The NFL has a way of revealing what teams are made of.
Just one week after looking like a legitimate contender through the season’s first month, the Bears walked into Lambeau Field and delivered their worst performance of 2026. The loss exposed nearly every flaw Ben Johnson’s team had managed to hide during its 3-1 start. The offense turned the ball over repeatedly, the defense failed to make timely stops, and Chicago played with a lack of urgency that was impossible to ignore.
The good news is that one bad Sunday doesn’t define a season. The bad news is that the Bears don’t have much time to prove Green Bay was simply an outlier.
That’s what makes Sunday’s matchup against Atlanta so important. The Falcons are built in a similar mold to Chicago. They want to run the football, control possession, and play physical, disciplined football. This game won’t just test whether the Bears can bounce back from an embarrassing loss. It will help determine whether Chicago is actually the team that started 3-1 or the team that was overwhelmed by its biggest rival. With Caleb Williams expected to return, Kyler Gordon likely back in the lineup, and several key injuries forcing others into bigger roles, this feels like one of the most important early-season games of the Ben Johnson era.
Bears vs. Packers Week 5 Recap
The Bears entered Lambeau Field with an opportunity to make a statement.
After consecutive victories over the Eagles and Jets, Chicago appeared to be building momentum despite playing without Caleb Williams. Ben Johnson’s offense was controlling the football, the rushing attack was carrying games, and for the first time in several seasons the Bears looked like a team developing a real identity. At 3-1, the conversation around Chicago had shifted from rebuilding to competing.
Then they ran into their oldest rival and put together their worst performance of the season.
The 31-7 final score wasn’t misleading. If anything, the film made the loss more frustrating than it initially appeared on Sunday afternoon. The Bears turned the football over five times, generated just 246 total yards of offense, surrendered explosive plays in the passing game, and repeatedly handed Green Bay favorable field position. The Packers deserve credit for taking advantage, but this was much more about what Chicago failed to do than anything Green Bay did exceptionally well.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment was the way the Bears abandoned the formula that had brought them success through the first month of the season. This team has won games by controlling the line of scrimmage, staying ahead of the chains, and avoiding self-inflicted mistakes. Against Green Bay, they did none of those things.
Tyson Bagent Left Too Much On The Field
The box score will show Tyson Bagent finished 12-of-21 for 87 yards with two interceptions, but the tape tells a larger story.
What stood out most while reviewing the All-22 wasn’t necessarily the turnovers themselves. It was the number of opportunities that were available and simply never taken. Ben Johnson had answers dialed up throughout the game. There were underneath routes available. There were checkdowns available. There were several opportunities to take easy completions and keep the offense on schedule.
Instead, Bagent consistently appeared to be searching for something bigger.
The best version of Tyson Bagent understands exactly who he is as a quarterback. He processes quickly, delivers the football on time, and allows his playmakers to create after the catch. Against the Packers he drifted away from that approach. Rather than taking the easy yards that were available, he frequently held the football and looked for explosive plays that never developed.
The Bears didn’t need their backup quarterback to win the game by himself. They needed him to manage the offense and avoid costly mistakes. Instead, the offense never found any rhythm and spent most of the afternoon playing behind the sticks.
With Caleb Williams potentially nearing a return, Sunday’s performance also raises legitimate questions about the backup quarterback hierarchy moving forward. If Williams is unavailable again, there is a strong argument that Case Keenum gives Chicago the better opportunity to operate the offense efficiently.
Jaylon Johnson’s Regression Is Becoming A Concern
No conversation about the loss would be complete without addressing the performance of the secondary, specifically Jaylon Johnson. For years, Johnson established himself as one of the NFL’s premier cover corners. Quarterbacks often avoided targeting his side of the field entirely, knowing the likelihood of success was minimal. Those days appear to be fading.
The statistics are becoming increasingly difficult to explain away. After allowing completion percentages below 60 percent for much of his career, Johnson has watched that number steadily climb over the past three seasons, reaching an alarming 83.3 percent through five games in 2026.
More concerning than the numbers is what appears on film. Receivers are consistently creating more separation than they once did. Quarterbacks no longer seem hesitant to challenge him, and offensive coordinators have become increasingly comfortable attacking his side of the field.
Christian Watson served as the latest example. The Packers receiver finished with 143 yards and two touchdowns while repeatedly finding room to operate against Chicago’s defense.
The Bears don’t necessarily need Johnson to immediately return to his 2023 level, but they do need him to start playing like a cornerback opponents respect again. Right now, opposing offenses seem far too comfortable testing him.
Dennis Allen Needed A More Aggressive Approach
The Bears’ defensive struggles extended well beyond the secondary.
Jordan Love spent much of the afternoon operating from clean pockets and rarely looked uncomfortable. While Dennis Allen has done an excellent job through the first month of the season, this felt like a game where the defense needed to manufacture pressure and force the action.
The turning point came shortly after halftime. Green Bay faced a third-and-22 situation near midfield, exactly the type of down where defenses should seize control. Instead, the Packers converted, extended the drive, and eventually found the end zone on a 53-yard touchdown to Watson. That sequence effectively ended any realistic hope of a comeback.
Against talented quarterbacks, passive defense can become a dangerous game. The Bears needed more creativity, more pressure packages, and more calculated risks. Instead, they allowed Love to settle in and distribute the football comfortably throughout much of the afternoon.
Austin Booker Was One Of The Few Bright Spots
While much of the afternoon went wrong, Austin Booker continued to provide reasons for optimism.
Booker recorded five tackles, two sacks, and three tackles for loss while consistently finding his way into the Packers’ backfield. On a day where the Bears struggled to generate positive moments, the young pass rusher was one of the few players who consistently impacted the game.
With injuries beginning to pile up along the defensive front, his continued development is becoming increasingly important for the long-term outlook of this defense.
Final Thought On Green Bay
What makes this loss particularly frustrating is how preventable it felt. The turnovers were self-inflicted. The missed opportunities in the passing game were self-inflicted. Cairo is still suspect missing easy field goals. The defensive breakdowns came in critical moments. This wasn’t a game where the Packers looked unbeatable. It was a game where the Bears consistently got in their own way. They didn’t play with any edge nor intensity.
The encouraging part is that every major issue from Sunday can be corrected. The challenge now is proving they actually will.
Bears vs. Falcons Week 6 Preview
If the Green Bay game represented the Bears at their worst, Sunday’s matchup against Atlanta offers an opportunity to show who they really are. Good teams get embarrassed from time to time. It happens across the NFL every season. What separates contenders from pretenders is how they respond afterward. That’s what makes this week’s game so important for Chicago.
The Falcons present a unique challenge. They’re physical, they run the football effectively, and they’re playing at home. More importantly, they arrive at a moment when the Bears are dealing with injuries, suspensions, and lingering questions following their most disappointing performance of the season.
Is Caleb Williams Returning At The Right Time?
The biggest storyline entering the weekend is Caleb Williams. The expectation is that Williams will return after missing the previous three games with a hamstring injury, immediately giving a significant boost to Chicago’s offense. There is no question the Bears are better with Williams on the field. Ben Johnson’s offense becomes more explosive, more creative, and far more difficult to defend when the former first-overall pick is healthy.
The question isn’t whether the Bears want him back. The question is whether he’s truly 100 percent.
Chicago also has a Thursday Night Football game against New England just four days after Sunday’s matchup. Bringing back a franchise quarterback before he’s fully recovered from a hamstring injury would be an enormous risk, particularly this early in the season.
If Williams is healthy, the Bears should have no hesitation playing him. If there is any concern about his availability long-term, however, the organization must think bigger than one game against Atlanta. The season is a marathon, not a sprint.
The Ground Game Will Decide Everything
This matchup may feature the two best rushing attacks in football. The Bears and Falcons both want to play a similar style of football. They want to establish the run, dominate time of possession, control game flow, and limit opportunities for the opposing offense. The Bears are first in Time of Possession at 35:11 per game while the Falcons are 5th best in the NFL at 32:26 per game.
For Chicago, the running game remains the foundation of everything Ben Johnson wants to accomplish. The numbers tell the story. If nothing else, remember this stat, under Johnson, the Bears are undefeated (10-0) when rushing for at least 140 yards and significantly below .500 when they fail to reach that mark (4-8). That statistic isn’t a coincidence. It is the offensive blueprint.
The concern entering Sunday’s game is the absence of Kyle Monangai. While D’Andre Swift remains one of the most dynamic weapons on the roster, Monangai’s physical style has become an important component of the Bears’ offensive identity. His ability to wear down defenses and consistently create manageable situations has often allowed the offense to remain balanced throughout games.
Against Green Bay, that physical presence was noticeably absent. Chicago needs it back this week. Unfortunately for the Bears they wont get Monangai back this week.
Dennis Allen Faces A Difficult Challenge
As if the matchup wasn’t difficult enough, Dennis Allen enters Week 6 with several key defensive pieces unavailable.
Montez Sweat’s suspension significantly weakens the pass rush. Dayo Odeyingbo’s absence removes another important contributor along the defensive line. T.J. Edwards’ injury further complicates matters for a defense that already struggled last week against Green Bay.
The good news is the Bears are expected to get Kyler Gordon back this week, and his return couldn’t come at a better time. Gordon has become one of the most important pieces in Chicago’s secondary because of his versatility. Whether it’s covering the slot, helping in run support, or blitzing off the edge, Gordon impacts the game in ways that don’t always show up in the box score. After watching Christian Watson and the Packers repeatedly create explosive plays last Sunday, getting one of the defense’s tone-setters back on the field should provide an immediate boost.
The responsibility still falls on Allen to find answers through scheme and creativity. One of the bright spots for Chicago this season has been its ability to get off the field on third down. The Bears have consistently ranked among the league’s best defenses in that category (2nd in the NFL with a 26.0% conversion rate) and will need that trend to continue against Atlanta.
The burden also shifts toward younger players like Austin Booker, who now have an opportunity to take on larger roles. After the best game of his career against Green Bay, Booker has a chance to prove he can be a consistent contributor rather than simply flashing potential. Between Booker’s emergence and Gordon’s expected return, hopefully the Bears will have enough talent to keep Atlanta’s offense in check, but Allen will need one of his better coaching performances of the season to make it happen.
How Will the Bears Respond to Their First Reality Check?
Last Sunday’s 31-7 loss wasn’t just a defeat. It was a wake-up call. The Bears committed five turnovers, looked undisciplined, and were thoroughly outplayed by their biggest rival. Good teams respond after getting embarrassed. Great teams learn from it. Sunday’s game will tell us a lot about the culture Ben Johnson is building and whether the Packers loss was simply a bad afternoon or an early warning sign.
Ben Johnson arrived in Chicago preaching accountability and challenging players to get comfortable being uncomfortable. This feels like the perfect bounce-back opportunity for the Bears to prove those messages are more than offseason sound bites.
What’s fascinating about this matchup is that the Bears and Falcons enter Week 6 tied for 13th in the NFL, averaging 23.8 points per game. Despite producing the same scoring average, Chicago’s path has been far more unpredictable. Under Johnson, the Bears have scored as many as 59 points in a game, but they’ve also managed just seven points in one contest and three in another.
That inconsistency remains the biggest hurdle between being a playoff contender and simply being a talented team. The Bears have shown they can dominate opponents, control the clock, and pile up points. They just haven’t done it consistently enough. With Halloween around the corner, it’s time for this offense to put the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde routine behind them and start delivering the same level of performance every week.
A strong performance in Atlanta won’t erase what happened in Green Bay, but it would go a long way toward proving last Sunday was the exception, not the beginning of a trend.
Final Thought
For the first time in several weeks, the Bears feel like a team at a crossroads. The Bears don’t need a perfect performance on Sunday. They simply need a response.
For six weeks, Ben Johnson has preached accountability, physicality, and complementary football. Against Green Bay, very little of that showed up. Atlanta provides an immediate opportunity to prove that performance was the exception rather than the rule.
If Caleb Williams returns and the offense rediscovers its balance, if the defense can overcome its injuries and continue its success on third down, and if Chicago protects the football, there’s no reason the Bears can’t leave Atlanta with a statement victory. Just as importantly, they’ll restore some of the confidence that was lost at Lambeau Field.
No one will remember a Week 5 loss in Green Bay if the Bears respond the way good teams do. But if the mistakes from last Sunday follow them into Atlanta, the questions surrounding this team’s consistency and playoff legitimacy will become impossible to ignore.
By late Sunday afternoon, we’ll have a much clearer answer as to which version of the 2026 Bears is the real one.
