Going 11-6, winning the division, and coming an overtime away from the NFC Championship would give lots of teams hope that they’re ready to go after a Super Bowl. The Chicago Bears certainly carry themselves as a confident team. Their 59-37 thrashing of the Carolina Panthers on opening day certainly carried that message. Head coach Ben Johnson has made it clear from the start that a championship is the endgame. Nothing less is acceptable. That said, GM Ryan Poles must take a more realistic view of things.

While he has the utmost confidence in Johnson, quarterback Caleb Williams, and what this team can do, he admitted in an interview with Sky Sports that the roster is not what he’d call complete. While he believes the offense is transforming into something special, he balked at saying the same about the defense.

“Yeah, we have a lot of continuity on the offensive side. There’s been a lot of change on the defensive side. We have, I think, four guys that have played and started a lot of games for us on the defensive side, but the rest are fairly new or didn’t get the opportunity to play too much because of injury. So we know that’s going to take a little bit of time to get that continuity on the defensive side, but once we’re able to match offense and defense together, I think it could be really, really special.”

This isn’t really a surprise. Most people agree the Bears’ defense is far from perfect. It has an overall lack of star power that is hard to ignore, which wasn’t helped by their rough afternoon in Carolina. Poles tried to be diplomatic about it, but it’s pretty clear that side of the ball still needs a lot of work.

Poles knows the Chicago Bears are still escaping the Matt Eberflus era.

Remember, many of the players on this defense that Chicago brought in were at the behest of the team’s former head coach. Asking Dennis Allen to somehow transform that same group into something great was never realistic. He needs his own core of talent to work with, and assembling it has been difficult. Dillon Thieneman is the only 1st round pick they’ve added to that side of the ball since Allen arrived. Former 2nd round picks like Jaquan Brisker and Gervon Dexter went from possible mainstays to off the team. Brisker left in free agency. Dexter was traded.

Tyrique Stevenson and even Kyler Gordon probably aren’t far behind. When you have that many high draft choices not figuring into the team’s future plans, you’re going to get poor results. The Chicago Bears have tried to mitigate this by signing veteran free agents and making mid-round picks, but it hasn’t worked. Injuries played a major part. Dayo Odeyingbo tore his Achilles tendon last season. Grady Jarrett wasn’t healthy either. Coby Bryant, their big addition this offseason, hurt his knee before the season even began.

Ask the serious question. Who in that starting lineup do you envision being there three years from now? Thieneman is an obvious one. Malik Muhammad, maybe. That is pretty much it. Everybody else is an older veteran unlikely to stick around that long.

Everything points to a massive overhaul coming in 2027.

With pretty much every notable player on offense secured through 2028, all of the important business for 2027 circles the defense. Stevenson and Kentavius Street are free agents. Odeyingbo, Jarrett, and T.J. Edwards are likely cap casualties. Gordon may be released as well despite minimal cap help. Montez Sweat is getting up there in age. Jaylon Johnson has a contract issue to consider. There is a possibility that half of this starting lineup will undergo significant changes next spring.

That means the bulk of the 2027 NFL draft will be dedicated to it. Thieneman looks like a good start, but more 1st round picks must be invested. That is especially true up front. The Bears haven’t spent a 1st rounder in the defensive trenches since Leonard Floyd in 2016. Poles has avoided it for far too long. Early signs indicate he is scouting that area heavily in this upcoming draft class. He knows the window is open for the Bears. It falls on him to get the pieces in place to get them over the hump.

The Chicago Bears certainly sent a message with their opening day victory over the Carolina Panthers. Putting up 59 points against a team that was in the playoffs last season is hard to ignore. Now they hope to keep that momentum going with a victory at home against the division rival Minnesota Vikings. Optimism is high. This team feels capable of accomplishing almost anything. It isn’t just the fans feeling that way, either. People close to the organization have informed SM that general manager Ryan Poles has picked up on similar vibes.

Up until now, Poles has kept his roster moves relatively safe. He didn’t take any huge swings in free agency or on the trade market. Part of this was out of necessity. Cap space is limited for the Bears, and they didn’t have many draft picks to throw around. However, it is now believed that Poles is prepared to take a big swing at the upcoming trade deadline if the Bears maintain their hot start over the coming weeks. The belief is they will target a “defensive difference-maker.”

Obviously, that can mean a pass rusher ala Maxx Crosby, or maybe someone to help the secondary coverage. Much will depend on who is or isn’t available.

Ryan Poles will be keeping an eye on the standings.

Like everything else in the NFL, the trade deadline can be unpredictable. Everybody assumed Crosby was the name to watch for early November. However, the Las Vegas Raiders are currently 1-0. So the odds of that happening aren’t high at the moment. This is where the standings become important to watch. Usually, the teams that are sellers at the deadline are the ones who know their odds of making the playoffs are all but gone. The best thing for them to do is unload an asset or two for draft capital and prepare for next year.

Right now, half the league is 0-1 to start the year. It is too early to determine which among them is the true bad team and which just had a tough first week. However, you can at least take an educated guess. Right now, the ones that seem destined to remain bad over the next two months include the Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, and Indianapolis Colts. Do any of those teams have a player on the roster that could help the Bears and Ryan Poles might consider going after? Here are a few worth noting.

There are certainly some interesting targets.

Probably the two who stand out the most are Ward and Simmons. Ward has been one of the best cover cornerbacks in the league for years. He is 29 years old, and his man-to-man ability would be an ideal fit in Dennis Allen’s system. Simmons was dominant last season, producing a career-high 11 sacks. He’d be an instant game-changer. Buckner is 32 but still remains among the NFL’s best interior pass rushers. He would be an immediate boost to the Bears’ front, at least for this season. Terrell would give the Bears another solid man-cover corner who is 27 and better than Tyrique Stevenson. Robinson hasn’t found his footing in Miami, but he has tons of pass-rush upside worth exploring.

There could end up being an unexpected name to pop up as well. You can be sure of one thing. Poles will be doing his homework on every name out there, no matter how improbable. Everything depends on how the next several weeks go for the Bears. If they maintain their current trajectory, the thoughts of a Super Bowl are sure to gain steam. When that happens, teams tend to get aggressive at the deadline. Poles hasn’t been afraid to pull the trigger when the timing feels right. This could be his moment.

Bucky Brooks might not be the biggest name in the NFL media sphere, but the former player has a Super Bowl ring and has built a well-earned reputation as one of the most reputable analysts in the business. He does his homework more than most. That is why whenever he talks about your team, you should at least pay attention. Brooks hasn’t spoken much about the Chicago Bears for some time, likely because they were irrelevant until recently. However, he saved his comments for something big. It involved comparing head coach Ben Johnson to one of the game’s all-time great minds.

Anybody who has followed the NFL or studied it with reasonable effort will have come across the name Bill Walsh. Not only is he one of the greatest head coaches in the Super Bowl era, having won three titles with the San Francisco 49ers, but he’s also considered one of the greatest offensive minds ever. His West Coast offense completely changed how the game is played. Elements of it are still used to this day. After watching Johnson for some time, he believes nobody embodies Walsh better than the Bears’ head coach.

TRUTH: Ben Johnson is this generation’s Bill Walsh

No disrespect to Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay’s wizardry, but Ben Johnson is the guru who will define the 2020s as a legendary play-caller. The second-year head coach of the Chicago Bears has awakened a hibernating offense, transforming it into a juggernaut that has defensive coordinators shaking in their boots as they prepare to face the “Monsters of the Midway.”

Johnson’s Bears bludgeon opponents with a mix of power and pizzazz. Fielding an exotic smash-mouth offense with an MVP-caliber quarterback, a pair of potential 1,000-yard rushers and a talented collection of pass catchers, the savvy schemer can call any play he wants with supreme confidence in the team’s talent, tactics and execution. Moreover, Johnson knows his rock-solid offensive line will impose its will on foes, leaving them battered and bruised after a 60-minute war in the trenches. Given the overwhelming physicality and toughness this unit displays whenever it takes the field, Chicago is establishing itself as an offensive bully that pushes around adversaries…

…Bill Walsh transformed the game with his West Coast offense and a star-studded lineup that featured Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Roger Craig, among others. The Hall of Fame coach made a pass-heavy approach the norm. These days, Johnson has balance back in vogue. Chicago ranked third in rushing and 10th in passing last season. In 2026, the Bears could finish in the top five in both categories.

With a well-rounded approach, creative scheming and a deep bag of tricks, Johnson is setting the standard for modern offense.

Johnson embodies many of the traits Walsh had.

Sure, there is the offensive stuff. Walsh was known for his uncanny ability to create spacing for his receivers, giving them ample opportunities to get open for the quarterback. His creativity led to all sorts of different formations, putting defenses in constant conflict with their assigned responsibilities. Johnson is arguably the best in the NFL at doing that. Yet it doesn’t stop there. Walsh earned a reputation as a demanding and psychological coach. He had an innate ability always to make his players uncomfortable enough that they never got lazy in their approach, for fear of losing their spots.

Ben Johnson said it from the moment he took over. “Get comfortable being uncomfortable.” One of his tactics from the beginning is reminding players that he is under no obligation to keep them on the roster. If they don’t meet his standard for this team, they won’t be on the roster for long. Walsh did the same thing in San Francisco, famously saying, “This isn’t college.” There are no scholarships to protect you in the NFL. It certainly had the desired effect. Players were on their toes each and every day.

If this comparison holds, the Bears have big things ahead.

Walsh’s early career in San Francisco was defined by quick offensive success. However, his teams didn’t win much at first. A big reason for that was how bad the 49ers were on defense—ranking 27th and 26th, respectively, in points allowed in his first two years. It wasn’t until year three, when they jumped to 2nd, that Walsh broke through to his first championship. Johnson is following that same trajectory at the moment. His offenses have been terrific from the outset, going 12-6 in his first 18 regular season games.

The problem is that the Bears are not good defensively. They were 23rd in points allowed last season and gave up 37 in the opener against Carolina. Until that problem gets fixed, he may sit trapped. Walsh was smart enough to realize the problem, though. In 1981, San Francisco spent its first five draft picks on defense, including future Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott. Then the team punctuated it by adding star pass rusher Fred Dean via a midseason trade. If Johnson is as smart as Walsh was, he’ll push for something similar in the coming months.

The Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings head into Sunday’s game having split last year’s season series. Both sides know this will probably be a dog fight. After their big comeback victory, the Vikings seem to have plenty of confidence. They are also eager to avenge their home loss last season, which resulted primarily from a special-teams breakdown late in the game. Special teams coordinator Matt Daniels tried to give the Bears credit for finding a way to rally for the win. However, he may have lit a fire under head coach Ben Johnson instead.

It centers on comments he made about the play, which was a huge kick return by former Bears receiver Devin Duvernay that set up Chicago’s eventual game-winning field goal. Daniels stated that he believed there was nothing special about what the Bears did. It was more of a catastrophic breakdown by Minnesota’s coverage unit.

“I’ve been in the league now eight years, played football a long time in this league, and I’ve never felt the way I felt after that football game… A lot of respect for what the Chicago Bears, their unit, Devin Duvernay, all this and that, but I mean, it could have been anybody. If you got a son or anybody, all he did was just catch it and and run back to the field. Everybody just kind of got washed inside and it wasn’t anything that they did more so than a lack of us maintaining our leverage and keeping the football inside shoulder is as a result of what ended up happening.”

According to Adam Hoge on Hoge & Jahns, Johnson and his coaching staff didn’t care for those comments. They’ve been keeping them in the back of their minds as the game draws closer on Sunday. There is even more incentive than usual to stick it to the Vikings.

Ben Johnson never needs much to get himself going.

He is a maniacal competitor. Even a hint of disrespect or perceived slight is channeled into a burning desire to throttle the opponent during games. Michael Jordan was famously known for this mentality. Jonathan Toews and Walter Payton also had similar reputations. Johnson is hardly the first coach to have it, but he is the first to wear it so openly on his sleeve. He almost dares opponents to say something about him or his team. Any extra incentive is a good thing. The more dialed in he can be, the better he coaches.

This case is an easy one. Daniels made it sound like the Bears did nothing noteworthy to achieve that kick return. It was all brought about by a series of blunders by the coverage unit. Yet when you watch the replay, Chicago players do a fantastic job of getting everybody blocked up. All Duvernay has to do is run. That was how good the execution was. It was born of special teams coordinator Richard Hightower’s message that there was more than enough time to affect the game. Everybody had to stay focused on their job.

Don’t be shocked if the Bears come out with some fire.

They’re already a well-motivated team. Ben Johnson has made sure of that. However, there could be a little extra juice in the blocking or in how hard the defense hits. The message will be made clear that Minnesota doesn’t respect this team. They feel the loss last year was a fluke. Chicago didn’t win it. The Vikings lost it. Fine. If that’s how they want to play it, let’s see how they handle getting an all-out blitz from all three phases. The Bears are out to prove something this year, and maybe the Vikings are in need of a message.

Johnson has been hearing about the Vikings and Brian Flores all week. He’s said the right things, giving respect where it’s due. Inwardly, he is likely foaming at the mouth. While the Packers may hold the reserved spot in his heart for the team he hates the most, you can bet Minnesota is a close second. Stomping them would be one of the most satisfying outcomes to a game he’s had in a long time.

The Chicago Bears won the NFC North last season for the first time in seven years. It was a magical run characterized by offensive brilliance and 4th quarter magic. They won a playoff game, too. One would think that might earn them some credibility in the eyes of experts going into 2026—no such luck. The team has been the popular choice for the one most likely to regress this year. Part of it is fear about the defense and whether it can possibly replicate last season’s high turnover rate. However, the main argument seemed pretty clear across the board.

This division was too strong to allow it.

There was no way the Detroit Lions, who many still see as the class of the NFC North, would have another disappointing year like last season. They would reassert control. Green Bay would remain a contender. Even Minnesota would improve. There is no way the Bears would weather that storm.

Except early signs suggest those projections were optimistic at best. Green Bay lost its sixth straight game on opening day via another late collapse in Minnesota. The Vikings lost their starting quarterback, Kyler Murray, in the process. By far the most alarming is the Lions. While their offense remains potent as usual, their defense has cratered. After allowing 30 points to New Orleans in week one, they watched Josh Allen and Buffalo trample them for 41 on Thursday Night Football.

The Chicago Bears have no reason to fear this division.

Is it still tough? Of course. All three teams remain talented. Yet this idea that they will magically overcome the problems that plagued them last year felt more than a little naive. Green Bay won’t have star pass rusher Micah Parsons until late October at the earliest. Running back Josh Jacobs is also out due to legal issues. Detroit’s defense has no prospect of getting much better than it is. It’s not like a major injury is holding them back. They just can’t seem to execute well, and it’s killing them. As for Minnesota? Their merry-go-round at quarterback continues.

This is not to say the Chicago Bears are without flaws. They have defensive concerns of their own after allowing 37 points in Carolina. However, they at least have an identity. Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams lead the offense to plenty of points, while the defense focuses on forcing turnovers. It’s not always pretty, but it works. There is no evidence at this point suggesting they should fear the rest of the division. Every one of those other teams is beatable. This idea that repeating was never in the cards felt like a flawed argument to begin with, anyway.

The Bears have a premium opportunity to seize control early.

They already claimed a key NFC victory over the Panthers. Now they can do the same in the division by taking down Minnesota on Sunday. If they succeed, they face the Eagles next week. A victory there suddenly gives them a 3-0 record in the conference and unquestioned command of the North out of the gate. After that, they should beat the rebuilding New York Jets before a showdown with the Packers in Green Bay, who will likely still be without Parsons. A 5-0 start could mean all the difference.

The Chicago Bears have done that three times in the Super Bowl era. They won the division all three of those years and reached the Super Bowl twice. Anything can happen. Maybe the pessimists will turn out to be correct. Still, their arguments are looking pretty shaky just two weeks into the season. Nothing about this division seems nearly as daunting as they made it out to be.

The name Clyde Christensen is not what you’d call a household one among NFL fans. Most probably haven’t heard of him. That is a shame because he carved out a quarter-century career in the league. During that time, he won two Super Bowls as an assistant. His calling card was that of a quarterback whisperer of sorts. Across his decades-long run, he helped Peyton Manning win his final MVP in Indianapolis, oversaw the development of Andrew Luck, earned a playoff berth with Ryan Tannehill in Miami, and oversaw 5,000 passing yards from Jameis Winston and Tom Brady’s 7th Super Bowl with the Buccaneers. Amidst all of that, he became a trusted mentor to a young coach named Ben Johnson.

The Chicago Bears‘ head coach hasn’t been shy in stating how much he respects Christensen. Nobody taught him more about how to teach offensive football, especially the quarterback position. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that Johnson invited his friend and colleague to a Bears practice in August. Rather than just being a spectator, though, Christensen felt the need to speak up. He noticed something wrong with Johnson’s approach to quarterback Caleb Williams almost immediately. Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic learned the details.

Ben Johnson wasn’t harping enough on accuracy.

A veteran coach with 47 years of experience, Christensen noticed something during Ben Johnson’s practice. The Chicago Bears’ head coach wasn’t talking about ball placement enough during routes on air — when quarterbacks throw to pass catchers without a defense.

“He was on me,” Johnson told The Athletic in August. “I mean, he was really critical of me.”

During organized team activities in May, Christensen told Johnson, “Ben, you aren’t bringing it up as much as you need to, either. It needs to be every single throw that you guys are watching on tape. … You have to embody that.”

“I don’t think that I helped in any way other than just to just remind him, ‘Hey, you get what you emphasize,’” Christensen told The Athletic this week. “‘You want an accurate quarterback, emphasize it.’”

Christensen is delivering some Bill Walsh knowledge to Ben Johnson.

Among the many things that made the late Hall of Fame head coach of the San Francisco 49ers so great was how specific he was about the details. He was notorious among his quarterbacks for being very particular about what he wanted. There was one practice where Joe Montana threw a deep pass that the wide receiver caught just over his left shoulder pad. An assistant coach called it a good throw. Walsh immediately interjected, saying it was not a good throw. He wanted the ball six inches in front of the receiver every time. The goal was to ensure they caught it without losing any speed.

It seems like such a trivial correction, but it’s what Walsh wanted. You can’t argue with the approach. Montana’s accuracy was devastating down the field throughout most of his career in San Francisco. It sounds like Christensen was conveying the same message. If Ben Johnson wants the proper results from his quarterbacks, he must stay on them about it every single day. That is the only way it will sink in.

The results speak for themselves. Williams went 21-of-29 against Carolina (72.4%) with four of those incompletions being classified as throwaways. In other words, when the Bears quarterback turned it loose, it was almost always on the button.

Johnson deserves credit here.

Yes, he made the mistake of being somewhat lax in his emphasis on accuracy with Williams. However, when Christensen pointed it out, the Bears’ head coach didn’t let his ego get in the way. He listened to the advice and made the necessary adjustments. Sunday marked only the second time since 2024 that Williams has crossed the 70% threshold. After all the talk about his completion percentage last year, this is a great sign. Talent was never the question with his arm. It was control.

Williams is looking more and more like another Josh Allen. Not in terms of style but more in terms of defying NFL convention. It turns out that with proper work, you can cut down the number of sacks you take and improve your overall accuracy. Maybe it just comes down to coaches not putting enough emphasis on those things when the problems came up. It makes you wonder why Christensen isn’t in the NFL somewhere. His knowledge can be valuable to somebody.