LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — The scuffling Bears (4-10) will look to snap their eight-game losing streak when they host the Lions (12-2) on Sunday at Soldier Field. Kickoff is set for noon CT.
Here are three storylines to follow in the matchup.
Bounce-back from QB1?
The most alarming part of the Bears’ 30-12 loss to the Vikings on Monday wasn’t the outcome of the game. It was rookie quarterback Caleb Williams' struggles.
Though Williams finished with a decent stat line – 191 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions – he seemed to be seeing ghosts at times. Williams often rushed his progressions and failed to operate with proper footwork. It showed in some of his misses on the night.
Williams is a quarterback who takes great pride in his accuracy and command.
“Yeah, it's frustrating,” Williams said Wednesday. “I hate missing passes, especially ones that I've been pretty consistent on for a good amount of time. That's coming. The progress has, over this football season, it's been growing for myself and things like that of routes and combinations of routes put together and seeing all these different defenses and throwing all these footworks together. The progress has been on a steady trend upwards, but I would say it is pretty frustrating on missing some of these passes that I've missed.”
The context of Williams' struggles is that the Bears, notably their offensive line, have performed poorly around him. Like many quarterbacks before him, Williams' breakdown in mechanics can be traced in part to a lack of trust in his supporting cast.
Williams was pressured constantly Monday, as he has been the case many times before this season. The Bears’ offensive line has usually failed to protect Williams, who has been sacked an NFL-high 58 times in 14 starts.
The Bears are fortunate that one of these hits on Williams hasn’t seriously injured him. The Vikings' strip-sack of Williams in the first quarter Monday seemed especially gruesome given how Williams’ elbow whiplashed with contact.
Williams continues to bounce back up and keep fighting. That hasn't come easy amid the Bears' struggles, and Williams admitted the losing affects him emotionally.
Williams has another opportunity to respond Sunday, when he'll face a Lions defense that has been decimated by injuries and struggling lately. Williams threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns in the Bears' close loss to the Lions on Nov. 28.
As Williams' rookie season nears its end, a get-right game is just what he needs personally – whether the Bears pull off the upset or lose their ninth straight.
Vibe check
Bears receiver DJ Moore made a curious comment Wednesday that drew attention.
Moore was asked about the offseason and what kind of ideas he has for the team to improve next season.
“What I’m thinking about? Vacation,” Moore told reporters.
It was meant as an innocent comment by Moore, who’s an engaging personality and team captain. But with the Bears struggling late in a lost season, it didn't come off well.
How many other players in the Bears’ locker room are thinking about vacation with three games remaining in the season?
Comments like that reflect poorly upon Bears general manager Ryan Poles, whose future in his position is uncertain. Poles was the architect of this incredibly disappointing season.
Many players on the Bears’ roster are fighting for their futures – whether that’s in Chicago or elsewhere. While the Bears have been eliminated from playoff contention, the film from the final games will count for 32 front offices in the NFL as they make decisions in the offseason.
Any player whose performance reflects a checked-out mindset shouldn’t be part of the Bears in 2025.
Fast out of the gates?
In the Bears' past three games, they’ve been outscored by a combined 53-0 in the first half by the Lions, 49ers and Vikings. It’s hard to say whether Chicago's offense or defense has been worse in those three halves.
In their 23-20 loss to the Lions on Thanksgiving, the Bears trailed 16-0 at halftime – and they were fortunate it was even that close. Chicago has scored just 10 points on its 14 opening drives of games this season.
Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown is working diligently to change the slow starts.
“It’s more phycological than it sounds when it comes to the approach overall,” Brown said. “Plays are on paper until you bring them life. There’s an understanding of how to get guys going earlier in games, but that’s just making plays and being efficient, being detailed and not just hunting for big plays all the time, which I don’t think we do that, for the most part, in the first half of games. I take a big part of the ownership aspect of it, of how I call a game early on and get us in a flow and a rhythm.”
A continuation for this alarming trend would be disappointing but hardly surprising given how the Bears’ season has unfolded.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.