Chicago Bears are 3-1 despite playing two games without their starting quarterback. Their only loss came against the undefeated Minnesota Vikings, a 9-3 defensive battle in Week 2. Since then, Chicago has beaten the Philadelphia Eagles 27-7 and the New York Jets 23-12. The Bears are sitting second in the NFC North.
Caleb Williams will miss Sunday’s NFC North matchup against the Green Bay Packers as he continues to recover from his hamstring injury. Ben Johnson has confirmed that backup QB Tyson Bagent will be “the guy” at Lambeau Field, as per CBS Sports. This time, there is no quarterback mystery.
On Wednesday, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport also reported that Bagent is expected to start.
“This week and I say this week very specifically Tyson Bagent is expected to start at quarterback for the Chicago Bears,” Rapoport said. “The reason I say that so specifically since last week… It types of agent would be the starter. Ben Johnson declined to say that that was the case and then the first snap happened and you had Case Keenum at starting quarterback.”
Making his first start since 2023, Bagent completed 25 of 34 passes for a career-high 268 yards and one interception in the 23-12 win. He did not throw a touchdown, but he controlled the offense and kept the Bears moving. Chicago finished with 492 total yards and 34 first downs, while holding New York to just 157 yards.
Caleb Williams’ Return Can Wait as Bears Continue to Roll
The quarterback suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain during Chicago’s Week 2 loss to Minnesota. He has now missed two games and will miss a third against Green Bay. Johnson said Williams will not practice this week, although the quarterback remains on a week-to-week recovery timeline.
The Bears, however, have taken the pressure off the quarterback position with their running game though. Chicago leads the NFL in rushing at 196.3 yards per game. Against the Jets, Kyle Monangai exploded for 146 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries, while the Bears ran for 232 yards overall. The offensive line consistently controlled the line of scrimmage, allowing Johnson to keep the game out of Bagent’s hands when necessary.
That formula makes life much easier for any quarterback. Chicago has scored 28 points per game, despite using three different quarterbacks in its first four games.
Chicago’s defense gave up 37 points in Week 1, but it has tightened up dramatically since then. The Bears allowed only 28 total points across their last three games, including just 12 against the Jets. New York went 0-for-7 on third down and managed only 157 total yards. The defense has become another reason Ben Johnson does not need to panic about Williams’ absence.
