Rome Odunze among few bright spots for Chicago Bears in Week 2

The Chicago Bears got blown out by the Detroit Lions in Sunday’s Week 2 game, 52-21.

There are times when a final score doesn’t tell the full story. For this game, it did. It was a one-sided affair for almost the entire four quarters. Ben Johnson was outcoached by Dan Campbell. Caleb Williams was outplayed by Jared Goff. And the Bears’ defense looked like a junior varsity squad compared to the Lions.

So, yeah. It was a horrendous loss. It was one of the worst losses in recent years, which wasn’t what many Bears fans thought they’d experience in only the second game with Ben Johnson at the helm.

But this is life for a football team undergoing such a sweeping change. The Bears need more than just two games to adjust to Johnson and his staff, not to mention an offensive line that features three new starters. The defense added some new pieces as well, most notably a new coordinator and an entirely different scheme.

Losing the first two games is OK under these circumstances, but it’d be nice if the Bears’ biggest stars provided some glimmer of hope for the fan base.

One guy who did that in Week 2 was Rome Odunze, who had his best game as a pro with seven catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns on a team-high 11 targets.

This is the type of playmaker the Chicago Bears expected they were getting when Odunze was selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He ended his rookie season with a pedestrian 54 catches for 734 yards and three touchdowns. Odunze already has three scores after just two games in 2025.

It seems pretty clear that Odunze has overtaken DJ Moore as the Bears’ WR1. Moore ended Week 2 with five catches for 46 yards on six targets and appeared very much like a complementary No. 2 to Odunze.

It’d be nice to see the Bears push Luther Burden III into the WR3 role — he had one catch for five yards on two targets against the Lions — so the future of this team can begin to take shape. As fun a story as Olamide Zaccheaus is, it’s time for him to step aside for Burden so the Chicago Bears offense — the offense that will ultimately be making plays for Ben Johnson in the coming years — can take the field.

Bears RB D’Andre Swift continues to disappoint

Swift gained 63 yards on 12 carries in what looks like a strong game statistically, but I was left wanting more out of the Bears’ lead back. He seemed way too hesitant to hit the hole on several of his carries. When he was decisive, he was productive. But those runs feel like they’re too few and far between.

He showed what it’s supposed to look like on his touchdown run:

Swift, who gained 20 of his 63 yards on one carry, didn’t run like this clip nearly enough. Instead, it was Kyle Monangai, who gained 28 yards on seven carries, who had a more decisive one-cut-and-go style during garbage time that may appeal to Ben Johnson moving forward.

Monangai also had a key block in pass protection on Rome Odunze’s big touchdown catch (scroll up and take a look).

The Chicago Bears’ pass rush really is a major problem

As promising as Week 1’s performance by Dayo Odeyingbo and the Bears’ front seven was (at least, for the first three quarters), it was equally disappointing against the Detroit Lions.

The Bears registered zero sacks against Jared Goff, which was a big reason why he was able to toss five touchdowns in Week 2.

Austin Booker’s stint on injured reserve should end in Week 4, which, hopefully, will send a reinforcement to the pass rush. But the issue that Bears fans expected to rear its ugly head this year has already done so. And it may be worse than we feared.

Where in the world is Colston Loveland?

Why draft a tight end with the 10th overall pick if the offense doesn’t have a clearly defined plan for him? That’s the question most Bears fans are asking after two games and only two (total) catches for 12 yards from Colston Loveland, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Loveland has been absolutely invisible. Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Colts continue to find ways to feature Tyler Warren, the tight end selected a few spots after Loveland in the first round. Warren ended the Colts’ Week 2 win over the Denver Broncos as the team’s receiving yardage leader with four catches for 79 yards. He had nine catches (yes, nine!) for 79 yards in Week 1.

Maybe it’s a Caleb Williams thing. He is a big-game hunter, after all.

But wasn’t Loveland supposed to be that big game? A rare mismatch at tight end who can threaten opposing defenses with his size, speed, route running, and catch radius?

We’ve seen none of that through two games. It’s early, and we’ll give Loveland and the Bears the benefit of the doubt. For now.

Patience is a virtue for Bears fans

I detailed why Chicago Bears fans should remain patient despite a 0-2 start here. It’s important that we don’t abandon the excitement that surrounded Ben Johnson’s hire. It would be a disservice to the fan base’s reputation if, after only two games, Bears Nation begins acting like these are the “same old Bears.” Or that Johnson is somehow a fraud.

Bears fans are better than that. They’re smarter than that. And patience will pay off for those who remain confident in Johnson’s overall plan.

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