The beginning of the Ben Johnson era in Chicago has been a mixed bag, with a slow start and momentum picking up of late.
That's about the best way NFL Spin Zone's Russell S. Baxter put it when he gave grades to all the teams that were on Week 5 byes. Baxter gave the Bears a C+ after their slow start, but they bounced back with two straight wins.
"After a troubling 0-2 start, new head coach Ben Johnson has led the team to back-to-back victories over the Cowboys and Raiders, respectively. Chicago’s run defense has been abysmal, 31st in the league after five weeks of play, and somehow won at Las Vegas despite giving up 240 yards on the ground. Second-year quarterback Caleb Williams has settled in and has looked better in recent weeks under new head coach Ben Johnson. After allowing 79 points during their 0-2 start, Chicago has given up 38 points since."
Bears still have a lot of work to do, but on the right path
The problem with Chicago right now is that they are beating the weaker teams in the league but losing to the stronger ones. While they were competitive against the Minnesota Vikings, the Detroit Lions' game was bad from the start. They did respond with two good wins against the Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders.
Another issue that Chicago will have to address is how it runs the football and stops the run. The Bears are near the bottom in the NFL in rush offense and rush defense. They have to find a way to get D'Andre Swift going while their front seven stops the backs after allowing 240 yards in their last game.
Caleb Williams' progression has been at a better rate than it was a season ago as a rookie. Johnson has gotten Williams to make better and quicker decisions with the football, showing fans what they saw when he was in college at USC and Oklahoma.
The good news is that if the Bears want to go on a run, the next five games are their best shot to catch up in the playoff picture. Only the Washington Commanders in Week 6 have a winning record. After Washington, the teams are the New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, and New York Giants.
Read more: One stat Bears must improve upon after bye week to win more consistently
Winning against the Commanders, though, would be the game-changer the team needs to turn that C+ into an A by the end of the season.