The Chicago Bears moved to 4-2 on the season with a commanding victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon. The Bears carried a 21-7 lead into halftime, and while the Falcons made a comeback push in the fourth quarter, the Bears ultimately escaped with a 31-23 win to maintain second-place status in the NFC North.

The Bears have managed this successful start to the season despite a three-week absence for quarterback Caleb Williams, who made his triumphant return in Week 6. The offense experienced its peaks and valleys with Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent under center, but we know what Chicago is capable of at full strength. Williams, for his part, did not appear the least bit rusty on Sunday, completing 30-of-36 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown.

Incredible stat sums up Caleb Williams' greatness

I'm old enough to remember when Caleb Williams struggled through his rookie season and the alarm bells could be heard for miles. As it turns out, a quarterback can develop beyond his rookie season. Especially when the Shane Waldron offense is swapped out for the Ben Johnson offense, as it was for Chicago ahead of Williams' second season.

After some early lumps in camp, Williams experienced his breakout. The Bears were the most explosive offense in the NFL — and the most clutch offense. Chicago made the playoffs, beat Green Bay in a tense division showdown, and even put a scare in the Super Bowl-favorite Rams.

Williams' rocket-like ascent is best summed up by one stat: 52 touchdowns. That is how many Williams has accumulated through 37 NFL starts. He only has 14 interceptions in that span, becoming the third quarterback in league history to reach 50 TDs before reaching 15 INTs. The other two: Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. That puts Williams in the same company as four combined MVP awards and three Super Bowl victories (and counting).

Caleb Williams and the Bears are real contenders this season

How can you not watch the Bears at full strength and believe in them as a contender? Especially when the NFC, by and large, feels wide open. Many of the proclaimed preseason powerhouses, like Seattle and Los Angeles, appear vulnerable. The NFC North was supposed to be stacked; besides the undefeated Vikings, who are hamstrung by a laughably inert offense, the Bears don't face much competition from within. Detroit and Green Bay can score, but neither can defend.

In fairness, that was the knock on Chicago coming into the season. The Bears were a great offense, nobody could deny. But the Bears' defense was sieve-like for the majority of last season and few anticipated the necessary improvement coming into 2026.

While it's impossible to render a definitive takeaway through Week 6, it sure feels like Chicago has righted the ship on that side of the football. The Bears currently ranked sixth in the NFL in estimated points added (EPA) per play on defense (-0.10). If anything, it's the Bears offense that is lagging behind at -0.03 EPA, which ranks 14th in the NFL. That, of course, accounts for more than half their games being captained by Bagent and Keenum. Williams has only started three games — and finished two. He has a combined 712 passing yards with a sterling 72.5 percent completion rate. No regular NFL starter has a better completion percentage right now besides Jaxson Dart, who suffered a season-ending knee injury halfway through Week 2.

Ben Johnson has damn near usurped Sean McVay as the brightest and most inventive offensive coach in football. The Bears are able to reach deeper into their playcalling bag than just about any team. One of the reasons why their trickery and ambition are so successful is that Williams can move around the pocket and deliver challenging throws off balance, off the wrong foot and with a hand in his face. Williams is creative himself; his creativity breeds success for the Bears. It's so hard to fully contain Williams when he can beat a defense so many ways, be it with his arm or his legs.

Are the Bears infallible? Of course not. But Williams is approaching rareified air at the quarterback position. It really feels like there is an MVP award or two in his future, not unlike his counterparts in the 50-15 (TD-INT) club. And if the Bears can magic a solution for any defense, while their own defense hovers around the top-10 in leaguewide metrics, just about anything is possible come the postseason.