Are the Chicago Bears True Super Bowl Contenders in the NFC?

Segment Spotlight: Quick Hits From Game Time Decisions

Bears Join NFC Contender Conversation Despite Defensive Concerns

Craig believes the Bears are among the few NFC teams capable of winning the Super Bowl. He views their offense as one of the NFL’s best, considers Caleb Williams a top-five quarterback and thinks the receiving corps is among the league’s strongest. The eventual return of Manongai could also add another element to the running game.

The Bears won 30-24, with the game going over the total because of the late score. Craig argued that anyone who does not consider Chicago a top NFC contender must identify the teams that are clearly better. At 5-2, even after playing without Caleb Williams, he believes the signs point toward the Bears being formidable.

Craig acknowledged that a deep playoff run would require a lot to go right. Securing one or two home playoff games could be important because winning on the road would be difficult. Even so, he would not rule out Chicago in a road matchup against a team such as Minnesota, despite the strength of its defense.

Caleb Williams, Luther Burden and Colston Loveland combined for 70 points on Thursday night, leaving Craig heavily favored heading into the weekend. Loveland had previously been close to being dropped, but Craig gave him another week after he scored last Sunday and started him again. Although Loveland dropped two passes, Williams continued finding him throughout the game.

Joe remained concerned about Chicago’s defense. He pointed to the late first-half touchdown to Ramondre Stevenson and argued that the game should not have been close. While the Bears have moved ahead of teams such as the Rams in the discussion, Joe does not yet trust their defense.

Joe expressed similar doubts about New England. At times, the Patriots looked capable of challenging Buffalo, but Drake May also made questionable plays, the running game lacked efficiency and the defense disappeared for long stretches. To Joe, the Patriots feel like fool’s gold rather than the team for which everything worked a year ago.

Craig agreed that the criticism was fair but noted that Kansas City is back in the mix alongside Buffalo. He compared concerns about Chicago’s defense to those surrounding the Lions when Ben Johnson was their offensive coordinator two years ago. Detroit was favored to reach the Super Bowl but lost at home to Washington, which advanced to the NFC Championship Game before losing. Craig believes a similar case can be made for the Bears this season: the defense may be vulnerable, but Chicago still belongs among the NFC’s leading contenders.