The Chicago Bears entered the Week 5 bye at a 2-2 record. While the Detroit Lions sit at 4-1 and the Minnesota Vikings are 3-2, the Bears' 2-2 record isn't far behind, giving Chicago plenty of time and room to make a push for a playoff spot.
With the Bears welcoming the Washington Commanders to Chicago in Week 6, there will be a lot on the Bears' plate in the first game coming off their early bye.
But what did the Bears address during such an early bye week? According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Bears, led by Ben Johnson, aimed to clean up what Johnson called "a mess."
The Bears addressed 'a mess' of an offense during the bye week
"It seems clear what head coach Ben Johnson wants to tweak during the bye: the offense." Fowler writes. "Johnson went as far as to call the Bears' offensive operation 'a mess' during his weekly availability last week, blaming himself for sending in calls late in the play clock and citing the team's 1-for-4 clip in the red zone as concerning."
By offensive metrics, the Bears' offense, which Johnson deemed a mess, is ranked 17th in average offensive yards per game with 328 yards per game. On a points-per-game basis, the Bears rank 11th with 25.3 points per game.
Offensively, the Bears aren't a bad team. But, Johnson believes there's room for improvement. Whether it's in the run game or with pass protection, there are ways to improve the offense that's around the middle of the pack offensively this season.
Chicago has a 2-2 record, but two of those wins have come against teams that've struggled a ton this season. The Las Vegas Raiders are one of the more disappointing teams this season, while the Dallas Cowboys' defense is among the worst in the NFL, and their offense can struggle to maintain consistent drives at times.
The Bears should feel decent at their current record, but as Johnson's feelings indicate, there's still a lot of meat left on the bone for this team.
More: Bears' Rome Odunze gives strong message about Ben Johnson
Caleb Williams has been impressive in the early part of this season, especially his connection with Rome Odunze. Other than Odunze, the offense has plenty of ways to improve going forward.
DJ Moore can be more involved in the offense overall, while D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai can find their groove in the run game. Also, rookies Luther Burden III and Colseton Loveland can become more involved in the offense going forward.
There's plenty of reason to be optimistic about the Bears team going forward, especially on offense. During the bye week, Chicago addressed their offense, looking to fix the mess of an operation offensively for the Bears for the rest of the year.
An early bye week can be tricky, but in this case, with such a young team and a new head coach, this early bye should help Chicago work out the kinks offensively and defensively for the remainder of the season.
The Bears' first game coming out of the bye week is against the Commanders, a team coming off a strong win over the Los Angeles Chargers. It's another Williams and Jayden Daniels matchup, and hopefully for the Bears, this time it doesn't end on a miraculous hail-mary touchdown pass.
More Bears News:
- Bears urged to trade for 'impactful' running back to support Caleb Williams
- Bears predicted to solve RB woes with trade for 1359-yard star
- Bears trade proposal adds elite 28-year-old defender to fix pass-rush, run defense
- Bears QB Caleb Williams’ draws candid take after beating Raiders