Bears know they have room to
improve despite matching their longest winning streak since 2018
[October 21, 2025]
By ANDREW SELIGMAN
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears are on their best run in
seven seasons with four straight wins. They're just not pounding
their chests too hard.
The Bears (4-2) know they have room to improve coming off a 26-14
victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
While the defense and run game dominated, quarterback Caleb Williams
struggled. Penalties again were a big issue, and the Bears struggled
to convert on third down and in the red zone.
“It’s insane to think that we’re 4-2, about how much growth we have
left, myself included,” Williams said.
Even so, the Bears matched their longest winning streak since the
2018 NFC North champions won the final four regular-season games.
And they're in a position that would have been difficult to envision
after starting the season with losses to Minnesota and Detroit.
At 4-2, they're also in a familiar spot. They had the same record
last year, only to go into a 10-game tailspin starting with the
“Fail Mary” loss at Washington. Along the way, former coach Matt
Eberflus became the first head coach in franchise history to be
fired midseason.
The Bears insist the record is where the similarities end. They say
they have a belief in one another and in coach Ben Johnson and his
staff that didn't exist last season.
“They have confidence and you can tell the way they talk that they
believe in us, that we’re gonna win, that it doesn’t have to be
perfect, it doesn’t have to be clean," safety Jaquan Brisker said
Monday. "It can be ugly. We just have to find a way to win. As long
as we stay together, as long as we keep doing our jobs and things
like that, we’ll have a chance.”
What’s working
Takeaways. Chicago is on a tear, with 15 of its league-leading 16
takeaways on the season coming in the past four games. The Bears
recovered a fumble and intercepted Spencer Rattler three times in
their fourth straight game forcing three or more turnovers.
Montez Sweat set the tone with an early strip-sack that led to a
field goal, and Nahshon Wright set up the game’s first touchdown
with a long interception return. Kevin Byard and Tremaine Edmunds
also picked off passes.
What needs help
Penalties. The Bears committed 10 for 92 yards after getting flagged
nine times for 84 yards against Washington. Pre-snap penalties in
particular have been an issue.
"We have to get it all cleaned up. Good teams don’t have so many
self-inflicted wounds," Johnson said.
Penalties weren’t the only issue. The Bears converted just 3 of 12
third downs and scored just two touchdowns on six trips to the red
zone.
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Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift (4) carries past New
Orleans Saints outside linebacker Demario Davis (56) in the second
half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, in Chicago. (AP
Photo/Nam Huh)
Stock up
RB D’Andre Swift. In the two games since the bye, Swift has
delivered two of his best performances in two seasons with the
Bears. The one-time Pro Bowler has run for 232 yards and a touchdown
in that span to go with 81 yards receiving and a TD catch.
Against New Orleans, Swift ran for a season-high 124 yards and a
score, helping Chicago rack up 222 yards on the ground. In the win
over Washington, he ran for 108 yards and added a highlight-reel
touchdown reception when he turned a short pass into a 55-yarder.
Stock down
Williams. The Bears need more from their quarterback after the
defense and run game bailed them out. Williams reverted to some bad
habits, like spinning away from defenders too often and scrambling
around when he had opportunities to step up in the pocket. He threw
for a season-low 172 yards while completing 15 of 26 passes with no
touchdowns and one interception.
“That’s part of what makes him special as a player, and so you don’t
want to neuter him,” Johnson said. "You don’t. That’s a dangerous
road to go down, because he’s got this natural ability to feel the
pocket and know when to escape and extend. And I think, more than
anything, for us, it’s just making sure we’re on the same page of
the time and the place, the situation for where that Superman cape
comes out, and at other times, whether it’s we’re running with our
legs a little bit more or throwing the ball away, where that needs
to come into play.”
Injuries
CB Tyrique Stevenson (shoulder) and TE Cole Kmet (back) exited the
game. “We’ll find out more on Wednesday for sure," Johnson said.
“But we’re thinking more day to day, week to week right now.”
Key number
5 — The Bears haven’t won five in a row since the 2018 team won five
straight late that season.
Next steps
The Bears visit Baltimore on Sunday.
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