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Bear Digest

Bears Actions and Necessary Reactions to Week 2 Defeat by Vikings

Poor play and planning combined to do in the Bears Sunday and here are the necessary reactions to it they need to have as they prepare to face Philadelphia.
Gene Chamberlain|
Bears tight end Colston Loveland has been at both games. Really. Here's photographic proof.
Bears tight end Colston Loveland has been at both games. Really. Here's photographic proof. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears


Every action causes a reaction, and this applies in the world of pro football just like in real life.

The Bears lost to Minnesota without scoring a touchdown and they couldn't even kick a field goal properly when it really mattered. Something needs to happen as a result.

The season moves forward at lightning speed and waits for no one, with or without injured Caleb Williams. They'll have to come back this week against Philadelphia on Monday Night Football.

Here are the actions and required reactions after Sunday's Bears defeat.

1, Ozzy Trapilo's 2026 debut

They trusted Braxton Jones so little that they tried to have tight end Colston Loveland blocking Will Turner on the game's final play instead of running a pass route to give another target to Tyson Bagent. As it was, Jones came out for 10 snaps and Theo Benedet played. If Trapilo was really close enough to avoid injured reserve at the season's outset, then the plan obviously was to get him on the field before Week 4. Facing the Eagles on Monday night is as good of a time as any.
Besides, no one wants to see Jones trying to pass block anyone again even if Pro Football Focus gave him the highest grade Sunday for any Bears pass blocker. The same analytics website also tried telling everyone Caleb Williams played poorly in the opener. Jones didn't pass the eye test, and if they didn't trust him on the game's final play to block the best Vikings edge rusher and turned it over to a tight end, then Trapilo better be in the starting lineup this week.

2. Malik Muhammad outside

The defense played well but there were flaws. With Xavier Woods now entirely healthy enough to play safety the Bears need to move Malik Muhammad where he was meant to play, on the outside. They can put Cam Lewis at slot cornerback. They shouldn't necessarily remove Tyrique Stevenson, though. A rotation with Stevenson, Jaylon Johnson and Muhammad might be better. After all, it was Johnson and not Muhammad who suffered through a poor game in coverage Sunday. PFF grade Johnson as their worst defensive player in coverage at 39.9, even worse than 41.5 in the opener. And it wasn't because Johnson had to play Justin Jefferson all over the field. He didn't. Stevenson drew Jefferson, as well, and had a nice pass breakup on one throw to the top Vikings receiver.

3. Colston Loveland catching passes

Loveland can start catching passes at any time. Loveland not even being involved as a receiver on the game's final play is shameful. Then again, he isn't much of a receiver now. They need to get him the ball. He has one catch in two games. Loveland has only five targets and one 3-yard catch in two weeks. Fantasy football owners everywhere are in a total panic as Loveland was sold as possibly the top pass catcher among tight ends in the league this season.

The Bears told everyone Loveland had only two catches after two weeks last season because he had been injured in the offseason and missed a lot of time in the offseason recovering. Loveland was there from Day 1 of the offseason, practiced in training camp and has been healthy. And he has fewer catches after two weeks than he had last year after two weeks.

Loveland's run blocking is tremendous. His pass blocking shouldn't be a thing to worry about, especially on the game's last play.

4. Roschon Johnson in close

It's time for Ben Johnson to take a serious look at a three-headed running back monster instead of a two-headed one.
Roschon Johnson's ability on short yardage let him tie for the team's rushing touchdown lead when he was a rookie. The Bears have a real problem with short yardage. They recognized this in the offseason but whatever they've tried, it still exists. Now, in two games they're still struggling again in short yardage.

They failed on fourth-and-1 from their own 21 in the opener when Caleb Williams got stuffed. D'Andre Swift coughed up the ball at the 1 on Sunday. Instead of deception, load it up with a bigger back. Kyle Monangai is great when he gets a head of steam and has a clear target. There often is no clear target in short yardage. Johnson can get it done when inches are needed.

5. Play-calling change

Ben Johnson needs to alter his play calling to compensate for Tyson Bagent's arm, or lack thereof. He's going to need to come up with a game plan utilizing shorter passes, and or quicker ones, and avoid throws downfield, and especially downfield over the middle. Bagent hasn't played much in his career but has played enough to show his arm is below NFL standards and tends to arrive way too late on throws into danger.

On a few of those he threw Sunday, they floated in to a receiver. This is going to lead to disaster. It's why Bagent couldn't beat average to above average teams when he started against the Chargers and Saints in 2023 but was able to beat atrocious Las Vegas and Carolina defenses that season. Screens, jet sweeps, throws into the flat to backs, bootleg throws and the like will need to be the order of the day against the Eagles. Throws to Cole Kmet and Loveland need to take priority.

6. Scheme wide receivers open

Johnson was known in the past for scheming wide receivers wide open. In the first two games, Luther Burden and Rome Odunze have had minor roles and all the while they've completed a team-high 13 passes in 14 targets to 32-year-old Kalif Raymond. Those haven't even been for a 10-yard average. This is fine as long as the other receivers are also involved and catching it downfield. They're not. Odunze has only seven targets.

7. Logan Jones practice reps

It's time to get Logan Jones some first-team practice reps because Garrett Bradbury's blocking grades have been about his poor as his ability to snap the ball without committing a false start. He had a poor PFF grade Sunday, after a mediocre one in the opener.

8. Sam Roush inactive

The Bears should promote Stephen Carlson from the practice squad to use in this game as the third tight end and leave Roush inactive after Sunday's dropped passes, illegal motion penalty and missed block causing the blocked field goal. It will let the third-round rookie focus on improving some very basic skills to watch, and Carlson is a solid alternative either catching passes or blocking.

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Published
Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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