve mistaken him for a star. He was a great leader and made some nice plays. Those expectations did not change coming into 2025, even with a new coaching staff.

In hindsight, maybe they should’ve. Byard claimed his sixth interception of the season on Black Friday against the Philadelphia Eagles. It marks only the second time in the past decade a Bears player reached that mark. There are still five games left to go. Former NFL defensive back Matt Bowen admitted to 670 The Score that what he’s seeing on tape shouldn’t be possible. Most players Byard’s age slow down at this point their career. Somehow, he is playing faster than he did a year ago.

It is a combination of the safety’s intelligence, comfort in the scheme, and Dennis Allen’s excellent coaching.

Kevin Byard is reminding everybody how great he can be.

He was doing stuff like this almost every year between 2017 and 2022. No safety in the NFL was better at taking the ball away. Unfortunately, the Tennessee Titans traded him after it appeared he may have lost his edge. Philadelphia couldn’t bring it back. Signing with the Bears likely represented his last stop as a starter before he had to start thinking about retirement. This season suggests he may have more in the tank than people realized. It’s another reminder that some players age differently from others.

One thing is clear. Kevin Byard has put the Bears in a tricky position. He is a free agent next offseason. Re-signing him would be the logical decision, but the team has salary cap issues. They are just under $3 million in projected cap space and have multiple notable names who need new deals. Among them are Jaquan Brisker, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Andrew Billings, Nahshon Wright, and Theo Benedet. Most of them are younger than Byard. Are the Bears willing to let him walk even after a terrific season like this?

That won’t be an easy call.

Zac Taylor became the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019. From there, he set about building a competitive football team. That meant first constructing a coaching staff that could properly develop players. He had plenty of names in mind. One of the biggest fish he hoped to catch was a young assistant named Ben Johnson. Taylor had worked with him for a few years in Miami. The head coach developed a healthy respect for Johnson’s intelligence, drive, and capability. There was one problem.

The Detroit Lions had already scooped up Johnson as an offensive quality control coach. That didn’t deter Taylor. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bengals head coach spent the next couple of years seeking any possible way to lure Johnson to Cincinnati. One of his methods included hiring him as a top defensive position coach just to get him in the building. Unfortunately, the Lions recognized what they had pretty fast. Johnson was promoted to tight ends coach in 2020 and was their offensive coordinator by 2022.

Hearing such a story and how desperate Taylor was illustrates how incredibly lucky the Bears were to land Johnson as head coach. People knew even back then the guy had the goods.

Ben Johnson was worth the wait.

For many years, the Bears have been an organization stuck in their ways. Their head coaches always seemed to fall into one of two categories: a no-nonsense defensive specialist or a relatively unknown offensive name with a dubious track record. The one thing all of them had in common was that they weren’t considered in high demand when Chicago gave them the job. Ben Johnson was different. He was the unquestioned grand prize of the coaching carousel each of the past two years. Every team wanted him. It would take a strong pitch to pull it off.

Somehow, the Bears put together a good one. They gave him a large contract, significant say on personnel decisions, and had a talented young quarterback for him to groom. It didn’t hurt that Johnson was a fan of the city of Chicago going back years. Against all odds, he came here. The organization that was stuck in the past for so many years had joined the modern age by hiring one of the NFL’s brightest young coaching stars. He already has them 9-3 with a humming offense.

Taylor knew what was coming the whole time.

The Chicago Bears were 0-2 to start the season. Everyone thought they were on track to challenge for the #1 overall pick again. Then they won nine of their next ten games. The biggest exclamation point yet came on Black Friday when they thumped the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles 24-15 behind 281 rushing yards. Suddenly, the Bears are 9-3 and the #1 seed in the NFC. Head coach Ben Johnson didn’t put much credence in that, stating the team hasn’t accomplished anything yet. Still, it has people outside Halas Hall bringing up the forbidden question.

Can this team actually win a Super Bowl?

It sounds crazy. Just last year, the Bears were 5-12 and the laughing stock of the NFL. Teams don’t just go from that to a championship contender in one year. Well, one person thinks they have. Chris Canty was a defensive lineman in the NFL for a decade, winning a Super Bowl with the New York Giants in 2011. He had the Bears #1 on his latest power rankings, declaring them legitimate contenders. Why? He believes their dominant ground game, opportunistic defense, and comfort in close games are a perfect recipe for making a deep playoff run.

Canty’s words about the Chicago Bears aren’t crazy.

If you look into the data of recent Super Bowl champions over the past 20 years, his formula is present more times than one might think. Here is a list of teams that won the title who ranked in the top 10 in both rushing and takeaways that year.

2024 Eagles:

• 6th in takeaways
• 1st in rushing

2018 Patriots

• 6th in takeaways
• 5th in rushing

2017 Eagles

• 4th in takeaways
• 3rd in rushing

2016 Patriots

• 3rd in takeaways
• 7th in rushing

2013 Seahawks

• 1st in takeaways
• 4th in rushing

2009 Saints

• 1st in takeaways
• 6th in rushing

Everybody says you need an elite quarterback to win the Super Bowl these days. Most of the time, that is true, but people don’t discuss how even teams with elite quarterbacks take advantage of this formula. Besides, the Eagles have won two championships in the past eight years and didn’t have a top 10 quarterback either time. What you need is a solid quarterback who protects the football and can make big throws in big moments. One would think Caleb Williams, with his five interceptions and five 4th quarter comebacks, fits that role.

The odds of the Chicago Bears going all the way are low. They have too many weaknesses you don’t find in typical champions. Even so, sometimes it’s about which team gets hot at the right time. Nobody can deny the Bears are scorching right as the calendar turns to December.

The Chicago Bears‘ offensive line has been the story of the season on both the local and national levels. They dominated an excellent Philadelphia Eagles defensive line on Black Friday, racking up 281 yards rushing. Most of the discussion has centered on the ageless Joe Thuney, still in All-Pro form, the resurgence of Jonah Jackson, and the development of young tackle Darnell Wright. Amidst all of that, not nearly enough people have taken notice of just how excellent center Drew Dalman has been.

When the Bears signed him as a free agent in March, his reputation was well-established. Dalman was viewed as a very good run blocker who was adequate in pass protection. For somebody like Ben Johnson, who loved running the ball, that was fine. However, something unexpected has been happening over the past two months. Dalman gave up 13 pressures in his first five games this season. In the seven games since, he has allowed three. How in the world did the Bears manage that?

Part of it is Dalman’s natural improvement, but another part has been the creative ways Johnson and offensive line coach Dan Roushar have discovered how to use him. One such tactic is called the Center Fallback.

Drew Dalman is putting his athleticism to great use.

The primary goal behind a Center Fallback maneuver is to create a moving pocket. That changes the launch point, preventing the opposing defense from getting a clean pass rush look. For it to work, you need an athletic center with good awareness because he must peel away from his original spot, spin around, and pick off the unblocked edge rusher. The Bears recognized early on that Drew Dalman was perfect for this. He has great mobility and has consistently demonstrated a keen sense of space since entering the NFL.

This strategy has allowed the Bears to hide their center’s primary weakness, which is his anchor in pass protection. When defenders are given a direct path to the quarterback, they’re often able to power through Dalman. By taking that option away, it becomes that much harder to solve the veteran center. This serves as a crucial reminder of how effective coaching can unlock a player’s full potential. Dalman should be in Pro Bowl conversations. He’s been that good.

Either way, it’s becoming clear that signing him was one of the best decisions the Bears made this past offseason.

Making the playoffs was always one of the goals Ben Johnson had in mind for this season. Others may have thought he was aiming for an improved record, hoping to build the confidence of his players. That isn’t how the new Chicago Bears head coach is wired. He stated from the outset that his goal was to win and win now. The Bears have reached 9-3, taking control of the #1 seed in the NFC and the top spot in the division. Johnson isn’t concerned about either fact at the moment. He’s only focused on the next game, which is a big one in Green Bay.

When asked about the Bears’ current position, Johnson didn’t want to hear it. He made it crystal clear that this team has accomplished nothing. They haven’t officially made the playoffs. Until that changes, the winning record is meaningless. Over the course of his explanation, Johnson revealed how many wins it will likely take to cross the finish line.

“The job is not done,” Johnson said. “We haven’t accomplished anything yet. We’re at nine wins. I think this year, you’re probably going to have to get to 11 to make it in the tournament. That’s what we need to do. We’ve got to get there first. We’ve got to find a way to get there, and the only way to do that is to find a way to be 1-0 this week.”

Right now, there are four teams in the NFC with nine wins. Two others, the Packers and Eagles, have eight wins. This conference is loaded at the top, which means nine or even ten wins probably won’t be enough to guarantee a postseason berth.

Ben Johnson knows the challenge in front of him.

Chicago has five more games on the schedule. They must win two of them to reach that 11-win mark. Only one of those five feels like it should be heavily in the Bears’ favor. That will be against Cleveland next week. Outside of that, they must face Green Bay twice, San Francisco, and Detroit. The Packers are right behind the Bears in the divisional race. The 49ers are 9-4, and the Lions already crushed this team 52-21 in the last meeting. Finding that second victory won’t be easy.

Ben Johnson understands this, which is why he has been clear about how little the Bears have actually accomplished. If they want proper respect, they need to earn it. Going into Green Bay and taking down their arch rivals would be as clear a message as you could send. We’ll see if the Bears meet the challenge.

Almost everything about the Chicago Bears‘ offense has been great over the past two months. Their running game is #1 in the NFL, running over opponents with devastating force. Their pass protection has also drastically improved, on pace to give up fewer than half of the 68 sacks from last year. Only one concern persists. That is Caleb Williams‘ accuracy problems. Through 12 games, the young quarterback is completing only 58% of his passes. That is even worse than the 62% from his rookie season. Too many passes have sailed out of reach for his receivers.

Some are starting to wonder if Williams may not have what it takes to play in a more precision-based offense like Ben Johnson’s. However, Ted Nguyen isn’t concerned. The Athletic analyst is one of the more respected quarterback experts in the field, studying the position extensively. He’s been evaluating Williams for weeks. It may surprise you to learn that he isn’t as bothered by the supposed accuracy problems as others are.

He has concrete reasons for it.

The Bears are eighth in explosive pass rate, but they haven’t been efficient and Caleb Williams leads the league in off-target passes.

Despite the alarming off-target rate, Williams is not a naturally inaccurate passer. I’d bet that when the Bears are doing drills in which the quarterback has to hit a small net, Williams can get the ball in the net at a high rate from any distance. He has strong mechanics and is a natural thrower of the ball. I believe what is happening is his head is swimming a bit while trying to become an anticipatory passer, and his footwork isn’t as clean as it needs to be…

…When throwing with anticipation, Williams isn’t throwing to a stationary target. He has to essentially imagine where his receiver will end up and throw the ball there, and that’s a skill he’s developing. There will be less guesswork with more reps in this offense and time with his receivers.

Caleb Williams is going through what many young QBs do these days.

You must understand that the vast majority who come out of college have no idea what a timing-based offense is. They come from college systems built around getting the football to the most talented players and letting them make plays. Not many programs employ schemes that can be considered pro-style. Quarterbacks are rarely asked to throw with anticipation. Just look for the open man and hit him. That was Caleb Williams’ responsibility at both Oklahoma and USC. What Johnson is putting him through now is basically going from algebra to nuclear physics.

Williams has been so preoccupied with getting down the verbiage and layers of the offense that he hasn’t been able to spare time working on his mechanics. Combine that with the inconsistent play of his receivers, and you get the low completion percentage they’ve been dealing with for the past two months.

People have been enamored with how much the Chicago Bears have improved this year. Most of the talk centers on their reinvigorated ground game, ranking first in the NFL despite an unimpressive September. There is also the defense, which somehow leads the league in takeaways despite half the unit missing extensive time due to injuries. This is the recipe that has the Bears 9-3 and leading the NFC. However, they’ve gotten an added wrinkle from the special teams as well, specifically kicker Cairo Santos.

One thing every team has worked constantly to figure out is the new kickoff rules for the NFL. The trick is figuring out how to limit opposing returns while avoiding touchbacks. A new strategy has emerged, known as the “dirty kickoff.” It is essentially a knuckleball-style kick meant to hit the ground and bounce in unexpected directions, confusing returners. If executed properly, it can pin opponents inside the 20 or even the 10-yard line. Santos has been practicing this new approach a lot recently, and it’s paying dividends.

“Our kickoff is really starting to become a weapon for us,” coach Ben Johnson said. “Cairo is doing a phenomenal job with some of these dirty kicks and it’s really helping us with our field position there to start drives on defense.”

Cairo Santos can create havoc as he continues mastering it.

The tricky part is how often to use it. Special teams coordinator Richard Hightower warned that the tactic has a dangerous drawback. The dirty kickoff requires a different leg swing than your typical field goal or extra point kicks. It is hard enough for Cairo Santos to keep his primary leg swing consistent every week. Having to master two is asking a lot. That is why the Bears have been careful about how often to use it. The only other option would be to have somebody else handle kickoffs, and that isn’t possible right now.

Thankfully, the new weapon hasn’t seemed to significantly impact Santos’ field goal percentage. He’s still around the same accuracy he’s had the past few years. Chicago hopes to keep it that way and no doubt plans to use the dirty kickoff again in the coming weeks. The kicker deserves credit for making it a priority to nail down this new style.