Ben Johnson spent Wednesday at Halas Hall talking about one opponent. The Chicago Bears head coach has Sunday’s trip to Atlanta first, and then a stretch that tests everything his program has built around rest.
After the Falcons, Chicago hosts the Patriots on Thursday, Oct. 22, on four days’ rest, then plays Monday night in Seattle and Sunday night against Tampa Bay, according to the Bears’ 2026 schedule. The Bears look ready for the prime-time part. They already beat the Eagles 27-7 on a Monday night in Week 3 at Soldier Field. The four-day turnaround is the real exam, and it comes at a bad time for a team that left Green Bay with a 31-7 loss.
Ben Johnson keeps the week narrow
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Johnson’s approach helps. The Bears held a walkthrough instead of practice Wednesday, a plan Johnson said is in place for the whole season, which is why there was no Wednesday injury report. Asked about his quarterback plan, he framed the week the same way. “What do we need to do first and foremost for this week? And then a big picture view,” Johnson said at his media availability Wednesday.
That big picture has some holes. Caleb Williams has missed the last three games, and his status for Sunday isn’t final. Montez Sweat’s two-game suspension covers both the Falcons and the Patriots, leaving Chicago to replace its top pass rusher on a short week. Johnson wants the response to start now. “We’re going to get right back on the horse and we’re going to keep working,” he said in comments to reporters Wednesday. “We’ve got to have a great week of preparation.”
The back half of the stretch is kinder. Chicago gets 11 days between the Patriots game and the trip to Seattle, then six days before the Buccaneers visit and a Week 10 bye. Mike Vrabel’s 3-2 Patriots, who have won three of four, are the problem.
So the answer is mostly yes, with the Thursday game as the swing. A clean, healthy exit from Atlanta on Sunday would set up the rest. “Our playstyle needs to show up on a regular basis,” Johnson said, and that starts at noon CT against the Falcons, with the Week 5 loss at Lambeau Field still hanging over Halas Hall.
