The Chicago Bears are 4-2 after an impressive win over the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday. It’s been a bumpy start to the season, mostly because of an injury to quarterback Caleb Williams, but Chicago has shown just how good they can be when he is in the lineup, more than once.
The Bears' wins have come against the Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, and Atlanta Falcons. Three of those four are formidable opponents with aspirations of making the playoffs, but none of them are considered at this time to be elite championship contenders.
Over the next two weeks, the Bears will have that type of opponent on the other side. The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, two teams that met in Super Bowl LX, are the next two games on Chicago's schedule. It begins with the runner-up on Thursday Night Football.
The Bears-Patriots game will feature two quarterbacks who were each selected in the top-three of the 2024 NFL Draft. Drake Maye was the runner-up for MVP last year, but most would likely still take Caleb Williams at No. 1 in the long term. Either way, they are both brilliant players with bright futures ahead.
Following what is seen as a mini-bye after Thursday night's game, the Bears will travel up to the Pacific Northwest to face the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks on Monday Night Football. For the second straight week, they will face a high-end team with Super Bowl aspirations on prime-time television.
Both the Patriots and Seahawks are gettable, especially right now. New England is winning games, but not in the dominant fashion that they did last year. If the Bears run up the score like everybody knows they can, Maye will have a hard time keeping up.
As for Seattle, they do not look like the same team that they were a year ago when they won it all. Like the Patriots, they are still good, but not unbeatable. Sam Darnold has struggled since coming back from his Week 1 injury, and the Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker is now dominating as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Still, these are the types of wins that would earn Chicago more respect. If they can win them both, that would send a message to the entire NFL that the Bears are for real. Going into their Week 9 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a 6-2 record would declare to the world that they are officially Super Bowl contenders themselves. That game against the Bucs is on Sunday Night Football, making it three straight weeks on prime time, which makes you think the television networks already see Chicago as a legit threat.
Losing this game wouldn't mean the Bears have no chance, but big wins would make it appear like Ben Johnson's squad is ready to take that next step. In order for that to happen, Caleb Williams needs to repeat his performance against the Atlanta Falcons. He made his typical "big" plays, but he was also outstanding with his check-downs and slam-dunk plays. Against teams like New England and Seattle, playing smart is very important.
Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears have an opportunity to send a message in next 2 games