It's been a good start to the regular season for the Chicago Bears, but the team out of the NFC North still has a massive hill to climb to make the postseason.
The biggest storyline going into the bye week was the team needing to get healthy at the right time. Multiple injuries on defense have set the team back a bit, but it is still able to fight through enough to earn a 2-2 record.
There are a lot more storylines entering the final 13 weeks of the regular season for the Chicago Bears that Bears fans will be intrigued to follow.
Caleb Williams' pursuit for 4,000 yards passing in a season
Currently, Williams is just under pace for 4,000 yards, as he would get 3,940 yards if he keeps his pace. This would still be the best season for any Bears quarterback, but everyone wants him to hit it.
Williams has made good strides this season as he is making better decisions, and his one interception through four games gives fans hope that he is getting a feel for the game. His rushing abilities have also caught everyone's attention with his sneaky speed, and he could be doing that more often.
His progression will be closely watched throughout the season, as last year's performance showed, and we will play the whole season to see how it turns out. His head coach, Ben Johnson, will also be on top of him, focusing on his completion percentage and ensuring it reaches 70% by the end of the season.
Ben Johnson continuing to improve the offense with his creative play-calling
Speaking of Johnson, he has done a good job of making improvements with the offense. Currently ranked 17th in the NFL in total offense, the unit is averaging 328 yards per game.
The only crutch to the offense is the running game. Chicago needs to figure out more creative ways of opening up the running game, as they thought DJ Moore lining up in the backfield would help, but not much has come of it.
If there is one thing Bears fans trust, it's that Johnson has some stuff up his sleeve to make defenses pay. He's got the offense heading in the right direction. Now it's about making outrageous calls and throwing everyone in the NFL off.
Bears' rush offense and defense must improve to win this season
Both sides of the ball have struggled with the running game to some extent. On offense, they are ranked 24th in rushing, averaging 102.3 yards per carry. For the defense, they are ranked 31st in rushing, allowing a staggering 164.5 yards per game.
This is the second straight season D'Andre Swift has struggled to run the football, as he is averaging a career-low 3.3 yards per carry. With another season of this, the Bears might have to make some tough decisions at the trade deadline.
Even with the moves made in the offseason on the defensive line, the Bears have struggled to stop the run. Not having guys like Austin Booker and T.J. Edwards for the first part of the season certainly played a role in that.
This is the old-school football that Chicago used to excel at. They need to find it in themselves to get back to that style of play.
Ryan Poles and whether he's willing to be aggressive to make the postseason
Poles showed Bears fans that he's willing to spend big money in the offseason to bring in talent for Williams and build the team around him. He spent over $200 million to repair the offensive and defensive lines with new talent.
With Chicago sitting at 2-2, there's no telling where they will be at the trade deadline, but this is a talented enough roster that they will be competitive (with a little extra juice needed). Poles might have to go out of his way to find some help with a trade or two to solidify their spot in the postseason.
Running back has been the most popular position that Bears fans want Poles to trade for. If the offensive line doesn't make massive strides at tackle with the potential new starters, that could be a possibility as well. Cornerback or pass rusher are options as well on defense.
Read more: Bye week actually paid off massive dividends for Bears regarding playoffs odds
Certainly the hope is Poles can pull off some kind of deal because it needs to happen if the Bears want to be in the playoffs.