The Chicago Bears enter Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season with an 0-2 record, a start that falls short of expectations for both players and coaching staff. The team now prepares to face the Dallas Cowboys, led by former Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.

The Bears defense has struggled in the early part of the season, ranking among the league’s worst. While injuries have contributed to the challenges, the team recognizes the need for improvement. Safety Jaquan Brisker, a key defensive player known for his versatility and aggression, has been vocal about his frustrations regarding his role.

Through the first two games of the season, Brisker has recorded 14 total tackles (9 solo), placing him among the top 15 safeties in solo tackles. However, he has yet to register a sack, interception, pass deflection, or forced fumble, highlighting a lack of impact plays. His limited involvement in playmaking opportunities has led to him to expressing how unhappy he might be.

Brisker shared his desire for a more opportunities by reposting a tweet on social media that advocated for him to be used more aggressively at the line of scrimmage. He added his own comment: “Facts. Use me.” This response reflects a broader frustration among Brisker about the defensive scheme and his individual role within it.

A strong performance from Brisker and a more effective defensive outing could help shift the momentum in Chicago. As Week 3 approaches, all eyes will be on how the Bears address their defensive challenges and whether Jaquan Brisker receives the opportunity to showcase his talents more on the field.

Accountability was a word in short supply over the past three years at Halas Hall. Head coach Matt Eberflus not only hesitated to hold players to a high standard but would often dodge responsibility himself. When that happened, things go sideways in a hurry. That is how you get a 14-game losing streak in one stretch and lose 12 of your last 13. Players have grown to accept that the work they put in is enough. In the few months he’s been on the job, head coach Ben Johnson has realized how deep this rot goes.

After the Chicago Bears were hammered 52-21 on Sunday in Detroit, it was beyond evident Johnson was livid. He started the week with a telling quote:

“There were some plays that we weren’t quite as pleased with what that looked like on tape. So we’re going to find out this week at practice, who wants to practice hard, and who wants to be a little bit more involved with the game plan going into Sunday.”

It felt like a direct jab at guys in the locker room who he felt weren’t trying hard enough to win. You’d be sorely mistaken if you thought that was a one-time comment. Barely 48 hours later, Johnson struck again, this time openly stating the Lions played harder than the Bears did.

He wasn’t done.

If that quote wasn’t spicy enough, Johnson went for the throat with what is probably his best sound bite of the season.

Ben Johnson doesn’t care about the players’ feelings.

A better way to say that is he has no reason to consider their grievances when you make efforts like the one on Sunday. Jimmy Johnson used to say he graded his players on a curve. Guys who were talented, worked hard, and made plays on Sundays were at the top of the scale. Guys who weren’t talented, didn’t work hard, and didn’t make plays were at the bottom. Ben Johnson seems built the same way. He has no time or patience for players who aren’t interested in doing what is necessary to win. He’s getting through to them through consistent and direct coaching all summer. Since that hasn’t gotten the message across, he’s using the media.

Either get your asses in gear or don’t expect much playing time moving forward. He doesn’t care what you did in previous years or who you were in college. All he knows is this team won five games last season. Johnson is here to change that. If a bloodbath is required to see it done, he sounds ready and willing to follow through.

When you lose a game 52-21, it makes you question everything about the state of a football team. The Chicago Bears are in a bad place right now. Head coach Ben Johnson faces his first crisis on the job. Many wonder if he’ll mirror Matt Eberflus and maintain the status quo, hoping it gets better, or if he might consider some changes in hopes of giving his team a jolt. Johnson hinted that such a possibility was on his mind, having sent a message in the media about determining which guys wanted to play in practice this week.

While sweeping changes are unlikely, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune believes it’s possible Johnson might enact at least one big one.

The most obvious possibility is at left tackle. Would the Bears pull Braxton Jones after two games?

I thought he was OK during the opener against the Vikings. Certainly other members of the line had a tougher time in that game. It wasn’t as good against the Lions, and Aidan Hutchinson can be a tough matchup. Theo Benedet played the final two series, getting 11 snaps.

That’s one to keep an eye on this week. Otherwise, it’s difficult to forecast a major move.

Braxton Jones may have won the left tackle competition, but it was apparent Johnson wasn’t fully set on the idea. It was more of a case of him feeling like the safest option at the time. Jones has allowed 13 pressures and two sacks in the past two games. The rest of the offensive line has allowed 15 pressures and two sacks combined.

The Chicago Bears have to consider alternatives.

Jones hasn’t played like himself since his ankle injury last season. He doesn’t look healthy and cannot move like he usually does. Until that changes, the Bears have to consider other options. Second-year man Theo Benedet came on strong in training camp and looks like the primary backup at the moment. Maybe give him a week or two to see how he reacts to live bullets. That would at least give Jones some extra time to heal the ankle. Outside of that, you still have two high draft choices, Kiran Amegadjie and Ozzy Trapilo, waiting for their opportunities. They can’t possibly be that much worse than Jones has been through the first two weeks. Sometimes, all a young guy needs is a shot to prove themselves in actual games. This week against Dallas feels like as good a time as any with their questionable pass rush.

Ryan Poles has managed to dodge direct responsibility for the Chicago Bears‘ woes for a long time. It started with his need to rebuild the roster from scratch. People gave him a grace period because of it. Then it was the quarterback position. Justin Fields wasn’t the guy. Poles had to find the right triggerman. When that didn’t work, the head coach became the problem. Matt Eberflus, clearly out of his depth, was fired midway through 2024. Everything was supposed to be different this year. Poles had a new QB and head coach. This is when the winning finally starts.

Two games into the season, it has all unraveled. The Bears squandered a 17-6 second-half lead to Minnesota in week one and were demolished 52-21 last week in Detroit. Throughout the disaster, it became increasingly apparent how poorly constructed the roster is. The pass rush remains a problem. There is no running game, and the lack of star power remains evident.

Two sources informed SM that the situation inside Halas Hall has gotten very uncomfortable for Poles.

One described it as “Walking on eggshells.”

“People are pissed,” said another.

Ryan Poles has nowhere to hide anymore.

He built the vast majority of this team. It has his fingerprints everywhere. As of writing this, Ryan Poles is 15-38 as a GM, including a 3-17 record against the NFC North. He owns the longest losing streak in franchise history (14 games) and has now watched them lose 12 of their last 13, dating back to last season. You can’t blame the head coach. Ben Johnson just started. The quarterback is Poles’ guy, and he’s also part of the losing identity. Everything about this Bears team indicates mental weakness.

Poles should be thanking his lucky stars the organization opted to give him a contract extension in the summer. It wasn’t done to reward his efforts, mind you. The idea was to line his deal up with Johnson’s. Had that not happened, there is a strong possibility he would be fired in the near future. Now it is feared the McCaskeys won’t do it, not so soon after extending him. It would be a bad look. Then again, things can’t possibly look much worse.

Ben Johnson didn’t mince words after the Chicago Bears‘ loss in Detroit to the Lions. When you get beat 52-21, everything went wrong. The head coach didn’t dodge responsibility for some of the problems that bedeviled the team. However, this marked the second time the team endured an ugly second-half collapse. This stuff was happening even before Johnson arrived. That tells you it is a player problem. He indicated during a recent presser that some guys were on notice due to their overall lack of effort.

That immediately led to speculation about who he was referencing. His specific wording indicated an offensive skill guy. Bill Zimmerman of Windy City Gridiron revealed who the likely culprit is.

But after Sunday’s debacle in Detroit, Ben Johnson called out players for their lack of effort. He used the phrase “when the ball isn’t in their hands,” which immediately narrows it down to the offensive skill position players. It doesn’t take too big a leap to suspect that the main person he’s pointing his finger at is DJ Moore.

No block, no rock.

Is it FAFO time for Moore? We will have to see how Ben Johnson handles this moving forward. If there is a standard being set in the locker room, how a coach handles situations like this is critical to making sure the team all stays on the same page.

Moore is no stranger to issues. He had personality concerns during his time in Carolina, though nothing explosive. Johnson already spoke to him about body language problems going into this season. It appears Moore hasn’t respond well to not being the primary target in the passing game through the first two weeks.

Ben Johnson likely doesn’t respond well to pouting.

Nobody disputes that Moore is a good player. He wants the ball, as any receiver would. However, Ben Johnson is tasked with crafting the best game plan to win games. Sometimes that might involve distributing the ball to other options. Last Sunday was a perfect example. Detroit had no answers for Rome Odunze, who went for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Even so, Moore still had six targets. He didn’t do much with them. His blocking, on the other hand, didn’t earn great reviews. PFF gave him a 53 grade, which is not flattering.

Meanwhile, Olamide Zaccheaus had an 85.6. He is four inches shorter and 17 lbs lighter than Moore. Ben Johnson won’t cut him out of the offense for one game. However, it sounds like the leash is getting shorter.

There has been no shortage of people who have loved dunking on Caleb Williams since the end of last year. His media perception, fair or otherwise, turned him into a poster boy for entitlement and everything wrong with the young generation of quarterbacks. So when he struggled as a rookie, most took victory laps. He was a bust. Everybody would soon accept it. Two weeks into the 2025 season, those people have tried to keep the narrative going, but it feels like it’s running out of steam.

That is because, while not perfect, Williams has played better than expected. He’s thrown for 417 yards, three touchdowns, and only one interception. He also has 85 yards rushing with another score. The 61.5% completion percentage still needs improving, but it feels like he’s more comfortable than he was last season. One person who was plenty critical of him last year seems surprised by the progress. Ted Nguyen of The Athletic is one of the more respected film analysts out there.

He came away impressed after watching Williams’ footage from Detroit.

There usually isn’t a silver lining after losing 52-21, but after watching the tape, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was fine on Sunday … good even.

Williams made several high-level throws with timing against the Detroit Lions. He played within the structure of the offense and rarely deviated. He did throw a terrible interception on second-and-32 that sticks out, but for the most part, he played a clean game and repeatedly flashed his high-end ability from inside and outside of the pocket.

It can be tough to see through the negative vibes that come with a 31-point loss, but Williams’ development as a quarterback who can operate Ben Johnson’s offense will take time and patience. Week 2 was a clear step in the right direction…

…Williams’ average time to throw against the Lions was on the higher end (2.96), but Johnson was calling plays to attack downfield, so it took some time for routes to develop (10.1 air yards per attempt). Williams stayed in the pocket and got through his progressions. He was sacked four times, but on two of those sacks, he should have been protected. Running back D’Andre Swift was beaten on one play and left tackle Braxton Jones was quickly beaten on another. On the other two sacks, no one was open, and Williams didn’t take an inordinate amount of time in the pocket.

Caleb Williams has operated in tough conditions to this point.

The opener against Minnesota was against one of the NFL’s most aggressive and well-coached defenses under Brian Flores. Last week, he went into a loud and raucous Ford Field against another talented defense in Detroit. That is a tough assignment for any quarterback, let alone a young one trying to learn a new offense. The fact that Caleb Williams came out of it with a relatively respectable passer rating (89.1) and no shellshock from constant pressure bodes well for once he finally gets a chance to face some softer opponents.

These next two games on the schedule will offer clarity. Dallas is 30th in the NFL against the pass. Las Vegas is 27th. Williams has a chance to put up some serious numbers going into the bye week. If he can also provide a pair of wins, that could finally shift some of the narrative in his favor.