Caleb Williams hadn’t had a multi-interception game since the playoffs last season for the Chicago Bears. That is what made his night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers so bizarre. He ended up throwing 4 on the night, his worst as a professional. One would think the young quarterback would be chastened and humbled by the experience. Once again, Williams surprised people. While certainly disappointed by the results, the quarterback seemed almost defiant about this idea that everything was his fault.

Mind you, he didn’t dodge accountability. He admitted he didn’t play well enough. However, Williams wasn’t going to sit there and let all the blame settle on him. He did take ownership of one of the interceptions, but it feels like he had explanations for what happened on the other three.

“Two of them tried to be throwaways, one of them I made a dumb decision, and then the last one got tipped up in the air. You go back, look at it, and see what I could have done. On one, I could have just tossed the ball to Colston. On the last one to Luther, I got to juice it in there. I’m just trying to get the ball out and try to be the big eraser. That’s what I’ve been, that’s what I will be. I got to keep doing that, keep being the big eraser, and today I wasn’t.”

Is he just being naive and trying to dodge uncomfortable questions? The best way to answer that is to go through those interceptions to determine whether he is right or just trying to make excuses.

Caleb Williams interception #1

This is the play Williams was referring to where he made a dumb decision. He sees Rome Odunze breaking free of his man but should know that the safety is lurking near the goal line. It’s not like the Buccaneers were hiding it. Yet Williams still made the reckless decision to throw it in there anyway, probably believing he had the arm strength to get it there. The safety makes him pay. That interception is 100% on him. It was a bad decision and a pass that should not have been thrown.

Interception #2

Tampa Bay delivers a well-timed blitz against the Bears’ minimal protection. Caleb Williams doesn’t have any time to set his feet and starts retreating. He knows he can’t take a sack. So he tried to launch the ball toward the sideline as he was about to get hit. The Bucs defender does a great job of keeping his feet in bounds while grabbing the ball. It is pretty evident that Williams was trying to throw it away and didn’t get enough on it. That isn’t surprising since he had no way to step into it because of the pressure—just bad luck.

Interception #3

This is the play in which Williams lamented that he should’ve thrown the ball to Colston Loveland instead. He is correct. The tight end is open as he hits the final step of his drop. Unfortunately, the pressure once again forces him into a tough decision. He likely figures there is enough open space towards the right sideline that he can throw it away. The problem is he doesn’t see cornerback Zyon McCollum lurking around the 45-yard line. He had enough speed to close the distance and dive for the interception—a mix of a small misread and a great play by Tampa’s defense.

Interception #4

Williams throws a quick shot here to Luther Burden, who’s running a curl route. There is nothing wrong with the pass. The accuracy is good, lined up directly with Burden’s outside shoulder. Buccaneers cornerback Jacob Parrish makes an outstanding play to get his arm in the way, deflecting the ball up in the air for linebacker Alex Anzalone to intercept. That one isn’t on Williams. He did what he was supposed to do. The defense made a tremendous play. Sometimes that happens.

This is probably why the quarterback didn’t seem at all perturbed by what happened. Williams seemed to chalk it up as one of those occasional games that doesn’t go your way. He’s had such performances before, from high school to college. Now he had one in the NFL. It won’t change the way he plays.

“I’m going to throw until I can’t throw anymore. That’s how I live. I work my tail off to be in this position. I’ll never not throw the ball. I could throw 100 picks in one game. If it comes down to it, I’m going to throw that pass that I did to [tight end] Colston [Loveland], or if it’s [a] tighter window, I’m going to rip it in there. That’s how I grew up. That’s who I am. I don’t get gun shy. That’s not me, that’s not my identity, that’s not who I am. With that, I’m going to keep grippin’ it, keep rippin’ it, and Coach calls it, it’s time to go make a play.”

Caleb Williams said weeks ago that he isn’t a pick guy. That is not who he is. Time has proven that correct. What you saw Sunday night was most likely an aberration. It was a perfect storm of iffy decisions, bad luck, and a great defense coming together at once. Don’t expect him to change who he is because of one bizarre night.

The Chicago Bears had everybody saying they were a contender and maybe the NFC’s favorite after beating the defending champion Seahawks in Seattle on Monday Night Football. It was a complete win in which all three phases shined. One would think those are the games that tell whether a team is the real deal. In fact, the best way to determine whether a team has the goods to survive that death march through the playoffs to the promised land is how they handle it when everything goes wrong.

Chicago got their answer on Sunday night. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense put on a showcase, intercepting Caleb Williams 4 times and also forcing a fumble. They also held the Bears to just 3.3 yards per carry. If you look over the past decade, even during the Ben Johnson era as head coach, they lost 100% of those games. The Bears were constructed so that the offense could not afford off nights.

Not anymore; the defense stepped up to the plate, allowing just 24 points off 5 turnovers, grabbing two of their own, including a Jaylon Johnson pick-six.

The Chicago Bears defense is a totally different animal.

Most of that is because Jeffery Simmons is now in the fold. The star defensive tackle was a menace once again, collecting a sack, a tackle for loss, and a pass defense while constantly harassing Baker Mayfield. Thanks to the attention he drew, Austin Booker and Shemar Turner both collected sacks of their own, while Daniel Hardy and Grady Jarrett split one. Linebacker Devin Bush was everywhere, making tackles, laying big hits, and knocking down passes in coverage. They actually did a great job keeping Bucky Irving in check until the final minutes of the game.

Being a good team is one thing. Being a complete team is another. Can the other side of the ball step up when one side isn’t having a good night? Last season, the Seahawks turned it over 4 times against the Houston Texans, an eventual playoff team. They still won the game 27-19. In 2024, the Philadelphia Eagles failed to score for 3 quarters against the New Orleans Saints. They ended up winning 15-12 thanks to two 4th quarter touchdowns. Don’t be pretty. Be good.

That is what you’d call a character win.

There are going to be those moments where things aren’t going your way. This is the NFL. It’s inevitable. Tampa Bay came into the game hot, having won three straight. Did the Chicago Bears overlook them? Probably not. They got off to a great start. It’s just that somewhere after the first quarter, they lost their rhythm and they fell into, and Shane Falco put it, quicksand. One thing goes wrong, and then another, and another. You try to fight back, but the harder you fight, the deeper you sink. That’s what it felt like.

That said, quicksand is only deadly if you have nobody else around to help. The Bears offense didn’t have to worry. The defense was there to keep it close long enough for them to piece together that game-winning drive at the end—complementary football at its finest. If the Bears end up going far this season, nobody will remember this game in the grand scheme of things. All they’ll see is the W attached to it.

The Chicago Bears won their Sunday night game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was another game in which they never trailed. Yet you wouldn’t feel that way from watching it live. It was a brutal game from an offensive standpoint. Neither team looked sharp by any stretch of the imagination. At the center of the mess was Caleb Williams. Most would be shocked to hear that. Chicago’s quarterback hadn’t thrown an interception since coming back from his hamstring injury in week 6. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he threw 4 interceptions against the Buccaneers.

Every quarterback has their off nights from time to time. That was definitely the case for Williams. He started the game really well, leading the Bears to consecutive touchdown drives in the 1st quarter. Everything was clicking. Then, for some inexplicable reason, Williams started making some truly reckless decisions. One that he has never been prone to making. Tampa’s defense capitalized almost every time, handing him the most interceptions he’s ever thrown in a game in his career.

In fairness, one of those passes was tipped, and two others looked like throwaways that just weren’t far enough. Still, he must own those decisions.

Caleb Williams was served a wake-up call.

It felt like after that big win over the Seahawks in Seattle that he was starting to believe this team, including himself, was untouchable. This is the NFL, though. It can humble you really fast if you don’t respect it. You could argue, as weird as it sounds, that Williams needed a game like this. Getting one while still winning the game is the ideal outcome. It keeps the Bears on track towards the playoffs while forcing the young quarterback to sit and reflect on how he was the primary reason they almost lost.

Players from the 1985 Bears have all said that the most important game of that entire season was their Monday night loss to the Miami Dolphins. They feel it was a critical reminder that their confidence was getting out of control. If they wanted to be champions, they’d better keep putting in the work. To his credit, Caleb Williams once again stepped up when the chips were down. Tied 24-24 with two minutes left, he hit an 8-yard pass for a crucial 1st down on 3rd and 4, then hit Colston Loveland for 38 yards to set up the winning field goal.

The Bears now have plenty of time to regroup.

Many feared this would be a trap game with the bye week right around the corner. It very nearly was. Yet the Bears, as they’ve proven so many times since last year, weathered the storm and made the plays necessary to win. Now they have two well-deserved weeks off. In that time, Williams and head coach Ben Johnson can convene and go over what went wrong and make adjustments to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Meanwhile, several key players will have a chance to heal up.

Kyle Monangai is expected back from his turf toe injury. The same is true of cornerback Malik Muhammad. There is also a strong possibility that Dayo Odeyingbo will return. Hopefully, Luther Burden has enough time to recover from the concussion he suffered near the end of the game. You should see a refocused team by the time they play the New Orleans Saints in two weeks. Especially Williams.

The Chicago Bears addressed their defensive line issues by trading for Jeffery Simmons. They should get Dayo Odeyingbo back after the bye week. That should put the unit in good hands. As a result, all eyes have shifted to cornerback. Most agree that it is the one position that could be the weak link both against Tampa Bay and as the season moves toward the second half. To that end, there was a massive news dump on the subject Sunday morning, starting with the health situation.

Ian Rapoport reported that rookie Malik Muhammad, who’s been their most consistent corner, is set to return from his turf toe issue. Tyrique Stevenson, who’s dealing with an injured thumb, plans to play through it as well.

That wasn’t the end of it, though. There is also some buzz on the trade front. Josina Anderson provided an update that the Bears have been talking to the Jets about Nahshon Wright. His familiarity with the team is obvious after 5 interceptions last season. New York has barely used him since he signed a one-year deal with them. There is confusion about why the Jets are resistant to making a deal.

The Chicago Bears can’t control what’s happening there.

It’s not like the Jets are in the middle of a playoff push and wish to keep a guy as emergency depth. They’re 2-6. Clinging to a player who is a free agent after this season makes no sense. Still, there isn’t much the Bears can do. They won’t overpay in draft capital for somebody they know other teams aren’t clamoring for. This is purely an attempt to find some depth and flexibility at cornerback. Wright knows the defense already. He would fit in seamlessly. Maybe New York changes their stance at the deadline, but right now they seem dead set against selling anybody.

That leaves general manager Ryan Poles with two options. He can maintain the status quo and hope the Bears’ current contingent of corners is good enough. Or he can go hunting for help from another team, likely paying a higher price in the process. He already did it once this month when he went from DeForest Buckner to Jeffery Simmons. Obviously, he won’t be that aggressive, but rumors persist that the Bears GM is calling everywhere to gauge the market.

Much may depend on what happens against Tampa Bay.

This will be a game where the Chicago Bears have their full contingent of cornerbacks. Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Stevenson, and Muhammad are all available. If they can limit the Buccaneers’ passing attack effectively, that may convince Poles to stay his hand and let the deadline pass. If Baker Mayfield has a good night, don’t be surprised if the Bears try taking one more swing before the final tick of the clock on November 10th. This GM has made deals right before the buzzer in the past.

The next 48 hours should be enlightening in several ways. Getting Wright back would certainly add ball skills to the secondary. His knack for turnovers can’t be a bad thing. The problem was always his inconsistency. He is very much a feast-or-famine player. That might be part of why the Jets refuse to play him. Either way, the Bears will have answers soon enough.

The Chicago Bears have taken some tough hits at running back this season. They’ve not had Kyle Monangai for a month now as he battles turf toe. Thankfully, he did return to practice this week, but won’t play until after the bye week. If that weren’t bad enough, they also just lost Zavier Scott to Injured Reserve right as he was becoming a key component on special teams. This has put a lot of pressure on D’Andre Swift to carry the load. Roschon Johnson has worked hard to do his part, but he just doesn’t have the traits to take full advantage of Ben Johnson’s run scheme.

They may soon add an interesting wrinkle to that equation. According to Michael Trapagni of the Chicago Guardian, the Bears are favorites to sign running back Kendre Miller to the practice squad. The former 3rd round pick spent his career with the New Orleans Saints but was released on Saturday. It was a minor surprise to some. Miller had shown flashes of capability throughout his time there, but never got full workloads because of the presence of Alvin Kamara and then Travis Etienne.

Miller can be adequate insurance for Kyle Monangai.

The two share a lot in common. Neither was known for being the biggest or fastest, but both were highly productive in college. Miller racked up over 1500 total yards as a junior in 2022, with 17 touchdowns. Draft analysts saw a player with good size, vision, and the ability to break tackles. He consistently found the holes when they were there. The biggest knock on him was he didn’t have the ability to hit the home run. Getting drafted to the Saints probably wasn’t best for his career.

Going to Chicago could be a huge blessing for him. We already saw what they could do with Kyle Monangai. If Miller takes to coaching well, he’ll be under the guidance of Johnson and the highly decorated running backs coach Eric Studesville. He will be in capable hands. With all due respect to Kellen Moore, his track record as a run-game play caller is hit-or-miss. He has some good seasons and some awful ones. There is no such reputation to worry about with Johnson.

The Bears obviously had intel on this.

Remember, Dennis Allen was with the Saints when they drafted Miller a few years ago. He knew all the important details, from his work ethic to his coachability. There is no way the Bears would bring him in hours after getting cut if they weren’t confident he could do something for them. Don’t forget he has some experience returning kicks on special teams. That just adds to his value. There is no such thing as too many running backs in this league. It is a position that can be prone to attrition.

At the very least, Miller gives them credible depth. If a few things go right, he might unlock some of that considerable potential he showed in college. Sometimes a change of scenery is all a player needs. If this goes through, don’t be surprised if the Bears look to get him opportunities at some point this season.

There seems to be a great deal of confidence among national experts that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will stroll into Soldier Field on Sunday night and smother the Chicago Bears. Much of this stems from the recent success of Tampa’s defense, which ranks 3rd overall and 5th in points allowed. They are #1 in the NFL against the run. That doesn’t bode well for the Bears, who are a running team. If they can’t do that, it will expose Caleb Williams to Todd Bowles’ notorious blitz packages, leaving Chicago helpless.

Now, there is no question the Buccaneers have played much better football lately. After losing four in a row to start the season, they’ve won three of their last four games to climb back into the NFC South race. However, it feels like these assessments from experts might be coming from, let’s say, outdated information. Yes, Williams didn’t struggle against the blitz at one point in his career.

That has not been the case in 2026. At all.

Since returning from his injury, the Bears’ quarterback has been blitzed 52 times over three games. He has gone 32-of-48 for 387 yards, 2 touchdowns, and a 105.12 passer rating.

Blitzes aren’t a magical fix against the Chicago Bears.

Head coach Ben Johnson studies vast amounts of film. He will have a pretty good idea of where and when Bowles will throw his extra attacker. He will almost certainly have counters for them. The trick to unsettling Williams is getting home with your regular four pass rushers, forcing him to throw into tight coverage. That presents a major problem for the Buccaneers. Their four primary starters up front have 5 combined sacks in 8 games. The one with the most, Yaya Diaby (3), is out this week with an injury.

That puts more pressure on David Walker and Rueben Bain, both rookies, to pick up the slack. They’re going against an offensive line that is playing some of its best football lately. After turning aside a really good Patriots front two weeks ago, they steamrolled the defending champions in Seattle. Getting past them with four is a tall order, which will almost force Bowles to blitz consistently. This, in turn, will leave the secondary exposed to a talented array of weapons headlined by Luther Burden, Rome Odunze, and Colston Loveland.

None of this is to say the Bucs can’t win.

They absolutely can. They run the ball as well as anybody in the league. Baker Mayfield is still a good quarterback despite some recent setbacks. If their defense can keep the Chicago Bears under 30, that should open the door for an upset. One overlooked factor is that the Bears have a pretty good defense too. They’re quietly 3rd in the NFL against the run and 8th in points allowed. They just added Jeffery Simmons, who is sure to give their interior blockers problems. People shouldn’t be dismissing them.

All this is to say that people need to stop treating this as a trap game. The Bears have no opponent looming next week that they are worried about. It’s a bye. If anything, that will make them more focused going into this one, knowing a win will provide all sorts of momentum. Let’s also not forget the Bears are 23-6 all time at home against Tampa Bay. Home field feels like it matters in this one.

The Chicago Bears were thrilled to sign Coby Bryant as a free agent this past March. Things were looking great, too. He was making plays in practice to start training camp. Then an awkward tangle up with Cole Kmet saw him suffer a knee injury. He would need surgery to repair it, which would mean Bryant would miss months of action. Even today, the Bears aren’t sure if he will return this season. The hope is that there are no complications in his recovery. If so, he could be back sometime in December.

One would think Bryant would have no choice but to accept that he can’t do anything until then. This underestimates the safety. If he can’t contribute by playing on the field, it seems he’s decided to do it in more creative ways. One of them is by mentally manipulating his teammates. Herb Howard of The Bigs told the story of how, after the Bears’ win in Seattle, the media was focused on Jeffery Simmons and the defensive line. Bryant saw that as an opportunity to call them out for all the crap they’ve been saying about the secondary.

Right in front of Jaylon Johnson, mind you.

Coby Bryant knew what he was doing.

He’s not stupid. The Chicago media has been talking for weeks about how much of a liability the secondary has been, especially the cornerbacks. Despite what they might say, that sort of stuff bothers guys like Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson. They work really hard and don’t appreciate people who don’t play the game dismissing their efforts. That is not to say the criticism is unwarranted. The numbers and game film speak for themselves. It is merely that they already know. The players don’t need people reminding them.

There were two ways Coby Bryant could approach the situation. He could use the power of positivity to encourage his teammates to keep grinding. Things will even out sooner or later if they keep working. Or he could go the slightly more devious route. He could use the media bashing to needle those teammates enough that they start getting pissed off. History shows that players tend to play their best when angry. Former All-Star point guard Mark Jackson was infamous for doing that with Hall of Famer Reggie Miller.

It is nice to see the safety still engaged.

Nobody would’ve blamed him for stepping back from the team as he tried to get his knee squared away. That isn’t how Bryant is wired. He’s always been a vocal teammate. It is why he was so beloved in Seattle. Just because he can’t play doesn’t mean he will stop looking for ways to contribute. Eagle-eyed fans probably saw him talking trash on the sideline during the game against the Seahawks. He wants to be out there. From how he’s acting, he plans to be out there at the first opportunity.

Until then, you can bet he’ll keep using subtle tactics like this. Use the media to feed an “us against the world” mentality. It’s worked many times in the past. If this gets Johnson and Stevenson playing better, the entire team benefits. Bryant fully plans on being a multiplier in his own right when he rejoins the team officially next month.

The Chicago Bears tried the finesse approach in the trade market when they inquired about DeForest Buckner in Indianapolis. That went nowhere. At that point, general manager Ryan Poles seemed to have his first true “F**k it” moment. He called his friend Mike Borgonzi, now general manager of the Tennessee Titans, and offered two 1st-round picks for star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Borgonzi, who’d been resistant to even contemplating such an idea, was forced to face reality. His team was 1-6 and clearly needed rebuilding. Two 1st-rounders would be an ideal way to fast-track that. After some back-and-forth, a deal was struck.

Poles and the Bears coaching staff were overjoyed at the news. They all knew the reputation Simmons carried. He was probably the best interior pass rusher in the NFL—arguably the most dominant since Aaron Donald. Adding him to the middle of this defense would be like getting a cocktail super soldier serum. What the Bears weren’t prepared for was the added layer that made Simmons great: his leadership. Most great players are that way because of on-field exploits. A select few go out of their way to make others better. According to Dan Wiedere of The Athletic, Simmons did that in his very first practice.

During Simmons’ first practice as a Bear last Friday, Garrett couldn’t help but marvel at how energized and engaged he was. With new teammates whose names he was still learning, Simmons spent part of one individual pass-rush drill offering trade secrets. Hand placement tips. Suggested moves to try. Positive reinforcement on things he loved seeing.

“Another coach on the field,” Garrett said. “The leadership is infectious.”

As excited as Garrett was to feel Simmons’ immediate presence, he was more impressed with how it resonated with teammates.

Jeffery Simmons really is like Reggie White.

Now, before people cry outrage at such a comparison, here’s an explanation. Recently, I wrote an article detailing how the rise of these Bears parallels that of the 1990s Green Bay Packers. You had the rocket-armed QBs in Brett Favre and Caleb Williams. Then came the offensive wizard head coaches, Mike Holmgren and Ben Johnson. Lastly, the defensive line enforcers arrived. Reggie White signed as a free agent. Everybody knew his reputation as the most dominant pass rusher in the game. What teammates didn’t realize was how committed he was to being a leader. It was infectious.

It sounds like the Bears are having a similar experience with Jeffery Simmons. They would’ve been more than happy just to get the guy who wreaks havoc on Sundays. Realizing that he is determined to help everyone around him become the best versions of themselves is the icing on the cake. It’s no wonder guys have taken to him so quickly. Players are smart enough to sense when somebody can make them better. They gravitate to such people. Most of the time, those are coaches. For it to be a teammate? That is pretty cool.

It’s hard to pinpoint the last time the Bears had someone like this.

Sure, they’ve had great defensive linemen over the years, but no one who was equal parts this dominant and this present as a leader. You’d probably have to go all the way back to Dan Hampton in the 1980s. Everybody remembers how critical he was to those all-time great defenses in the middle of the decade. That is basically what the Bears just did. They added a prime Hampton at the trade deadline. It is little wonder the effect was immediate. Guys like that don’t get traded often. It speaks to how fortunate the Bears were.

Simmons could’ve easily taken a modest approach. It was a new locker room. He could’ve felt like he needed to earn respect before having the right to say anything. Nope. He wanted to win. The best way to do that was by injecting his hard-won knowledge and experience into the mix right away. His reputation had preceded him. Guys would listen. The impact was obvious on Monday night.