The Bears will look to rebound from last weekend's loss to the Packers and improve to 4-2 when they visit the Falcons Sunday in Atlanta.
It's unclear whether Bears quarterback Caleb Williams will return after missing the last three games with a hamstring injury he sustained in Week 2 against the Vikings. The third-year pro was a full participant in practice all week but is listed as questionable for Sunday's game.
If Williams plays, the contest will feature a matchup between quarterbacks selected in the top 10 of the 2024 draft. Williams was chosen No. 1 overall by the Bears, while the Falcons picked Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8.
The game also will pit the NFL's top two rushing attacks in the Bears (173.2 yards per game) and Falcons (166.8) against a pair of defenses that rank in the top 10 versus the run: Atlanta is fourth (80.2) and Chicago is ninth (96.0).
The Falcons are 2-3, including 0-2 at home. They lost to the Steelers in Pittsburgh 20-13 and the Panthers 34-3 in Atlanta, won road games over the Packers 35-14 and Saints 45-24, and lost to the Ravens 30-23 in overtime at home.
When the Bears have the ball
Williams' return would provide a boost on offense after the Bears scored just seven points, mustered a season-low 246 total yards and committed five turnovers — doubling their season total — last Sunday in Green Bay. In Week 1, he completed 72.4% of his passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns with a 124.1 passer rating while also rushing for 65 yards and two TDs in a 59-37 rout of the Panthers.
With Kyle Monangai set to miss his second straight game with a toe injury, D'Andre Swift will once again be the Bears' primary ballcarrier. But coach Ben Johnson spoke this week about his belief in a backfield-by-committee approach, which likely means that others will be involved in the run game.
The Falcons defense had been stingy against the run, allowing 58, 68, 17 and 50 yards in its first four games before permitting 208 to the Ravens last Sunday.
"They did a good job with some of their downhill schemes," said Bears offensive coordinator Press Taylor. "[Derrick] Henry did a great job bouncing a couple things. Baltimore is talented in terms of their run game. Big, physical group, big, physical running back … They committed to it. They had a lot of success with it."
The Bears are focused on improving in the red zone, ranking last in the NFL with a 42.9% touchdown rate. Their 21 trips inside their opponents' 20 this year, however, are tied for the second most in the league with the Bills, behind the Lions' 22.
The Falcons defense has just one interception this season, tied for the fewest in the NFL. Safety Xavier Watts, who has the only pick, leads Atlanta with 34 tackles and has also recorded two pass breakups and one forced fumble. Former Bears defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. has registered 13 tackles, two tackles-for-loss and three quarterback hits, with 0.5 sacks.
Atlanta has been impacted by groin injuries at cornerback, with A.J. Terrell on injured reserve and C.J. Henderson ruled out of Sunday's game after getting hurt in the fourth quarter of last weekend's overtime loss to Baltimore.
Key matchup: Bears receiver Luther Burden III vs. Falcons cornerback Mike Hughes
With his playmaking and run-after-the-catch ability, Burden could play a key role in Sunday's game. Atlanta will counter with Hughes, a 2018 first-round pick by the Vikings who did not become a regular starter until his seventh NFL season and second with the Falcons in 2024.
When the Falcons have the ball
The Bears defense will be challenged by star running back Bijan Robinson, who leads the league in rushing with 580 yards and four TDs on 102 carries. His 580 yards are more than 18 NFL teams have compiled. The fourth-year pro has had outings of 194 yards against the Packers and 145 yards versus the Saints.
"It's going to take everybody doing what we need to do in attacking the line of scrimmage, not playing passively, not playing selfishly," said defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, Robinson's teammate in Atlanta in 2023-24. "It takes a whole unit to attempt to slow down a special player like Bijan. God-given ability to see, to burst, to separate, to contact balance, I mean, this is a really, really special player."
Despite hurting his ribs late in last weekend's loss to the Ravens, Penix is expected to make his fourth straight start. Since sitting out the first two games of the season while continuing to recover from a knee injury that ended his 2025 campaign, he has completed 67.5% of his passes for 719 yards with three TDs, one interception and a 104.8 passer rating. Penix leads the NFL with a 131.3 passer rating on third down, while the Bears defense ranks second in the league in third-down efficiency at 26.0%.
"He's executing the offense at a really high level," said Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. "They do a good job on some of their quick play-action things where he can come off the play-action fake, get the ball out of his hands. He does a really good job of being able to do that. I see a guy that looks comfortable running the offense, who looks comfortable under center. I think he's doing a good job."
Penix's top target is receiver Drake London, who has 27 receptions for 488 yards, the fourth most in the league.
The Bears defense will be missing three key starters in ends Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo and linebacker T.J. Edwards. Sweat is suspended by the NFL for two games, while Odeyingbo and Edwards are sidelined with quadricep and hamstring injuries, respectively, sustained last Sunday in Green Bay.
The Bears are hoping that defensive end Austin Booker will help fill the void. The third-year pro has a team-high 4.0 sacks this season and has recorded 7.5 sacks in his last nine games dating back to last year.
Key matchup: Bears defensive tackle Grady Jarrett vs. Falcons running back Bijan Robinson
The two former teammates will clash Sunday in Atlanta. After being limited by injuries in his first season with the Bears last year, Jarrett is performing well in 2026 and will need to continue to do so against the electrifying Robinson.
