What have we learned from first two games of the ’26 season?
Well, the Os seem rusty, esp QBs.
Darnold went down on the 5th play.
Drake “The Schedule” Maye who was a legit MVP candidate in ’25 completed 23 of 33 passes for 178 yards and 1 touchdown with 3 interceptions, resulting in a 54.9 passer rating. He looked every bit that terrible and more like Hoyer than Brady. Surprising considering he posted a 113.5 passer rating during the 2025 regular season, which was the highest in the NFL. He completed 354 of 492 passes (72.0%) for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns, and only 8 interceptions across 17 games.
Stafford WAS the MVP finishing the regular season with a passer rating of 109.2 and a completion percentage of 65.0%. Well, apparently he drank too many Fosters in Australia because he too was dreadful. He posted a grand total of 0TDs, 155YDS, 1INT and a Fieldsesque 61.3 rating. He was pulled for Stetson Bennett IV. Crikey!
Oddly enough, Purdy was the only QB who looked decent of the starters. The 9ers simply looked much more energetic. Maybe it was because they stayed in the land down under for a week while the Rams flew in the day before.
Either way, 9ers upsetting SB fav dream team Rams should be a wakeup call for any contender. Reminded me of that Rocky IV scene where he cut Drago, “Rams aren’t a machine!” That being said, first games, esp in bizzarro hemisphere, can be cooky, and it was rather obvious Garrett was nowhere near fully powered.
Will the BJ Bears also start sluggish? Hope not. For Maye and Stafford the games can be outliers, but Caleb has the Jekyll and Hyde shtick down where he sleep walks through the first half only to rip off the suit and don the cape in the second.
[6] Games the Bears have won in the ’25 season after overcoming deficits in the final 2:00 of regulation, the most in the NFL this year and the most in franchise history. Those victories have come over the Raiders (25-24), Commanders (25-24), Bengals (47-42), Giants (24-20), Vikings (19-17) and Packers.
Given the stuttering of the 9ers, Seahawks, Pats and Rams, it wouldn’t shock me if Bears likewise take a bit before they get cranking; however, one MAJOR difference is that all those team arguably roster better Ds than Bears, so hopefully Caleb and Co come out swinging.
