Don't look now, but the Bears won a game in Week 5.
For the first time in 347 days, the Bears were victorious and are headed toward Week 6 with real momentum, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
After a disastrous first three weeks, quarterback Justin Fields has found his groove in the past two games against porous defenses. In the past two weeks, Fields is 43-for-64 for 617 passing yards (699 total), eight touchdowns, and one interception.
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The Bears' offensive resurgence and the end of the 14-game losing streak have, for the moment, ground the Caleb-Williams-to-Chicago train to a halt. Well, it might still be coasting.
That's where we begin this edition of overreactions, with the debate between Williams and Fields and how to build an offense around Fields should he continue this high-level play for 12 more games.
Overreaction? Yes
I understand the healthy skepticism concerning Fields' long-term future in Chicago. I think he's got all the tools, but he might need a change of scenery to fully break through. I think it's likewise possible that the Bears might find it in their best interest to reset their quarterback contract clock even if Fields finds sustained success as a passer this season.
The Bears still have several massive holes on the roster that will keep them from becoming realistic contenders soon. It's easier to fill those holes -- most of which are at premium positions -- when you have a quarterback on a rookie contract. The Bears must decide this offseason if they want to pick up Fields' fifth-year option, meaning they don't have a lot of time to build a winning roster around him before having to cut a big check in a few years.
In a normal world, a Week 5 win over the Commanders would have dampened the Caleb Williams buzz. But thanks to the Carolina Panthers, that equation is different for the 2023 Bears.
The Bears won a game but remain in the driver's seat for the No. 1 pick thanks to the Panthers, who are the NFL's last winless team.
The best-case scenario for the Bears is to get a full evaluation of Fields this season and have the Panthers finish with the worst record in the NFL. Carolina has no incentive to tank, but they can't pass-protect and have the league's worst group of skill players. I expect Carolina, Arizona, Denver, and the Giants to finish at the bottom of the league, with the Bears being in the picture if this two-week stretch is a flash in the pan.
Nothing has been dampened. Caleb Williams remains a possibility while Justin Fields works to make such a move unnecessary.
Overreaction? Yes.
In a vacuum, drafting Marvin Harrison Jr. and Brock Bowers would be brilliant moves by any team.
Having a star receiver on a rookie contract next to DJ Moore while pairing Kmet with a unicorn tight end like Bowers would give Fields everything he needs to lead a dynamic offense.
But the Bears still have huge needs on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
If we operate under the assumption that Fields cements himself as the franchise quarterback this season, the Bears should use at least one of their two first-round picks on an elite edge rusher. It's a must. They might also be in the market for a starting left tackle, of which two are projected to go in the first round next April.
If the Bears end up with a top-four pick and Harrison is on the board, I'd have a hard time passing on him. Elite wide receivers win in the modern NFL, and having two is like adding jet fuel to a young quarterback's development.
But the Bears must eventually address the defensive line. They can't keep ignoring their biggest hole.
I wouldn't spend both first-round picks on weapons. But it would be a hell of a fun roster to have in Madden 25.
Overreaction? I don't think so
Jenkins was tremendous in 37 snaps during his season debut. He didn't allow a pressure and was a bully in the run game.
We know the Bears will look for their "best five" each week. While they have already moved Jenkins around a lot, I do wonder if going back to tackle might be in the cards, at least until Braxton Jones returns. Larry Borom was horrendous against the Commanders, giving up eight pressures and registering a pass-block grade of 8.0, per PFF. That's 8.0 out of 100.
Brutal.
BEARS ANALYSIS
Might the Bears look to field a line of Jenkins-Whitehair-Patrick-Davis-Wright until Jones can return? It's something I'd be interested in. I'm not that concerned about Whitehair's snaps. Honestly, I think Patrick is the bigger problem. Ideally, Whitehair would shift back to center, and Patrick would return to his top reserve role, with Jenkins slotting in at left guard and Jones at left tackle. But with Jones on injured reserve with a neck injury, Borom currently is the weakest link on the offensive line. The only way to remedy that is to put Jenkins at left tackle.
However, I think the Bears might want to let Jenkins settle in at left guard and not keep moving him around.
I like the idea, though.
Overreaction? Maybe
On paper, the Bears "removed the excuses" for Fields entering the season. But they don't play the games on paper, and things haven't gone according to plan.
The revamped offensive line has played zero snaps as a unit. Claypool, who the Bears needed big things from opposite Moore, made it three games before being jettisoned for a bag of potato chips.
There were massive scheme issues for the first three weeks, but the Bears seemed to have remedied that for now. Khalil Herbert got injured just as he found a rhythm, but D'Onta Foreman can carry the load.
Kmet might not be the explosive tight end that Travis Kelce, George Kittle, or Mark Andrews are, but he still is in the top six tight ends in catches, receiving yards, touchdowns, and yards per route run with zero drops. He has been good, and his targets should only increase as the offense continues to find its groove.
The skill group is still above average, especially with an elite receiver in Moore. It would be nice if rookie Tyler Scott could find a role with Claypool off to perhaps play tight end in Miami.
But the offensive line is what still worries me.
Jones is out, Jenkins is injury-prone, Patrick left the last game with a concussion, and Whitehair has been banged up since camp. One or two more injuries to the line and Fields will likely spend the remainder of the season running for his life.
That's what will keep the Bears from getting a full evaluation of Fields.
But if Moore, Kmet, and Mooney stay healthy and the line remains relatively intact, the Bears should have a good idea of what Fields is when the season ends.
As always, there's a ton of gray area in this discussion.
Overreaction? Absolutely not
I talked with Dave Wannstedt about this after the win over the Commanders. Moore's career night couldn't have come at a better time. The Bears needed their best player to drag them across the finish line to break the losing streak, and he put the entire team on his back in Landover, Maryland.
But Moore can't be expected to for 8-230 every Sunday. Defenses have already been shading and bracketing Moore. While Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio elected to play a ton of man coverage against Fields, I'm going to be most of the remaining opponents will go zone-heavy and try and limit Moore as much as possible.
There will be games where Moore only catches three passes for 50 yards. Will Fields be able to rely on Mooney and Kmet to carry the offense in those games? Can the Bears trust Scott with more than 10 snaps a game, and will the rookie be a reliable target in big moments?
The passing game has looked eons better in the past two weeks. Having an elite receiver like Moore who can turn a 10-yard curl into a 50-yard touchdown makes life much easier.
But it won't be like that every week.
The next evolution of this offense must involve the skills guys who don't wear No. 2. If the Bears can find ways to get Mooney and Scott more involved in the passing game, it should help open things up for Moore. If they can't, the Bears' passing attack will eventually be solved by better defenses they play down the road.