The first half of the season tested the Bears in numerous ways and the second half figures to be trying for different reasons.

With all due respect to Tampa Bay's defense, the Bears' offense seemed to hit a wall of its own making in the last game.

It didn't represent their efforts through much of the season's first half, although turnovers have been a consistent problem. More precisely, fumbles have been an issue, not the interceptions. Caleb Williams' one bad day truly was this compared to what he'd done both throughout the rest of his season and his career.

Their defense saw only a teaser of what defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons can mean to them, as he had shortened work weeks for both games played. He played after two practices, and then the entire team had a short work week due to the Monday night game and extra day off after travel back from Seattle. They're overworking him and perhaps in the season's second half they'll find a way to better distribute his reps.

“I’m still super high on Caleb, but we need to be honest about the year he’s having so far. At times spectacular… but he’s played 6 game - 4 he was excellent and 2 he was awful.”@getnickwright pumps the breaks on the Caleb Williams hype pic.twitter.com/jeppKq47wd

— What’s Wright? with Nick Wright (@WhatsWrightShow) November 12, 2026

The second half of the season challenges the Bears most because half of their eight opponents will be very familiar divisional teams, all over .500. They'll also get division leaders Buffalo and Jacksonville, with only New Orleans and Miami ranking among the league's have-nots over the first half.

Then again, the actual matchup challenges their second-half opponents represent are a bit less taxing for their offense. They'll need Simmons at his best and eventually even get Coby Bryant healthy and in the lineup if they're going to stop some of the offenses they'll face down the stretch.

Offensive opportunity

Williams and the offense will face the league's worst pass defense twice. That's Detroit. Coming out of the break they face a Saints pass defense ranked 28th. The Bears play a Jacksonville team very balanced, but one problem the Jaguars have had is against the pass. The Jaguars rank 22nd stopping the pass, although they have made changes with three defensive additions.

"The answer is Caleb Williams. ... Caleb Williams has got that 'IT' factor."@EvCoRadio weighs in on the NFC North QB he trusts the most in the playoffs 🔥 pic.twitter.com/3i4QPxulOr

— First Take (@FirstTake) November 12, 2026

The Bears play a Buffalo defense ranked 29th in stopping the pass. The only top-10 pass defense they play is Minnesota in the season finale. The Vikings are No. 2 at stopping the pass. Green Bay is 11th, and the two Packers safeties and an improved pass rush do make them a challenge for Williams and his receivers.

With Kyle Monangai possibly returning for the next game after missing five straight, the offense badly needs the balance he brings to the running attack. They were a cold 98.6 yards a game rushing in those five without him, a torrid 196.2 in four games with him. The 196.2 yards included a Week 2 game against Minnesota's dominant defense.

Scenes when Kyle Monangai comes back and puts together the greatest RB season in NFL history pic.twitter.com/I6JQD9Jpth https://t.co/XXVmnKdGG2

— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) November 12, 2026

“Kyle's a big part of that running game, and I think he's proven his worth over the last year and a half," coach Ben Johnson said. "So, like I said last week, whenever we're able to get him back on the field, it's going to make us a better team and certainly a better running game.”

They'll need the running game at full force because the second half of their schedule includes only one run defense in the league's bottom tier and that's the Saints
in the first game back.

They're going to run up against four top-10 rushing defenses and, after New Orleans, none ranked worse than 18th. It's been tough sledding for D'Andre Swift and the ground game in the last five weeks, and the opposition doesn't figure to get easier.

Bears are a problem. On their worse day thry beat the #3 defense in the league.

Simmons turned our D into animals.

— 🥙Tony Bologna 🥙 (@trumpismybia) November 10, 2026

The Bears' offensive line came charging out of the early bye week last year and took over. They could use the same thing coming out of this bye, even after half the NFL schedule.

Defensive challenge

Adding Simmons gives them the help stopping the run and rushing the pass that they could need to get through a second-half of opponents loaded with the ability to put up points.

They're going against the top-ranked yardage and scoring offense in Buffalo, twice face Detroit's fifth-ranked scoring and yardage offense, host Jacksonville's fourth-ranked scoring offense, must stop Green Bay's second-ranked passing attack, and no one could really know what they'll see from Minnesota's offense by the finale with Kirk Cousins back but it can't be as bad as it was in the season's first half or even in the game the Bears squandered against the Vikings and Carson Wentz.

There are only a few anemic offenses on the slate. Miami is 31st in scoring and 28th on offense but they can run it (12th) with a QB who might be better at that than passing it. New Orleans' offense is nowhere near as bad as its defense has been and beyond the Saints and Dolphins, all of the remaining opponents could have one real strength offensively to lean on against the Bears.

“[The Buccaneers] actually put out the formula of how to … potentially beat the Chicago Bears.”@TheSamAcho breaks down his takeaways from SNF’s game after the Bears beat the Bucs with a last-minute field goal ✍️ pic.twitter.com/CnNf8rYI5m

— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) November 9, 2026

Where they go

Only a few NFL teams in the first half displayed as much balanced statistically as the Bears, ranking third in offense and rushing and 12th in passing, but ninth on defense -- sixth against the run and 14th against the pass. It shows an ability to handle whatever the second half of the season throws at them.

The offense seems poised to regain the explosiveness shown in the season opener, while it doesn't hurt having a defensive weapon now in the middle of the line to snuff things out before they get started.

"I think there's a great opportunity at hand just to look at these first nine games and come away with what we're doing well and what we can lean on going into the last stretch of the season and certainly some areas of improvement that we need to get better at moving forward," Johnson said.

They'll have to because it doesn't get easier in the season's second half, particularly with four games within the NFL's toughest division.

Jeffery Simmons traveled 422.04 yards in the first half. The most of any Bucs or Bears defensive lineman or edge defender from scrimmage. It was even more than Bucky Irving's 371.58 yards, per @NextGenStats.

— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) November 9, 2026

Where remaining Bears opponents rank

• New Orleans: 20th on offense, 14th passing, 26th rushing; 29th on defense, 28th against the pass, 29th vs. the run.

• Detroit (twice): fifth on offense, eighth passing, eighth rushing; 26th on defense, last (32nd) against the pass, 17th vs. the run.

• Jacksonville: 13th on offense, 15th passing and 13th rushing; 10th on defense, 22nd vs. the pass and fifth stopping the run.

• Miami: 28th on offense, 30th passing and 12th rushing; 13th on defense, 12th against the pass and 16th vs. the run.

• Buffalo: 1st on offense, 13th passing and second rushing; 16th on defense, 29th against the pass and seventh vs. the run.

• Green Bay: 12th on offense, second in passing and last (32nd) in rushing; 11th on defense, 11th against the pass and 15th vs. the run.
  

• Minnesota: 31st on offense, 31st at passing, 19th at rushing; second on defense, second stopping the pass and 18th against the run.

💥 The Simmons Smash 💥 pic.twitter.com/2ZPw0Net2m

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 10, 2026