No Caleb Williams Again: Tyson Bagent Gets the Ball at Lambeau as the 3-1 Bears Roll On

The short version: The Chicago Bears will run it back with the backups. Head coach Ben Johnson confirmed that Tyson Bagent — not Caleb Williams — will start today's Week 5 rivalry game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, with 38-year-old veteran Case Keenum as the No. 2. Williams, nursing a hamstring strain suffered in Week 2 against Minnesota, will miss his third straight game. The twist: the Bears haven't lost without him. Chicago is 3-1, a perfect 2-0 in the "Missing Caleb Williams" era, and rolling into Green Bay with the NFL's best rushing attack.

How we got here: a hamstring, a concussion protocol, and two wins

Williams went down with what was later reported as a Grade 2 hamstring strain in the Week 2 loss to the Vikings — and after not missing a game in his first two NFL seasons, the former No. 1 pick is now sidelined for a third straight week. He returned to practice in a limited capacity on Friday and carried a questionable tag into the weekend, which kept the door cracked open. Johnson slammed it shut early in the week: Bagent is the guy.

"Tyson will be the guy, and we'll go forward from there," Johnson said on his weekly ESPN 1000 radio appearance. "We're in good shape."

The path to Bagent was winding. He would have started the first Williams-less game in Week 3, but spent most of that week in the concussion protocol — so Johnson turned to Keenum, who responded by carving up the Philadelphia Eagles in primetime. In Week 4 against the Jets, Johnson kept everyone guessing: Keenum technically took the first snap, then Bagent ran the offense the rest of the way in a 23-12 win. This week, there's no mystery. Bagent starts, Keenum backs up, Williams is inactive.

Who is Tyson Bagent? (And why the Bears paid him)

Bagent is one of the NFL's best stories: undrafted out of Shepherd University, a Division II school in West Virginia, where he was a five-year starter. He won the Bears' backup job as a rookie and has been so steady that Chicago signed him to a two-year, $10 million contract extension this past offseason — premier-backup money for a reason. Today is his fifth official career start.

Last week against the Jets, Bagent completed 25 of 34 passes for 268 yards with an interception — solid, unspectacular, and exactly what the Bears needed. He didn't throw a touchdown; he didn't need to. Rookie running back Kyle Monangai did the scoring with two rushing touchdowns, and the ground game did the talking.

The formula: run it, defend, don't turn it over

Here's the thing about the 2026 Bears that would have sounded absurd in August: through four weeks, they rank first in the NFL in both rushing attempts and rushing yards. The defense has allowed just 28 total points over the last three weeks. That's the formula that beat the Eagles and the Jets, and it's the formula they'll take into Lambeau.

At 3-1, Chicago sits one game behind the Vikings for the NFC North lead and one game ahead of both the Packers and Lions. A win today at Lambeau — with a backup quarterback, in the rivalry — would be the loudest statement of the young season. A loss keeps them in the thick of it with Williams' return on the horizon; his absence, by all accounts, is not expected to last much longer.

The Packers' perspective: backups, again

Green Bay has seen this movie before — twice, recently. The Packers will face a backup quarterback for the second straight week, having beaten undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels and the Buccaneers in Week 4. Back in Week 1, veteran Carson Wentz played most of the game after Vikings starter Kyler Murray was knocked out with a concussion. The Packers are favored at home, and the football world expects the talent gap to show.

But the Bears have made a habit of ruining expectations this month. Two wins with two different backup quarterbacks. The league's most run-heavy offense. A defense that's suffocating people. Bagent doesn't need to be Caleb Williams today — he just needs to be what he's been: steady, smart, and backed by a team that's figured out how to win without its star. Noon kickoff at Lambeau. The "Missing Caleb Williams" era goes on the road.

What a win would mean — and what comes next

Beat the Packers at Lambeau with your backup quarterback, and the conversation around this team changes completely. The Bears would be 4-1, alone in first place or tied depending on the Vikings' result, with Williams nearing a return. The "Missing Caleb Williams" era would go from cute storyline to genuine identity — a team that found itself while its star healed.

Even in defeat, the structure is sound. Williams is expected back sooner than later. The run game travels. The defense is legit. Keenum has proven he can win a game if called upon. Johnson has managed the strangest quarterback room in football with a steady hand — no panic, no controversy, just the next man up, twice. That's coaching. And today, at noon in Green Bay, Tyson Bagent gets his shot at the rivalry. The kid from Shepherd University, undrafted, $10 million arm of insurance, starting at Lambeau Field with first place in the division on the line. You can't write it better.