The Chicago Bears opened the season with 59 points, 552 total yards and a convincing win over the Carolina Panthers.
The offense looked incredible. The defense? That’s where the concerns start.
Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, T.J. Edwards and Dayo Odeyingbo all had shaky moments in Week 1, and they now have to clean things up against the Minnesota Vikings – Chicago allowed 37 points and 478 yards to Carolina, making the Week 2 matchup a much bigger test for a defense that cannot expect the offense to score 59 every Sunday.
For these Bears, their margin for error has already vanished entering Week 2.
Jaylon Johnson
Jaylon Johnson has the biggest spotlight on him.
The veteran corner allowed a 113.7 passer rating when targeted in Week 1, according to PFF, and now gets to face Justin Jefferson after the Vikings star caught eight passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns against Green Bay – That’s about as difficult of a bounce back opportunity as Johnson could ask for.
The Bears need their No. 1 corner to look like one again. If Johnson struggles for a second straight week, the questions surrounding Chicago’s secondary are going to get much louder, especially with Kyler Gordon still on PUP.
Tyrique Stevenson
Sticking at CB, Tyrique Stevenson has a similar challenge.
He earned a 36.0 PFF grade against Carolina, with his coverage grade sitting at 34.7 as Bryce Young repeatedly found success throwing against the Chicago Bears, and Stevenson was part of those problems.
Now he gets another major test.
Minnesota has Jefferson and Jordan Addison on the outside, and the Bears cannot afford another afternoon where their starting corners are consistently giving up plays.
Stevenson entered 2026 needing to show more consistency. One bad game can be written off. Two straight would make it much harder to do that.
T.J. Edwards
T.J. Edwards is another player who needs a much better showing.
The veteran linebacker played 68 defensive snaps against Carolina but finished with a 32.2 PFF grade – the lowest among Bears defenders who played at least 20 snaps.
That’s a pretty rough start for someone Chicago counts on to stabilize the middle of its defense, and if he doesn’t step up his game, he could be a cap casualty come next offseason.
Dayo Odeyingbo
Dayo Odeyingbo might have the most obvious opportunity to change the conversation as he finished Week 1 with one tackle and no sacks, although PFF credited him with five pressures.
That pressure number is encouraging, but Chicago needs more impact from the edge opposite Montez Sweat.
The Bears’ defensive line was one of the obvious weaknesses against Carolina, and Odeyingbo is going to be an important part of fixing it.
A few pressures against Minnesota would be a good start. Disrupting the quarterback and forcing the Vikings into difficult situations would be even better.
The Chicago Bears don’t need these four players to suddenly dominate. They just need them to stop making the defense’s problems bigger.
Chicago’s offense gave the team plenty of breathing room in Week 1. The defense won’t always have that luxury, and with Jefferson and the Vikings coming to town, Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, T.J. Edwards and Dayo Odeyingbo need to show up differently in Week 2.
4 Bears Whose Margin for Error Has Already Vanished Entering Week 2