5 pressing questions after Bears’ Week 2 loss to Vikings

How quickly things have changed for the Bears.

They were riding high after a season-opening rout of the Carolina Panthers, but Week 2 was a gut punch to coach Ben Johnson and company, who lost 9-3 to the division rival Minnesota Vikings in the home opener.

They also lost Caleb Williams, at least temporarily, to a hamstring injury.

Johnson said it’s unlikely his starting quarterback will practice this week in preparation for a Monday night showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles, but he stopped short of ruling Williams out for the game.

So how will the Bears respond? The Tribune’s Brad Biggs, Sean Hammond and Phil Thompson discuss in this week’s pressing questions.

1. On a scale of 1-10, what’s your level of confidence in the Bears offense if they have to play without Caleb Williams?

Biggs: I’d say it’s a six. The Bears had a really difficult time getting their running game going Sunday, struggling with the seven-man fronts Minnesota presented. The Vikings had some movement and shifting late in the play clock and slanted their players while filling gaps with linebackers, and with the exception of the opening possession of the third quarter, the Bears didn’t have answers up front.

Given the Vikings’ success, the Bears will see this again soon until they prove they have a solution. That’s largely independent of the quarterback situation. The Bears feel like they’ve been sitting on a bit of a gem in Tyson Bagent, who can execute the passing offense from the pocket and get the ball out quickly to skill-position targets. In the short term, it could aid Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland, who have been underutilized through two games.

Hammond: I’ll put this at a vanilla five out of 10. Three years ago, Bagent went 2-2 when he needed to start in place of Justin Fields. That’s all you can ask for out of a backup quarterback, and Bagent did it as an undrafted rookie. The Bears have kept him around for moments like this.

I have some confidence Johnson will put Bagent in positive positions and gear the game toward his strengths. Bagent played well in the preseason. This is different, of course, but Bagent simply needs to keep the Bears afloat. He doesn’t have to be an All-Pro.

Thompson: I’ll put it at a six. Bagent has much more experience since that early fill-in duty in 2023 and better support — including Johnson. Plus, it can be a good thing that the Bears were punched in the mouth in the ground game. After running roughshod over the Panthers, the Bears learned against the Vikings that they aren’t invincible.

I believe the Bears will shore up the running game in time to face the Eagles, who will be on high alert after Kyle Monangai and D’Andre Swift combined for 255 yards and two touchdowns last year during the Bears’ 24-15 upset.

2. What was your biggest head-scratcher from Sunday’s game?

Biggs: Penalties on center Garrett Bradbury stood out. He was called for two false starts — one during the ugly series of penalties in the second quarter after the Bears had reached the Vikings 30-yard line — and two holding penalties, one of which was negated by an offsetting call on Minnesota.

Bradbury owned it after the game and called it unacceptable. He hasn’t been prone to drawing flags in the past. Over the previous four seasons, including 50 starts, he was called for only five false starts and two holding penalties.

Hammond: The blocked field goal jumps out to me. It was a chip shot from 23 yards and should’ve been an easy make. The communication was clearly off, and it’s tough to parse out whose fault that was.

Johnson noted Monday that Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers nearly blocked Cairo Santos’ previous field-goal try, and the Bears discussed an adjustment for next time. But then it was Rodgers again who blocked the fourth-quarter try. Santos hadn’t missed a try from inside 30 yards since 2016.

Thompson: Looking at the film, some of the play calls for Bagent seemed to put him in difficult spots, especially in the red zone, given the blocking and the way the routes were run. And tight end Colston Loveland looked overmatched trying to block Dallas Turner, who sacked Bagent to end the game.

Johnson said he was disappointed in the execution of the final three plays. He wouldn’t get into specifics, but he did mention assignments and cleaner looks.

3. Who or what stands out to you about the Bears defense?

Biggs: The sample size is too small to draw any sweeping conclusions, but the Bears are ninth in the league on third down through two games, allowing opponents to convert 7 of 22 (31.8%). The Vikings were just 3 of 13 on Sunday, and while the weather may have been a bit of a factor, this is an encouraging sign for defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s unit, especially if the Bears can produce third-and-longs that allow him to get creative.

Using the dime package in the third quarter on third-and-7, rookie cornerback Malik Muhammad II sacked Carson Wentz to force a punt. It should be noted the Bears were solid on third down through the first half of last season before things went awry.

Hammond: The rookies are making an impact, notably Dillon Thieneman and Muhammad in the secondary. Thieneman was often in the right place at the right time Sunday. He led the Bears with seven tackles and was particularly noticeable in the first half.

Muhammad had his first NFL sack when he blitzed unblocked out of the slot, and he had an interception in Week 1. It’s a scary proposition to lean on rookies in the secondary, but so far Thieneman and Muhammad look up to the task.

Thompson: I agree with Sean about the two rookies, especially fourth-round pick Muhammad, who’s a bit more of a surprise. I’ll add that the five sacks and nine quarterback hits also show early promise because of who’s contributing.

Among the defensive linemen, Kentavius Street is the free-agent acquisition they chose to replace Gervon Dexter, Dayo Odeyingbo looks like he’s returning to form and Austin Booker worked on his body and technique to turn near misses into sacks.

4. What’s the biggest difference about the Eagles since the Bears faced them in November?

Biggs: Offensive line whisperer Jeff Stoutland departed, and Sean Mannion took over as the offensive coordinator, the fifth in five seasons under coach Nick Sirianni. That’s a pretty good place to start, especially considering how dominant the Eagles have been on the offensive line in previous years. They are without center Landon Dickerson, which has forced some juggling up front.

I’d also add that defensive tackle Jalen Carter was playing through injuries to both shoulders when the Bears ran wild for 281 yards in November in Philadelphia.

Hammond: Is it too obvious to say that Stoutland is gone? He coached the Eagles offensive line for 13 seasons. Through two weeks, their running game has been mediocre. Saquon Barkley exited the Week 2 game with a stinger but could be back in Week 3. When the Eagles are at their best, it’s because their running game is fearsome. Right now, it’s not.

Thompson: Jalen Hurts is different. I had been thinking about how much he has looked like a different quarterback under Mannion when I stumbled upon some bulletin-board material from Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons: “We just need to make Jalen Hurts be a QB.”

Hurts was never just a runner, but now he’s averaging five more offensive snaps, three more passes and a full passing touchdown more than he produced leading up to his Black Friday matchup against the Bears. With five passing scores, Hurts is every part a QB, which Simmons found out the hard way.

5. The Bears have committed 23 penalties (20 accepted) through two games. How big a concern is this?

Biggs: I’m not going to get too caught up in the penalties with a small sample size. What they do need to clean up is the presnap penalties. They have two false starts, two delay of games and one illegal shift, and that’s operational stuff that needs to be cleaned up.

Hammond: This feels like deja vu. A year ago, the Bears committed 20 penalties through two weeks. I’m chalking a lot of this up to early season communication issues, and I think they will improve in the coming weeks. In 2025, the penalty issues disappeared as the season went along. I think these will too.

Thompson: It’s a little concerning. Not to be an alarmist, but the Bears have committed seven presnap penalties, and they can ill afford to put the offense in a deficit before the play even starts. Seven of their flags Sunday contributed to stalled drives. A late second-quarter drive to the Vikings 30-yard line was scuttled by four penalties in five plays, and they punted on fourth-and-29. They need to get a handle on this quickly.