CHICAGO — Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson did not commit to a starting quarterback Monday as the team prepares to play the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6.
Regular starter Caleb Williams returned to practice Friday and worked out with team trainers Sunday at Lambeau Field. But Johnson gave no indication if Williams might be ready to return. He hasn’t played since straining his right hamstring in a Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
“He’s doing a great job progressing and we’ll see when we can make him available to help us win ballgames,” said Johnson, who met with reporters virtually Monday. “But he’s itching to get back as soon as he can, which is a good thing, and when we get the green light, we’ll move forward from there.”
A day after a 31-7 drubbing by the Green Bay Packers during which Johnson pulled quarterback Tyson Bagent in the fourth quarter in favor of third-stringer Case Keenum, Johnson declined to say who would take the starting reps in practice this week if Williams is unavailable.
“We’re still working through that,” he said. “No determination has been made in terms of what direction we’re going. There are a lot of things that we’re assessing right now.”
After the Bears take on the Falcons on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, they have a quick turnaround before a Thursday night matchup against the New England Patriots on Oct. 22 at Soldier Field.
Earlier Monday, during his weekly radio interview on WMVP-AM 1000, Johnson said the quick turnaround won’t factor into his decision at quarterback.
“I’m honestly not even thinking about that far,” he told Bears play-by-play voice Jeff Joniak. “We are solely focused on today and this week.”
Here’s what else Johnson said Monday after his team’s rough outing in Green Bay:
1. Quarterback uncertainty lingers for both teams this week.
Bagent struggled in Sunday’s loss, completing 12 of 21 passes for 87 yards with two interceptions. He threw an interception on the Bears’ second possession, which helped Green Bay jump out to a 14-0 lead.
Another interception late in the third quarter led to yet another Packers scoring drive and proved to be Bagent’s final play.
Keenum didn’t fare a whole lot better in the fourth quarter, going 11 for 19 for 108 yards with an interception and a fumble. But by the time he went into the game, the Bears already were trailing 31-7.
The Bears have won games with all three quarterbacks this season, and they’re 2-1 since Williams injured his hamstring. Much as he did in Week 4 before the game against the New York Jets, Johnson could keep his plans vague this week.
“We have three guys that can win games in this league,” he said Monday.
There also might be genuine uncertainty with Williams. One practice isn’t necessarily enough to declare him healthy. The Bears need to see what he looks like with several days of practice.
Meanwhile, Falcons quarterback Michael Penix suffered a rib injury late in an overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night. Backup Tua Tagovailoa finished the game and threw a game-sealing interception in overtime.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Penix’s rib injury is not considered serious, but it does create some uncertainty surrounding who Atlanta’s starting quarterback will be Sunday.
2. The pass rush and secondary both were to blame for big plays.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love carved up the Bears defense with six completions of 30 yards or more. The Bears had allowed just five such passes in the previous four games combined.
Love finished with 367 passing yards and two touchdowns while completing 80.6% of his passes.
“I don’t think it was a full representation of us as a team, which we talked about,” defensive end Austin Booker said. “We’re going to correct it and come back next week full swing.”
Booker had two sacks, but the Bears were otherwise unable to get to Love. They totaled only three additional QB hits. Love had clean pockets to work with, and he made the secondary pay for it on the back end.
Johnson pointed to everyone on the defensive, not just the secondary.
“It’s a collective deal going on, and when we win, we win as a team,” Johnson said. “When we lose, we lose as a team. As I keep alluding to with the offense, I’ll be the first one to shoulder the blame for anything that went on offensively, and then defensively, (coordinator Dennis Allen) is the same way. He’ll be the first one to tell you when there’s a bad call.
“But (it’s) also a combination of bad rushes mixed in there and bad coverage mixed in there, so really all three things showed up over the course of the game.”
The rush and coverage have to work together. On Sunday, neither was working.
“We’ve got to be critical of ourselves, look in the mirror a little bit today and get that cleaned up and fixed,” Johnson said.
3. Could Kyler Gordon or Shemar Turner return this week?
The Bears might have reinforcements coming off the physically unable to perform list in Turner at defensive end and Gordon at cornerback. They have to decide this week whether to activate Turner. Gordon’s 21-day practice window opened a week later than Turner’s, so the Bears have another week to make a decision with him.
Gordon, who has yet to play this season because of a calf injury, could be a significant addition for a secondary that struggled Sunday.
“Mentally, he’s pretty sharp right now,” Johnson said. “We’re, once again, in the middle of this stress test, making sure that he’s physically prepared to play in football games.”
Activating either one would require the Bears to create a roster spot, either by placing someone on injured reserve or waiving someone from the 53-man roster.
Johnson declined to give injury updates on three players who exited the Green Bay game: linebacker T.J. Edwards (hamstring), cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (hamstring) and defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo (quadriceps). The team must release its next injury report Wednesday.
With Stevenson and Odeyingbo going out, this could be a timely opportunity for Gordon or Turner to return at those positions.
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