Five pressing questions after the Bears’ Week 7 win
The Bears survived a three-game stretch without starting quarterback Caleb Williams and they’re 5-2 after Thursday’s 30-24 win against the New England Patriots.
Coach Ben Johnson’s team has a lengthy break ahead of a Monday night road matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 2. This feels like a good place to take stock in what happened over the first seven weeks and what that means for the big picture.
The Tribune’s Sean Hammond and Phil Thompson tackle this week’s pressing questions.
1. Taking the quarterback out of the equation, who is the team MVP through seven games?
Hammond: I’m going to show the offensive line some love. Darnell Wright is the most valuable player on this team. Other than quarterback, he’s probably the one player the Bears would struggle the most to replace if he were unavailable. The running game is No. 2 in the NFL. Nearly every week when you look at the advanced metrics, the Bears have a ton of success running to Wright’s side on the right. Per ESPN Analytics, he’s No. 11 in the NFL in pass blocking “win rate,” winning his matchups 91% of the time.
Thompson: D’Andre Swift. As the Bears have cycled through three quarterbacks, and rushing counterpart Kyle Monangai sits out with a toe injury, Swift has been the bedrock of the offense. Swift hasn’t been at his healthiest, either, but he’s getting the hard yards that keep the offense churning. Swift leads the Bears in combined yards (628), rushing (476), total touchdowns among non-quarterbacks (seven) and first downs (31).
2. Fill in the blank: Kyler Gordon’s return has been _________?
Hammond: Otherworldly. Four sacks in his first 21 snaps. Who does that? Gordon was the best defender on the field in the Week 6 win against the Atlanta Falcons. If he can stay healthy, he looks like a clear difference-maker in Dennis Allen’s defense. I’m not sure the Bears had one of those over the first five games.
Thompson: A spark for the defense. The Bears generated their most quarterback pressures over the last two weeks against the Falcons (18) and Patriots (15), which just so happen to be the two games Gordon has played in since coming off the reserve/physically unable to perform list with a calf injury. The Bears still have some technique issues to clean up, but the uptick in swagger has been noticeable.
3. If you had to pick right now, who finishes the season as the Bears’ leader in sacks. Kyler Gordon and Austin Booker each have four, while Dayo Odeyingbo has three and Montez Sweat two.
Hammond: I’ll double down on Gordon. Why not? Booker feels like the safe answer here, but Gordon said after Thursday night that he has goals of hitting double-digit sacks, which is crazy to say for a defensive back. At this rate, it’s sort of hard to doubt him. We don’t know how long Odeyingbo will be out with a quad injury, but he must miss at least two more games. Sweat has plenty of time to jump back out in front after his suspension.
Thompson: Gordon has gotten off to a blazing start, but let’s not go overboard. As the Patriots showed later in Thursday’s game, teams can use the quick passing game or leave a running back or tight end in protection to counteract Gordon’s blitzes. Odeyingbo, meanwhile, has just one fewer sack (three) than Booker (four) but has played 139 snaps to Booker’s 225. Odeyingbo’s 15.6% pressure rate also ranks highest among Bears defensive linemen with at least 100 snaps, and he can move all over the line.
4. Much like last season, everyone in the NFC North currently has a winning record. As of now, who is the best team in the division?
Hammond: The Bears. I understand the absurdity of my pick considering they lost head-to-head to the Vikings and Packers. If Caleb Williams doesn’t get hurt in the fourth quarter in Week 2, I think the Bears pull off the comeback against the Vikings. The Packers spanked them at Lambeau, but Williams didn’t play and the Packers had plenty to avenge from a season ago. Of the NFL’s three undefeated teams — Minnesota, Kansas City and San Francisco — I’m least confident that the Vikings can keep it going. I feel more confident in the Packers or Bears.
Thompson: The Packers. Defense has been carrying the Vikings, but it doesn’t seem sustainable with an offense led by Kyler Murray and Aaron Jones Sr. The Lions simply have no defense (dead last). The Packers secondary is fearsome, and they could soon be reinforced by Josh Jacobs on offense and (eventually) Micah Parsons on defense. The Bears defense still gives up too many explosive plays to consider them more than a runner-up right now.
5. If the NFC North gets three teams into the playoffs again, which team is most likely to fall short?
Hammond: It’s hard to look at any one unit as a bigger problem than the Lions defense. Unless things change drastically on that side of the football, they could be in trouble. Their offense can be electric, but asking your team to keep winning shootouts is a challenging proposition, especially when they finish the season outside in Chicago and Green Bay in Weeks 17 and 18, respectively.
Thompson: Say what you will about the Bears’ 0-2 hole in the division, but Ben Johnson has been outstanding against nondivision opponents. That’s what propped up last season’s NFC North title. Meanwhile, the Lions have yet to play in the division. Their three wins are against the New Orleans Saints, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals. And as prolific as the Lions are on offense, it’s not likely they can survive the number of shootouts they have in store with that defense, which has allowed the third-most points per game at 29.6.