The stretch run is here for the Chicago Bears, who are hunting their first playoff berth since 2020 with four games remaining in the regular season.

Coming off a 28-21 loss in Green Bay that dropped them out of first place and behind the Packers in the NFC North, the Bears (9-3) will look to bounce back Sunday at Soldier Field against the Cleveland Browns (3-10). But first, the Tribune’s Brad Biggs reaches into his weekly Bears mailbag.

Do you see the Bears opening games with a two-minute offense/mindset? Caleb Williams excels in these scenarios, less thinking, more reaction. They can always revert/incorporate ground and pound afterward. — @beardown3354

Ben Johnson certainly could consider implementing an up-tempo approach early in games. We’ve seen various Bears offenses do that over the years at different points. I don’t know if I’d expect to see that Sunday against a talented Cleveland Browns defense that ranks No. 1 in the league against the pass, allowing only 165.2 yards per game. The Browns have been really stingy against quarterbacks, and it’s likelier that Johnson will lean into the strength of his offense — the line — and try to establish a physical tone from the start.

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard hit the Browns for 161 yards with touchdowns of 65 and 32 yards last week, but that was uncharacteristic of how Cleveland plays the run. One theory is that Myles Garrett, who needs three sacks to set the NFL’s single-season record, was going for broke against a poor Titans team to try to get the record at home in front of Browns fans.

The Browns are 13th in the league in rushing defense, allowing 107.7 yards per game, but fourth in yards per carry allowed (3.85). Pollard and the Baltimore Ravens’ Derrick Henry are the only backs to reach 100 yards against Cleveland this season.

The Bears offense has been decent in the first quarter this season, averaging 5.7 points to rank seventh in the league. The Los Angeles Rams are first at 7.7. Johnson’s offense has produced three touchdowns and two field goals in 13 opening drives, although two of the touchdowns came in the first two weeks. The Bears haven’t scored on their first possession since the Nov. 2 victory in Cincinnati. In four of the last six games, they scored a touchdown on their second offensive series.

While the Bears had a slow start in Green Bay — they converted only 1 of 7 third downs in the first half — they haven’t really been slow starters over the course of the season. The Packers have a very talented defense too. You’d imagine there are some pass concepts Johnson wants to get to early Sunday, but the Bears probably will see if they can pick up where they left off in Green Bay by opening holes for the running game, especially after the Titans had success on the ground last week in Cleveland.

Why has it taken Ryan Poles four years to assemble a below-average defensive line? How was Ben Johnson able to fix Poles’ offensive line in one offseason that took Poles four years to put together? — @bennerbjammin

There’s a lot going on here. For starters, you have to acknowledge that the turnaround by the offensive line this season — which has required coaching from Johnson, Dan Roushar and others — followed an offseason of moves that Poles initiated. He was the one who traded for and then extended the contracts of guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and paid center Drew Dalman in free agency. You can’t say Poles built poor offensive lines and then ignore his role in acquiring the players who are now playing at a higher level. The Bears also have gotten natural growth out of Poles’ 2023 first-round pick, right tackle Darnell Wright, and he finally has assembled some quality depth for the group.

I’d agree that the defensive line has been underwhelming this season. My first reaction is that, coming off a five-win season, it’s difficult to fix everything in one offseason. The priority was very clear: The Bears needed to get better on the offensive line, specifically on the interior, to give Caleb Williams a chance to develop in his second season after he took a league-high 68 sacks as a rookie. The Bears poured resources — both money and four draft picks (one each in the trades for Thuney and Jackson and the selections of Ozzy Trapilo and Luke Newman) — into the offensive line.

Investments were made on the defensive line as well, and those haven’t been as profitable. Defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo was lost for the season with a torn Achilles tendon Nov. 2 in Cincinnati, and a right knee injury hampered defensive tackle Grady Jarrett early in the season. Neither of those free-agent signings has produced the impact the team was hoping for. Gervon Dexter Sr. hasn’t turned it on consistently at defensive tackle either, and he remains a bit of an enigma — a large, powerful guy who is too hard to notice in too many games.

The defensive line is a question mark if you’re wondering how the team will fare in the critical stretch run against strong opponents, and it’s certainly an area of concern if you talk about about playoff football. Maybe the line can step Sunday against a Browns team that could be looking at wholesale changes on the offensive line after the season. Cleveland inserted ex-Bear Teven Jenkins into the lineup last week at right guard in place of Wyatt Teller.

The defensive line looks an area that will be a priority in the offseason.

Do you think 2-2 in the final four games is enough to get the Bears into the playoffs? — @greggisp

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It certainly looks like an 11-6 record would, at minimum, be enough to secure a wild-card spot. Ben Johnson and his staff have done a pretty good job of keeping the focus on the task at hand, so I don’t think there will be any fear of players or staff looking ahead to the Dec. 20 rematch with the Packers. They know they have to put together a solid game to beat a Browns team that upset Green Bay earlier in the season.

With four games remaining, things can shift in a hurry. The Bears went from the No. 1 position in the NFC to No. 7 with the loss in Green Bay. Things could flip just as quickly this week, especially with the Packers (9-3-1) playing the Broncos (11-2) in Denver and the Detroit Lions (8-5) visiting the Rams (10-3). It could be a topsy-turvy race down the stretch, and 11 wins might be the magic number for the seventh and final seed in the NFC.

I am puzzled at how absent DJ Moore has been in the passing game over the year other than screen passes. I know he has had a couple of decent games but it seems as if he is just not getting targeted as a receiver as much as Colston Loveland or Rome Odunze or now Cole Kmet. Happy to see Kmet involved more but it seems as if DJ is just not getting looks by Caleb Williams. Is this a misperception on my part or is it part of the play-calling design? Seems like a massive talent going relatively underused. — Niren A., Riverside, Calif.

Bears wide receiver DJ Moore makes a move after a catch against the Eagles on Nov. 28, 2025, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Moore ranks second on the team with 66 targets, although he had only three, tied for a season low, in Sunday’s loss in Green Bay. It’s well-documented that he caught only one pass for a 4-yard loss, and that came on the heels of having only two receptions for 17 yards in the win in Philadelphia.

There’s no question Moore should have been a bigger part of the offense against the Packers, especially with a foot injury sidelining Odunze (team-high 90 targets), and that’s something Ben Johnson lamented when he spoke Monday.

“I thought he ran some pretty good routes over the course of the day and we just couldn’t give him the ball, which that was not the intent,” Johnson said. “I thought going into the game we might’ve had more for him than any other player in the offense. And so was a little surprised at the end when I saw the stat sheet for one catch. That was disappointing.”

Williams missed Moore badly on the first third down of the game. The Bears faced third-and-15 on their 23-yard line, and Moore came open on a dagger route at about the Packers 40. The throw sailed high over Moore — so high that it wasn’t playable for the safety who was 5 yards behind him.

The ball fluttered out of Williams’ hand, so I wanted to see if it was perhaps deflected at the line. It was not. Maybe the footwork was off a little. If you look closely, I don’t think Williams was stepping toward the target, but I won’t pretend to be an expert on quarterback fundamentals.

The bottom line is Moore was open for a first down and the throw was far off the mark.

“We just left it a little bit high there early in the game,” Johnson said, referring to that play. “Something that I’ve talked about over the last few weeks with Caleb is, ‘Man, how can I best serve him to get him in a rhythm early in games?’ So when we can, we can have some strong starts to the first half.

“And when you’re asking your first completion to be an 18-yard dagger route, that’s not always the easiest thing, particularly in those elements on the road like that. So something that he’s certainly capable of doing — he makes that throw all the time in practice — and yet we weren’t able to do it there (Sunday) that early in the game.”

The Bears have a lot of mouths to feed on offense, and Moore is one that needs more opportunities because he’s an explosive player in the open field. I’d imagine the coaching staff will look to get Moore unlocked this week against the Browns.

I watched that play over and over. It looks like Caleb Williams had DJ Moore open. Either Moore was supposed to drag or he was really not running to get open. Looks like he was going half speed. Check it out. — Phil S.

If you watched the final offensive play a few times, you noticed Moore had to navigate some traffic coming through the backfield. He was a late option for Williams on the play, and the reason he popped open was Keisean Nixon, who had him in man coverage, bailed to pick up tight end Cole Kmet in the end zone. So Moore didn’t really pop wide open until Nixon was retreating to Kmet and Williams was throwing that way. The problem was Williams was a little late deciding on Kmet and then underthrew the ball, which Nixon picked off.

I don’t think Moore was running half speed. He was probably the fourth option on the play after Kmet, running back D’Andre Swift (who was just about triple-covered in the bust by the Packers) and Williams pulling the ball down and running for the line to gain. It would have been a highly difficult throw for Williams to target Moore on that play.

Did the officials miss a penalty when Theo Benedet was cut on the goal-line play where he was an eligible receiver? — Ron V., McHenry

Colston Loveland (84) celebrates his touchdown with fellow Bears tight ends Durham Smythe (81) and Cole Kmet (85) in the fourth quarter against the Packers on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Benedet was an eligible lineman on the third-and-goal play from the Green Bay 1-yard line. He came in motion and was cut down by Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper. The Bears said Benedet was the primary read on the play. Fortunately for them, tight end Colston Loveland popped loose uncovered on the back side of the play for an easy touchdown throw from Caleb Williams.

The Bears seemed adamant there should have been a penalty on Cooper on the play, and an officiating source, after watching the play, concurred.

My source said a low block outside of the tight end box is illegal, and the rule applies to defensive players as well.

“Corners were taking out linemen pulling downfield, so they made that action by the defense illegal too,” the source said.

Carl Jones Jr. was one of the more productive players on special teams. Why did the Bears waive him and then lose him to Baltimore? — Doug E., Darien

The Bears waived Jones on Saturday to create a spot on the 53-man roster for offensive lineman Jordan McFadden. T.J. Edwards and Noah Sewell returned for the game in Green Bay, so the Bears had four linebackers. They should be getting another back soon when Tremaine Edmunds (groin) returns from injured reserve.

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I suspect the team hoped to re-sign Jones to the practice squad, but that didn’t happen when the Ravens claimed him on waivers. He was third on the team in special teams tackles and did a solid job. The Bears are not light in that area now, and rookie linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II should be back from a shoulder injury sooner rather than later.

It looks to me like the Bears probably wanted McFadden on the roster to serve as a reserve guard, filling the role rookie Luke Newman played before he suffered a foot injury. That’s my best guess at the situation, and that would mean Ryan Bates is serving as the backup center.

Losing Jones on waivers is a sign the roster is getting a little bit better. Bad teams don’t have players sniped from them as often.

Any way to get out of the Kyler Gordon contract? Buddy never plays. — @bearsluvr12

There was a handful of questions about Gordon and the three-year, $40 million extension he signed during the offseason. Seemingly everyone is frustrated by the injuries that have plagued him since August — from Gordon to coaches to fans alike. Trust me, no one is more dispirited than Gordon, who badly wants to be out there.

The Bears aren’t going to move on from Gordon less than a year after making him the highest-paid slot cornerback in the league. His contract included $21.256 million fully guaranteed, which includes his $10 million base salary in 2026. The Bears will have to make a decision on Gordon after the 2026 season. He has a $10 million base salary for 2027, and it becomes fully guaranteed on the third day of the league year.

We’ll see if there’s a chance Gordon can get back on the field this season, but it’s to the point the team can’t count on him to be available.

“It’s disappointing,” Ben Johnson said Monday. “I wish I had a better feel for the individual, but with him being out as much as he has, I haven’t really gotten to see him on the field and competing to get to know him like I’d like to at this point.

“I do know that the biggest predictor of a soft-tissue injury is having a previous one. He’s in this rut right now that we’re not able to get out of. We’re going to exhaust all of our resources in and outside of the building to make sure that we’re addressing it and doing what we can to get him back and healthy again.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/10/chicago-bears-mailbag-caleb-williams-dj-moore/