The Chicago Bears (2-2) are set to kick off the second quarter of the NFL season this Sunday at Soldier Field against the Carolina Panthers (1-3). Boasting a 10-game home winning streak - the best in the NFL - the Bears look to build off the momentum they built a week ago in their takedown of the Los Angeles Rams, the team's most complete performance of the year thus far.
However, the Panthers will not simply roll over, especially after head coach Dave Canales and company sent a message to the team by benching second-year quarterback Bryce Young after just two games in favor of veteran - and former Bear - Andy Dalton.
Dalton will have to deal with one of the scariest defenses in the league on Sunday while the Bears' own first-overall pick quarterback, Caleb Williams, looks to lead his team to a second consecutive win for the first time in his short career. Heading into the showdown between the two teams whose trajectories were forever altered in a 2023 pre-draft trade, let's take a look at the Bears' five keys to success for week five:
1) Protect the Football on Offense
Through four games, the Bears offense has been inconsistent in their ball security, with much of the blame being pointed at Williams. In fairness, not all of his five total turnovers have been directly his fault, but taking care of the football on offense is a must, and Williams has to lead from the front consistently. So far, the rookie passer has had his ups (two zero-interception games in both of their wins) and his downs (two two-interception games in both of their losses). However, Williams had his best performance just a week ago and has shown steady but visible improvement over his short career.
Sunday poses another good test for this offense, as the Panthers defense has forced five interceptions this season, tied for the ninth-best mark in the league. If the Bears offense can avoid the pitfalls of mistakes and protect the ball, they should be in a good position to put up a lot of points.