Let’s be real — if you told any Bears fan before the season that we’d be sitting at .500 with a functional quarterback and a coach who knows what a route tree is, they’d have thrown a parade. After four games, this team isn’t just surviving, they’re showing signs of life. But make no mistake: this is a work in progress. There’s plenty to celebrate, but even more to fix. Time to hand out some brutally honest grades as we finish up the first quarter of the 2025 NFL season.
Offense: B+
Ben Johnson has injected this offense with something Bears fans haven't felt since... ever? Competence. Swagger. Cohesion. Take your pick. The red zone, long a place where Bears drives went to die, is now a murder zone — for opposing defenses. Chicago ranks 15th in red zone TD efficiency (63.64%), a stark drop from earlier weeks. That’s not terrible — but it’s nowhere near elite — and that's a big drop from where they were before the Raiders game, when they ranked 3rd. Still, considering last year they were dead in the water inside the 20, this is a major leap forward for Ben Johnson’s offense.
Caleb Williams is legit. He’s not perfect, but he’s clearly growing each week. His 75.0 PFF grade puts him just outside the top 11, and he’s leading the league in time to throw (3.07s) and escape rate (8.8%). Translation: the dude can extend plays without playing hero ball. He’s thrown for 927 yards, 8 TDs, and only a couple "rookie learning curve" mistakes.
Rome Odunze? That man is HIM.
- 296 receiving yards
- 5 TDs in 4 games (nobody’s done that in Chicago since Sweetness in ‘86)
He’s the WR1 we’ve begged the football gods for. Tough, polished, clutch.
But not everything’s sunshine and deep balls. The offensive line?
Downright infuriating.
- Preseason rank: 4th (PFF)
- After 3 weeks: 20th
They’re technically not giving up sacks (just 7 allowed), but Williams is still the most hurried QB in the NFL. That means he’s under duress constantly — dodging bullets behind a supposedly premium line. Darnell Wright has quietly been the lone bright spot here — leading the team in EPA per zone fit and giving up the fewest pressures of any lineman on the roster. Joe Thuney held his end down against Dallas (zero pressures), but as a unit? Hot-and-cold mess.
And then there’s the run game — or lack thereof.
- 24th in rushing (102.3 YPG)
- D’Andre Swift: 3.3 YPC (career low)
- Week 4 vs Vegas: 2.7 YPA, 69 total rush yards
That ain’t gonna cut it. Especially when you've paid top dollar for this line and brought in a back like Swift. Fix it, Ben.
Defense: C-
Let’s not sugarcoat it: this defense is being held together with duct tape and vibes.
First, the good:
- 1st in 3rd down defense (29.27%)
- 8 takeaways in last 2 games
Dennis Allen’s crew shows up when it absolutely has to. Kevin Byard and Tyrique Stevenson are making plays in the secondary. But that’s about it.
The run defense is straight-up criminally bad:
- Gave up 240 rushing yards to Vegas
- Let Ashton Jeanty cook them for 6.7 YPC and a 64-yard TD
That TD? Longest run against Chicago since 2013. It looked like the entire front seven had their shoelaces tied together.
Pass rush? Doesn’t exist.
- Zero sacks in Week 4
- Montez Sweat: 1 sack total
Sweat was supposed to be the engine of this defense. Right now, he’s a damn hood ornament. To be fair, he leads the team in pressures with five — but that stat says more about the sorry state of the pass rush than it does about Sweat wrecking games. Five pressures in four games isn't going to rattle anyone.
Injuries haven’t helped:
- Jaylon Johnson: groin, just had surgery
- T.J. Edwards: hammy, missed multiple games
- Kyler Gordon: hasn’t played yet
All key players, all gone. But even when healthy, this unit doesn’t scare anyone. There’s no bite. Just bend — and break.
Special Teams: A-
Richard Hightower’s group is the most consistent unit on this team. No, seriously.
- Cairo Santos: 4/4 in Week 4, including two 50+ yarders
- Tory Taylor: dropped a dagger punt at the 2-yard line vs Vegas
- Josh Blackwell: game-winning blocked FG, predicted by Hightower pre-snap
These guys are clutch, confident, and executing at a high level. That blocked FG was the play of the season so far.
Coaching: B
Ben Johnson might be the first Bears coach in 30 years who doesn’t sound like a cardboard cutout at the podium. He’s got a system, he knows what works, and — more importantly — he owns the flaws.
After a sloppy win in Week 4, he said the offense was “just a mess, man.” That’s the kind of accountability that builds culture. His offense is averaging 328 YPG (up from 284.6 last year — league-worst), and it’s doing it with real creativity: motion, misdirection, red zone packages. You can see the blueprint forming.
But Johnson’s got work to do:
- Get the damn run game working
- Stop wasting elite O-line talent
Dennis Allen, meanwhile, deserves credit for the 3rd down D... but he’s getting cooked everywhere else. If he doesn’t scheme up pressure soon, it won’t matter how many 3rd downs they stop—the scoreboard will already be out of hand.
Advanced Stats Snapshot
- Caleb Williams EPA/play: +0.04 (20th)
- Success Rate: 42.86%
- Red Zone TD%: 85.7% (3rd)
Translation: Williams is hovering near average overall, but the Bears’ scoring opportunities are lethal. They’re not marching up and down the field yet, but when they do get close—they finish.
Final Verdict
Sitting at 2-2 heading into the bye week isn’t bad. Not when:
- Your QB looks like a franchise guy
- Your coach has a spine
- You’ve got key defenders coming back soon (Gordon, Edwards)
But they’re not contenders. Not yet. The defense is too soft up front, the O-line too inconsistent, and the run game flat-out bad.
Playoff Odds: 20%
If they fix the run D, find a pass rush, and continue developing Williams? Watch out. They’re not far off.
But for now? They’re dangerous. Just not deadly.
Final Grades:
- Offense: B+
- Defense: C-
- Special Teams: A-
- Coaching: B
Overall: B- (Trending Up)
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