Caleb Williams’ hamstring injury and a stagnant rushing attack have shifted Chicago’s postseason outlook. Discover where the 1-1 Bears stand as Tyson Bagent takes over the offense.
The Chicago Bears went from scoring 59 points in the season opener to just three in a 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
The poor weather conditions definitely played a factor in most of the game. The Bears still weren't able to run the ball as efficiently as they did in Week 1. Both Kyle Monangai and D'Andre Swift had 100 or more rushing yards in that game.
On Sunday, the Bears had 134 rushing yards as a team. Swift had 45 rushing yards, and Monangai finished with 47 on the ground.
As expected, the Bears had difficulty passing the ball consistently due to the inclement weather. Caleb Williams went 15-of-28 with 138 passing yards and one interception.
To make things worse, he suffered a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter. Head coach Ben Johnson noted that Williams was in good spirits, but it looks like he'll be out for a few weeks with the injury.
Tyson Bagent came in for Williams late in the game, and the offense couldn't score a touchdown while down 9-3.
Johnson was preparing for another close game with the Vikings, but nothing could've prepared him for losing his quarterback to injury like that.
After the noon slate of games ended, the playoff odds for the teams involved were updated on Kalshi's real-world event prediction market.
Among the teams that played on the slate, the Baltimore Ravens had the best odds at 77%. The Cincinnati Bengals (75%), Philadelphia Eagles (69%), Minnesota Vikings (57%), Houston Texans (56%), and New England Patriots (54%) were all ahead of the Bears.
The Bears playoff odds on Kalshi are now 46%.
It's not going to be easy for the Bears moving forward with Williams sidelined for the next few weeks.
They face the Eagles in Week 3, followed by the New York Jets. The Eagles are 2-0, and the Jets are looking better than expected after losing to the Green Bay Packers in overtime.
Then the Bears take on the Packers in Week 4, followed by the Atlanta Falcons. The next games after that are against the Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks.
The good thing is that Tyson Bagent has proven he can be a reliable backup. He's been in Johnson's offense before and knows what it takes. Bagent had to come in for the injured Justin Fields in 2023 and led the Bears to a 2-2 record in his starts.
Losing Williams is going to hurt for this stretch, but the Bears must have some kind of comfort knowing that Bagent is a solid backup option.
The Bears look ahead to the Eagles on Monday Night Football. Kickoff is set for 7:15 p.m. CT on ESPN/ABC.
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