Bears see room to grow after
already matching win total from last season
[November 04, 2025]
By ANDREW SELIGMAN
CHICAGO (AP) — Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears reached into
their bag of tricks and dug deep in the end to pull out their
wildest victory in years.
They matched their win total from last season and are in the thick
of the NFC playoff race. Even so, they know they have room to grow.
“Yeah, we haven’t played our best football collectively as a team
yet,” coach Ben Johnson said Monday, a day after the Bears outlasted
Cincinnati 47-42 in a thriller that featured three touchdowns in the
last two minutes.
“And yet," Johnson said, "we have found a way to win.”
The Bears (5-3) could at least exhale a day after their wild
victory.
They're in a far better place in Johnson's first season than they
were this time last year, when they were in a 10-game freefall that
cost former coach Matt Eberflus his job.
It hasn't been the smoothest ride for Chicago. The Bears blew an
11-point lead in the opener against Minnesota and got blown out at
Detroit the following week before winning four in a row and matching
their best streak since 2018.
Williams' progress in his second season hasn't happened in a
straight line. The former No. 1 draft pick still has a tendency to
lock into targets and spend too much time scrambling, but he has
also come up big late in close games. His 58-yard touchdown to
Colston Loveland with 17 seconds remaining Sunday capped a
performance like no other.
Williams not only threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns while
running for 53 yards, he became the first quarterback in in nearly
82 years with multiple receptions in a game. He caught two passes
for 22 yards and a TD.
“It just opens up the offense, just gives the defense another
element that they have to account for as they game plan throughout
the week," receiver Olamide Zaccheaus said. "You know, him being
able to do that, extend drives, especially late in the game is huge
for us and we’ve got to continue to build on that.”
What’s working
The Bears had three more takeaways against Cincinnati to bring their
league-leading total to 19. Chicago had 15 in a four-game win streak
before coming away with none in a loss at Baltimore in Week 8.
What needs help
If the Bears weren't already looking for help in the pass rush
before Tuesday's deadline, they might be now.
Johnson said DE Dayo Odeyingbo suffered a season-ending Achilles
tendon injury against Cincinnati, another blow for a team struggling
to take down the quarterback. Signed last March to a three-year deal
with $32 million guaranteed, he had one sack after recording 16 1/2
over his first four seasons with Indianapolis.
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Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland (84) celebrates after his
touchdown with wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus (14) during the
second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals,
Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
Odeyingbo's injury came on the same day DE Austin
Booker made an impressive season debut. Booker had a strip sack
against Joe Flacco when he bull-rushed his blocker, after missing
the first seven games because of a knee injury.
The Bears are tied for 20th in the NFL with 17 sacks, and only three
players have more than one, with Montez Sweat leading the team with
four.
Stock up
WR Rome Odunze. Though the second-year pro went from matching a
career high with seven receptions for 114 yards at Baltimore to
failing to catch a pass for the first time in his career, he has
emerged as Williams' favorite option. The former Washington star
leads the team in yards receiving (473), touchdown catches (five)
and targets (59). His 31 receptions are tied with Zaccheaus for
first on the Bears.
Stock down
LT Braxton Jones. The 2022 fifth-round draft pick lost his starting
job and then got placed on injured reserve. It has been a rough
stretch. Jones has started 44 games in four seasons for Chicago,
including the first four this year. He was lifted during a Week 4
win at Las Vegas and was placed on IR with a knee injury before the
Baltimore game.
Injuries
TE Cole Kmet was in the concussion protocol after getting hurt in
Sunday's game.
Key number
71 — Penalties have been a big issue, with the Bears third in the
league with 71 for 576 yards. Left tackle Theo Benedet's four false
starts are tied for the most by an NFL offensive lineman.
Next steps
The Bears host the New York Giants — losers of three straight and
last in the NFC East — on Sunday before the schedule takes a tougher
turn. They visit Minnesota in Week 11 and then play three straight
against current division leaders, with a home game against
Pittsburgh followed by trips to defending Super Bowl champion
Philadelphia and to Green Bay.
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