- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 798,847
- Reaction score
- 53
The Chicago Bears are sitting at 2-2 at the bye week, where they've won two straight games and are primed to return some key players after this week of rest.
It's been an up-and-down first month of the season for the Bears, who lost their first two games of the year to divisional opponents (where they blew a fourth-quarter lead to the Minnesota Vikings and then got blown out by the Detroit Lions). But their big wins over the Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders has Chicago riding a wave of optimism at the bye week.
There's still a long way to go during the remainder of the 2025 season (13 games to be exact). But the bye week presents an opportunity to examine the standout players through the first four games. With that in mind, here's a look at our bye week superlatives for the Bears:
It's only been four weeks, but second-year quarterback Caleb Williams has already shown impressive growth under first-year head coach Ben Johnson. Although it doesn't say much, Williams has shown us the best quarterback play we've seen in Chicago in some time. He's looked more comfortable and confident operating from the pocket, and he still has the ability to create, which is his biggest strength. Williams, who won the NFC Offensive Player of the Week after his performance against the Cowboys, is on pace for the best season for a quarterback in Bears franchise history.
Through four games, the Chicago Bears have a borderline top-10 quarterback by most metrics. That’s worthy of being named the team MVP. Williams is showing he’s starting to master Ben Johnson’s offense with how he’s navigating the pocket and understanding where to go with the football. Prior to Week 5, he’s tied for third in touchdowns (eight), 11th in yards (927), and 11th in passer rating with a minimum of 90 attempts (97.8).
Most importantly, though, he’s becoming a quarterback that the team can win because of—not just with. Williams proved that with his game-winning drive last week and how he’s able to stay calm throughout the storm, albeit with a limited sample size. If he continues this pace, Williams will easily have the best season a Bears quarterback has ever had.
There’s no better player on the entire Bears roster after the first four games than Caleb Williams. It’s laughable that at any sign of struggle for the team, Williams is to blame, but he’s been playing significantly better to start this season. As a rookie, Williams was consistently under pressure and always appearing to be playing with handcuffs on, but those are clearly off this season. Under Ben Johnson, Williams looks more confident, consistent, and explosive, everything that both fans and critics have been calling for. The Bears signal-caller can take this team far, now it’s about the entire roster coming together in the future.
It would be disingenuous to not name Caleb Williams as the offensive MVP of the Chicago Bears. He has literally won an Offensive Player of the Week Award in NFC already, which speaks to the respect he’s starting to gain around the league. Yeah, he has a chance to be the first 4,000 yard passer in Chicago Bears history, but more importantly, he is learning how to win under Ben Johnson. As of now, there is a real belief that the Bears finally got it right at the most important position in sports.
The Bears secondary has been riddled with injuries through the first four weeks of the season, and veteran safety Kevin Byard has not only been a veteran leader in that locker room but he's stepped up with injuries to cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon. Byard has been a huge part of the takeaway mentality from this Chicago defense in the last two weeks, where they've totaled eight. Byard is responsible for three of those, including two interceptions against the Raiders in last Sunday's win. Byard is one of just two players in the NFL this season with multiple interceptions in a game. The other? His teammate Tremaine Edmunds.
With all of the cornerback injuries the Bears have dealt with over the course of the early part of the season, it’s fair to wonder what this secondary would look like without Tyrique Stevenson. Maybe he hasn’t been the best defender on the field, but you can’t tell me he isn’t the most valuable defender given the circumstances.
Stevenson has had some hiccups this year, particularly in Week 2 when he struggled against the Detroit Lions. Since then, he’s been lights out. According to Stephen Letizia, Stevenson has allowed just three receptions on 12 targets for a total of six yards with three pass breakups and an interception. The Bears desperately needed stability at cornerback after losing Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, and Terell Smith, and Stevenson has provided it.
There is no shade at him that I didn’t reward this honor to Kevin Byard, he’s got plenty of well-deserved praise from the other members of this staff. Edmunds is the team’s leading tackler (40), and in the two games that they’ve won over the past two weeks, he’s had double-digit tackle games in each. He’s added three defended passes and two interceptions to his box score this year, and Edmunds has been a mainstay for the defense. Kevin Byard has been great, and he likely deserves the award more than anyone, but Edmunds has thrived while performing without his running mate T.J. Edwards. Having to step up and take a real significant load of the linebacker duties, Edmunds has played beyond expectations.
When Kevin Byard made his 31st and 32nd career interception last week, it was honestly hard to believe. The Bears have had some injury troubles in their defensive backfield but Byard has been someone ready to help make up for it. So far, he looks like the All-Pro that he’s been in his NFL career, and they’d love to see it continue.
This one is a clean sweep across the board. Second-year pro Rome Odunze has not only emerged as the Bears' WR1 but one of the NFL's breakout receivers through the first four games. Odunze is Chicago's leading receiver with 20 catches for 296 yards, and he's become quarterback Caleb Williams' go-to guy. Odunze is the only pass catcher in the NFL to score in every game this season, and his five touchdowns are the second-most in the league behind only Detroit's Amon-Ra St. Brown (6). Not bad for the young wideout who's just getting started in this Ben Johnson offense.
No one has come close to Rome Odunze’s breakout on this team. He flashed talent last year, but given his inexperience, the offensive struggles, and other mouths to feed, he wasn’t able to flourish. That has all changed in Johnson’s offense. Odunze has ascended to become the team’s WR1 and has developed impressive chemistry with Williams. A QB-WR connection like this hasn’t been seen since the days of Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall.
Through four weeks, Odunze is producing like a top-10 receiver, and he’s doing it all over the field. From deep sideline patterns to dig routes in the middle of the field, he’s everywhere in the passing attack. Odunze even has a shot to break the franchise record for most receiving touchdowns in a single season. We’ll see if he continues this pace, but Odunze is easily the breakout star of 2025 up to this point.
Without going off the rails, the ascension of Odunze has opened the door for potential roster moves that could bring upgrades to other positions on the field. There have only been four games played this year, but with five touchdowns to his credit already, Odunze has seemed to take over as the primary top receiver for Caleb Williams. Chicago could look to some wide receiver needy teams in a potential DJ Moore trade, although he still brings plenty of value to the offense. Odunze is coming into his own very early on in second season, and he’s showing why he was a Top 10 pick in last year’s draft.
It’s only been four weeks, which is too early for a bye week, but Rome Odunze has at least one touchdown reception in every game so far. That is keeping him at a pace with some of the league leaders in that regard. When Caleb Williams needs to make a big throw, Odunze is one of the candidates to be the recipient. His breakout is also helping Williams and Ben Johnson do what they need to do with their offensive game planning.
Let's be honest, there are plenty of options to choose from (which is reflected in this category). But the biggest disappointment for me is right guard Jonah Jackson, who's been the weak point along this improved offensive line. Not only did Chicago trade away a sixth-round pick for Jackson, but they also signed him to a one-year contract extension before he ever played a snap on the field (which aligned him with other newcomers Joe Thuney and Drew Dalman). What makes it worse is that this is a Ben Johnson guy, and he just hasn't delivered (given the value of the assets) through the first quarter of the season.
We heard it all this offseason. Montez Sweat would benefit from the additions on the defensive line. He was finally healthy after battling ailments all last year. No one was working harder at Halas Hall than him, according to coaches and Ryan Poles. This was supposed to be the bounce-back season for the highest-paid player on the team. Maybe it still will be, but that hasn’t been the case so far.
Sweat hasn’t been the difference maker he showed in 2023 when he arrived via trade. He’s just a guy who is getting paid like an elite defensive end. He has just one sack and three tackles for loss. That’s not good enough for your premier pass rusher. There are no more excuses for why Sweat isn’t performing up to expectations.
This has to be the most alarming part of the Bears offense through the first four games as Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland have almost been invincible throughout. That is not all against them, head coach Ben Johnson and offensive coordinator Declan Doyle need to be more creative in their schemes to get them involved more, but it also sends a bad message about their selection of Loveland. After giving out plenty of praise to the quarterback and wide receiver position entering the bye week, the tight ends need to be the next group that find their impact on the field.
Darnell Wright hasn’t been bad by any means, but he hasn’t been good either. He takes a penalties at an almost unrealistic clip, which has set the offense back at times, and his blocking can get better. He is injured right now too which makes him a little bit disappointing because he has to be on the field to redeem himself. It is not all lost for Darnell Wright, but the Bears had much higher hopes for a top 10 draft pick.
Linebacker Noah Sewell is already well-represented on this list, so I wanted to share some love for cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, who has improved not once but twice. He's improved from last year's disaster (after the Hail Mary) while also improving mid-2025 season after a brutal two-game start. Stevenson has come up big with the absences of cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, which includes some impressive pass breakups and two takeaways in the last two games.
I don’t care if this is cheating by putting the MVP into the most improved category. Williams looks like a new quarterback this year playing under Johnson. His pocket presence is much better, he’s not taking nearly as many sacks, his downfield accuracy has improved, and he understands where to go with the ball. It truly feels like the game is slowing down for Williams, and that can be seen both in the stats and in the eye test.
While T.J. Edwards has been missing, Sewell has stepped up in a big way as the second linebacker for the defense. Totaling 30 tackles through the first four games, including an 11-tackle performance in the Week 3 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, Sewell has been all over the field. He’s added 2.5 stuffs and a forced fumble to his total tackles on the season, and Sewell has not just taken over the departure of Jack Sanborn, but he’s established himself. After Chicago selected Ruben Hyppolite II in the fourth round, it appeared that there would be a wide open competition at linebacker, but Sewell has slammed the door shut on that competition. Even when Edwards does return healthy, Sewell will have earned himself a significant role under Dennis Allen.
There is going to be a lot of talk about Tyrique Stevenson as the most improved player, and rightfully so. Stevenson had a bad year last year in multiple ways (you know what), but he always had the talent to come out of the funk. With Ben Johnson and Dennis Allen’s help, he seems to have done that. However, Noah Sewell deserves praise as well. His game at linebacker has made an impact for the Bears now that he’s getting more of an opportunity. The run and pass defense has improved thanks to his rise. If he can keep that up following the bye week, the Bears will have a nice little group of linebackers as Tremaine Edmunds has been great, and TJ Edwards should be back soon.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears superlatives at bye week: Breakout, most disappointing players
Continue reading...
It's been an up-and-down first month of the season for the Bears, who lost their first two games of the year to divisional opponents (where they blew a fourth-quarter lead to the Minnesota Vikings and then got blown out by the Detroit Lions). But their big wins over the Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders has Chicago riding a wave of optimism at the bye week.
There's still a long way to go during the remainder of the 2025 season (13 games to be exact). But the bye week presents an opportunity to examine the standout players through the first four games. With that in mind, here's a look at our bye week superlatives for the Bears:
Offensive MVP
Alyssa Barbieri: QB Caleb Williams
It's only been four weeks, but second-year quarterback Caleb Williams has already shown impressive growth under first-year head coach Ben Johnson. Although it doesn't say much, Williams has shown us the best quarterback play we've seen in Chicago in some time. He's looked more comfortable and confident operating from the pocket, and he still has the ability to create, which is his biggest strength. Williams, who won the NFC Offensive Player of the Week after his performance against the Cowboys, is on pace for the best season for a quarterback in Bears franchise history.
Brendan Sugrue: QB Caleb Williams
Through four games, the Chicago Bears have a borderline top-10 quarterback by most metrics. That’s worthy of being named the team MVP. Williams is showing he’s starting to master Ben Johnson’s offense with how he’s navigating the pocket and understanding where to go with the football. Prior to Week 5, he’s tied for third in touchdowns (eight), 11th in yards (927), and 11th in passer rating with a minimum of 90 attempts (97.8).
Most importantly, though, he’s becoming a quarterback that the team can win because of—not just with. Williams proved that with his game-winning drive last week and how he’s able to stay calm throughout the storm, albeit with a limited sample size. If he continues this pace, Williams will easily have the best season a Bears quarterback has ever had.
Mike Pendleton: QB Caleb Williams
There’s no better player on the entire Bears roster after the first four games than Caleb Williams. It’s laughable that at any sign of struggle for the team, Williams is to blame, but he’s been playing significantly better to start this season. As a rookie, Williams was consistently under pressure and always appearing to be playing with handcuffs on, but those are clearly off this season. Under Ben Johnson, Williams looks more confident, consistent, and explosive, everything that both fans and critics have been calling for. The Bears signal-caller can take this team far, now it’s about the entire roster coming together in the future.
Vinnie Parise: QB Caleb Williams
It would be disingenuous to not name Caleb Williams as the offensive MVP of the Chicago Bears. He has literally won an Offensive Player of the Week Award in NFC already, which speaks to the respect he’s starting to gain around the league. Yeah, he has a chance to be the first 4,000 yard passer in Chicago Bears history, but more importantly, he is learning how to win under Ben Johnson. As of now, there is a real belief that the Bears finally got it right at the most important position in sports.
Defensive MVP
Alyssa Barbieri: S Kevin Byard
The Bears secondary has been riddled with injuries through the first four weeks of the season, and veteran safety Kevin Byard has not only been a veteran leader in that locker room but he's stepped up with injuries to cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon. Byard has been a huge part of the takeaway mentality from this Chicago defense in the last two weeks, where they've totaled eight. Byard is responsible for three of those, including two interceptions against the Raiders in last Sunday's win. Byard is one of just two players in the NFL this season with multiple interceptions in a game. The other? His teammate Tremaine Edmunds.
Brendan Sugrue: CB Tyrique Stevenson
With all of the cornerback injuries the Bears have dealt with over the course of the early part of the season, it’s fair to wonder what this secondary would look like without Tyrique Stevenson. Maybe he hasn’t been the best defender on the field, but you can’t tell me he isn’t the most valuable defender given the circumstances.
Stevenson has had some hiccups this year, particularly in Week 2 when he struggled against the Detroit Lions. Since then, he’s been lights out. According to Stephen Letizia, Stevenson has allowed just three receptions on 12 targets for a total of six yards with three pass breakups and an interception. The Bears desperately needed stability at cornerback after losing Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, and Terell Smith, and Stevenson has provided it.
Mike Pendleton: LB Tremaine Edmunds
There is no shade at him that I didn’t reward this honor to Kevin Byard, he’s got plenty of well-deserved praise from the other members of this staff. Edmunds is the team’s leading tackler (40), and in the two games that they’ve won over the past two weeks, he’s had double-digit tackle games in each. He’s added three defended passes and two interceptions to his box score this year, and Edmunds has been a mainstay for the defense. Kevin Byard has been great, and he likely deserves the award more than anyone, but Edmunds has thrived while performing without his running mate T.J. Edwards. Having to step up and take a real significant load of the linebacker duties, Edmunds has played beyond expectations.
Vinnie Parise: S Kevin Byard
When Kevin Byard made his 31st and 32nd career interception last week, it was honestly hard to believe. The Bears have had some injury troubles in their defensive backfield but Byard has been someone ready to help make up for it. So far, he looks like the All-Pro that he’s been in his NFL career, and they’d love to see it continue.
Breakout player
Alyssa Barbieri: WR Rome Odunze
This one is a clean sweep across the board. Second-year pro Rome Odunze has not only emerged as the Bears' WR1 but one of the NFL's breakout receivers through the first four games. Odunze is Chicago's leading receiver with 20 catches for 296 yards, and he's become quarterback Caleb Williams' go-to guy. Odunze is the only pass catcher in the NFL to score in every game this season, and his five touchdowns are the second-most in the league behind only Detroit's Amon-Ra St. Brown (6). Not bad for the young wideout who's just getting started in this Ben Johnson offense.
Brendan Sugrue: WR Rome Odunze
No one has come close to Rome Odunze’s breakout on this team. He flashed talent last year, but given his inexperience, the offensive struggles, and other mouths to feed, he wasn’t able to flourish. That has all changed in Johnson’s offense. Odunze has ascended to become the team’s WR1 and has developed impressive chemistry with Williams. A QB-WR connection like this hasn’t been seen since the days of Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall.
Through four weeks, Odunze is producing like a top-10 receiver, and he’s doing it all over the field. From deep sideline patterns to dig routes in the middle of the field, he’s everywhere in the passing attack. Odunze even has a shot to break the franchise record for most receiving touchdowns in a single season. We’ll see if he continues this pace, but Odunze is easily the breakout star of 2025 up to this point.
Mike Pendleton: WR Rome Odunze
Without going off the rails, the ascension of Odunze has opened the door for potential roster moves that could bring upgrades to other positions on the field. There have only been four games played this year, but with five touchdowns to his credit already, Odunze has seemed to take over as the primary top receiver for Caleb Williams. Chicago could look to some wide receiver needy teams in a potential DJ Moore trade, although he still brings plenty of value to the offense. Odunze is coming into his own very early on in second season, and he’s showing why he was a Top 10 pick in last year’s draft.
Vinnie Parise: WR Rome Odunze
It’s only been four weeks, which is too early for a bye week, but Rome Odunze has at least one touchdown reception in every game so far. That is keeping him at a pace with some of the league leaders in that regard. When Caleb Williams needs to make a big throw, Odunze is one of the candidates to be the recipient. His breakout is also helping Williams and Ben Johnson do what they need to do with their offensive game planning.
Most disappointing player
Alyssa Barbieri: RG Jonah Jackson
Let's be honest, there are plenty of options to choose from (which is reflected in this category). But the biggest disappointment for me is right guard Jonah Jackson, who's been the weak point along this improved offensive line. Not only did Chicago trade away a sixth-round pick for Jackson, but they also signed him to a one-year contract extension before he ever played a snap on the field (which aligned him with other newcomers Joe Thuney and Drew Dalman). What makes it worse is that this is a Ben Johnson guy, and he just hasn't delivered (given the value of the assets) through the first quarter of the season.
Brendan Sugrue: DE Montez Sweat
We heard it all this offseason. Montez Sweat would benefit from the additions on the defensive line. He was finally healthy after battling ailments all last year. No one was working harder at Halas Hall than him, according to coaches and Ryan Poles. This was supposed to be the bounce-back season for the highest-paid player on the team. Maybe it still will be, but that hasn’t been the case so far.
Sweat hasn’t been the difference maker he showed in 2023 when he arrived via trade. He’s just a guy who is getting paid like an elite defensive end. He has just one sack and three tackles for loss. That’s not good enough for your premier pass rusher. There are no more excuses for why Sweat isn’t performing up to expectations.
Mike Pendleton: TEs Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland
This has to be the most alarming part of the Bears offense through the first four games as Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland have almost been invincible throughout. That is not all against them, head coach Ben Johnson and offensive coordinator Declan Doyle need to be more creative in their schemes to get them involved more, but it also sends a bad message about their selection of Loveland. After giving out plenty of praise to the quarterback and wide receiver position entering the bye week, the tight ends need to be the next group that find their impact on the field.
Vinnie Parise: RT Darnell Wright
Darnell Wright hasn’t been bad by any means, but he hasn’t been good either. He takes a penalties at an almost unrealistic clip, which has set the offense back at times, and his blocking can get better. He is injured right now too which makes him a little bit disappointing because he has to be on the field to redeem himself. It is not all lost for Darnell Wright, but the Bears had much higher hopes for a top 10 draft pick.
Most improved
Alyssa Barbieri: CB Tyrique Stevenson
Linebacker Noah Sewell is already well-represented on this list, so I wanted to share some love for cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, who has improved not once but twice. He's improved from last year's disaster (after the Hail Mary) while also improving mid-2025 season after a brutal two-game start. Stevenson has come up big with the absences of cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, which includes some impressive pass breakups and two takeaways in the last two games.
Brendan Sugrue: QB Caleb Williams
I don’t care if this is cheating by putting the MVP into the most improved category. Williams looks like a new quarterback this year playing under Johnson. His pocket presence is much better, he’s not taking nearly as many sacks, his downfield accuracy has improved, and he understands where to go with the ball. It truly feels like the game is slowing down for Williams, and that can be seen both in the stats and in the eye test.
Mike Pendleton: LB Noah Sewell
While T.J. Edwards has been missing, Sewell has stepped up in a big way as the second linebacker for the defense. Totaling 30 tackles through the first four games, including an 11-tackle performance in the Week 3 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, Sewell has been all over the field. He’s added 2.5 stuffs and a forced fumble to his total tackles on the season, and Sewell has not just taken over the departure of Jack Sanborn, but he’s established himself. After Chicago selected Ruben Hyppolite II in the fourth round, it appeared that there would be a wide open competition at linebacker, but Sewell has slammed the door shut on that competition. Even when Edwards does return healthy, Sewell will have earned himself a significant role under Dennis Allen.
Vinnie Parise: LB Noah Sewell
There is going to be a lot of talk about Tyrique Stevenson as the most improved player, and rightfully so. Stevenson had a bad year last year in multiple ways (you know what), but he always had the talent to come out of the funk. With Ben Johnson and Dennis Allen’s help, he seems to have done that. However, Noah Sewell deserves praise as well. His game at linebacker has made an impact for the Bears now that he’s getting more of an opportunity. The run and pass defense has improved thanks to his rise. If he can keep that up following the bye week, the Bears will have a nice little group of linebackers as Tremaine Edmunds has been great, and TJ Edwards should be back soon.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears superlatives at bye week: Breakout, most disappointing players
Continue reading...
