Bear Necessities: Bears Top 3 Areas For Improvement After Devastating Week 2 Loss

The Chicago Bears suffered a devastating 9-3 loss against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon. Virtually everyone had much higher hopes for their offense after hanging 59 points in the season opener in Carolina.

Unfortunately, the only aspect that carried over was their lack of discipline (more on that later). Still, the loss is dwarfed by quarterback Caleb Williams going down with a hamstring injury, initially feared to be much worse, late in the fourth quarter.

We still don't know the severity, but Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported optimism on that front last night. We'll know more when he gets further testing done later today.

Despite Williams' injury, Chicago was in striking distance to steal the win late in the contest with backup Tyson Bagent taking over the starting job. Unfortunately, their efforts fell a mere 12 yards short of the goal line.

What are the most significant changes that need to be made in order to ensure a different result next week against the Eagles?

Find a way to get the offensive playmakers in the gameplan

Colston Loveland running with the ball — Aug 22, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland (84) runs with the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Virtually everyone expected Bears second-year tight end Colston Loveland to explode onto the scene this season. However, he's fallen well below expectations over his first two games. He followed a goose egg in the box score against the Panthers with one catch for three yards against the Vikings.

Veteran receiver Kalif Raymond, who is a 32-year-old career journeyman, currently leads the team in targets, receptions, and yards. He actually has five more grabs than the next closest player, Luther Burden III.

Speaking of Burden, why did he receive his first target in the waning moments of the third quarter against Minnesota? All three of his catches (for 32 yards) came on the final drive of the game with Bagent under center. It shouldn't be difficult to get him involved in the gameplan.

To their credit, Odunze and Burden III were bigger parts of the gameplan against Carolina, catching two passes for 52 yards and six for 63, respectively. Sure, the weather played a role, but it's concerning that someone on a cheap one-year deal has a better rapport with Williams right now. It's been the Raymond, D'Andre Swift, and Kyle Monangai show on offense thus far.

Ben Johnson and Co. desperately needs to get the playmakers involved against Philadelphia to fix their stagnant passing attack.

Stop relying on Dillon Thieneman to be the eraser in run support

Dillon Thieneman making a tackle — Sep 20, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. (33) is tacked by Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (29) and safety Dillon Thieneman (31) during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dillon Thieneman looking the part on the back end is great for the Bears. Conversely, the fact that he leads the team in tackles (17) through the first two contests is AWFUL for them. To make matters worse, the fact that their top three leaders in tackles are all defensive backs (Tyrique Stevenson - 14, Cam Lewis - 11) is potentially cataclysmic.

Thieneman looks like an obvious hit through his first three games, and he's shown that promise in a different way than he did at Oregon (or Purdue before that). Many expected him to make an immediate impact for the Bears when they selected him 25th overall, but he looked more natural in coverage at the collegiate level. His run defense skills weren't bad; they just weren't his calling card.

The Bears paid linebacker Devin Bush big money this offseason (three years, $30 million) to rack up tackles in the middle of their defense. That's a linebacker's most important responsibility. Meanwhile, TJ Edwards has been near-invisible in run support. His only two noteworthy plays (which, to his credit, were very consequential) came on tackles he made in coverage.

Those two need to start showing up against the run, so Thieneman doesn't have to pick up their dirty laundry eight yards beyond the line of scrimmage.

Penalties. Penalties. Penalties.

Garrett Bradbury on the field — Sep 13, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Chicago Bears center Garrett Bradbury (67) congratulates running back D'Andre Swift (4) after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bears dug themselves out of more than a few holes against the Panthers. It was a sloppy game where they committed 12 penalties for 57 yards. Caleb Williams (potentially infamously, pending his MRI results) said after the game that it was the worst they would look all season, and he should've been correct in the penalty department.

Unfortunately, they followed that contest with another one in which they committed eight penalties for 58 yards. They weren't able to dig themselves out of the same holes against the Vikings, finishing with three points greater than a goose egg on the scoreboard.

Nothing is more frustrating than a drive-killing penalty. They cost themselves a few touchdown opportunities with those against Minnesota. For an offense that prides itself on being hyper-efficient and preaches the importance of Expected Points Added (EPA) per play, there is simply no excuse for the lack of discipline.

59 points are far from the norm, and they're even further from the norm with 12 penalties on top of them. 3 points are also a bit of a skew, but they make more sense when you factor in the untimely infractions. They really need to clean it up ahead of their MNF matchup against Philly.

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