Three Takeaways from Bears' fourth straight win

David Banks - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 6 hours ago

Don't look now, but the Chicago Bears are now 4-2 and have become one of the hottest teams in the NFL. This comes after the team started 0-2 and has since ripped off four consecutive wins to move out of the NFC North cellar as they continue to stockpile the early-season wins.

It's amazing what happens when you get a new voice into the locker room, and a voice that not only tells it how it is, but isn't afraid to hold players accountable. It's the accountability and attention to detail that stand out about Ben Johnson as he refuses to get too high or too low from one game to the next, knowing there is so much more for this team to prove.

If there were a negative to take away from the team's great start, it would be the penalties, as the Bears continue to be one of the more penalized teams in the league. That is something they need to fix if they want to be taken seriously, but make no mistake about it, teams have started to take notice of the Bears as they continue to impress.

Moving on up

As mentioned, the Bears started the season 0-2 and have since ripped off four straight wins to become one of the hottest teams in the league. In the process, they have gone from last place in the NFC North to third place with a shot at second place soon. This team continues to impress as they have gotten off to a dream start under their first-year head coach.

While the wins have been impressive, especially ripping off four straight wins this early in the season, the way they have won the games stands out. You had an offensive outburst against the Cowboys to start the winning streak, and back-to-back special teams wins were thrown in the middle before the defense won the game on Sunday.

In other words, they are winning games in all different ways and are finding ways to win games they didn't win last season. That is the sign of a good team and right now the Bears are a good team.

You get a Takeaway, you get a takeaway, everyone gets a takeaway

When Johnson elected to hire Dennis Allen as the team's defensive coordinator, the vision was for the Bears to become one of the top defenses in the game. Things may not have started well the first few weeks, but the Chicago defense has begun to round into shape over the past three games, and Allen has put his fingerprints all over it.

From the disguising looks to confuse the opposition, to a sudden increase in quarterback pressures, the Bears' defense has started to take the next step to becoming an elite unit, and it couldn't have come at a better time. The single biggest reason they have been able to turn things around has been their ability to turn the ball over as the Bears forced four more turnovers on Sunday, three coming off interceptions.

That has resulted in eight turnovers in the past two weeks and 10 over the past three as the Bears are becoming the opportunistic defense they have been waiting on since the Vic Fangio days of 2018. No one is expecting the defense to turn the ball over at this rate all season, but Chicago has been flying around the ball as of late, and should that continue, good things will continue to happen for this team.

The streak continues

It may not always be perfect, but the Bears' offense has quietly been one of the more consistent units in the game. All the proof you need is to look at their scoring stats, as the Bears have scored at least 21 points in all six games this season. That makes them the only team in the league that can say that, as the Bears' offense continues to make the strides they have expected to make under Johnson.

What makes this all the more shocking is that Caleb Williams has played well enough, but not quite as good as he did through six games as a rookie despite his numbers being overall better. The turnovers may be down, but so is the completion percentage as he has gone through some accuracy issues to start the year.

If not for the rushing attack that has suddenly kicked it into gear, it would be interesting to see if the Bears would be where they are or if one or two games would have changed the season's outlook. In any instance, this team continues to thrive as they have done a terrific job through the first third of the season.