Ben Johnson has come to Chicago and done a 180 with this team. He and Caleb Williams have this team poised for a playoff berth

Still, the fact remains that you are inevitably what your record says you are. And the Bears, while flawed and striving to improve, are a good team that currently sits at 6th in the NFC playoff standings and remains firmly in the running to win their division.

Our Take: The Athletic’s theme for the week for each team is their breakout player. For the Bears, that is obviously quarterback Caleb Williams. He has had his ups and downs this season, but with Ben Johnson at the helm, Williams is showing that he could be a star in the league in short order.

Caleb Williams, the second overall pick in the 2024 draft, has not only overcome an 0-2 start to put the Bears in playoff position, but through nine games is on pace to throw for 4,035 yards. This would shatter the current franchise high of 3,838 yards thrown by Erik Kramer in 1995.

After totaling six drops -- four of which belonged to Olamide Zaccheaus -- there's an expectation that a bigger role will emerge for rookie second-round pick Luther Burden III, who's been one of Chicago's best playmakers whenever his number has been called.

Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson returned to practice Friday when the team opened a 21-day evaluation window to activate him from injured reserve or lose him for the remainder of the season.

The Chicago Bears defeated the New York Giants, 24-20, on Sunday to improve to 6-3 on the season. They've not eclipsed their win total for all of last season after just nine game.

The Bears are proving they can win football games despite being without one key defensive starter. Could a trade be coming this offseason?