Mid-September is never supposed to feel this heavy. Not in the NFL. Not for a team widely projected to hang around .500 all season. Yet here the Chicago Bears stand, back in a storm of tension and uncertainty as they enter Week 3 desperate for their first victory.

The Bears' 0-2 start isn't the troubling part. That was always a distinct possibility with two demanding division games to open the season. What's been more disconcerting is that the team has caved in during both losses, lacking the spark and competitive focus it will need to be taken much more seriously.

A week after squandering an 11-point second-half lead in a prime-time loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the Bears allowed 511 total yards and seven touchdowns in Sunday's 52-21 loss in Detroit.

"It's a kick in the teeth," coach Ben Johnson said. "Nothing about that feels good."

A defense expected to carry the Bears in the early season has instead proved vulnerable and is now also decimated with top cornerback Jaylon Johnson likely lost for the season with a groin injury; linebacker T.J. Edwards aggravating his hamstring injury Sunday; and slot cornerback Kyler Gordon labeled by Ben Johnson as "week to week" with his own hamstring injury.

Predictably, Johnson's offense has also been a work in progress, still defined by inconsistency and sloppiness and with a penalty count (13) through two games that nearly triples the team's touchdown total (five).

The failures have been many and widespread. And suddenly all the talk at Halas Hall is about the urgent effort needed to bounce back. "We'll find out what type of team we are real soon," running back D'Andre Swift said.

The Bears' way out of this cycle of struggle and frustration isn't obvious. And if their two losses to open the season have suggested anything, it's that this team appears to be a long, long way from legitimate contention.

Sure, it may sound extreme to suggest that the season hangs in the balance Sunday when the Dallas Cowboys visit Soldier Field. But in the Super Bowl era, the Bears have started 0-3 eight times and never rallied to reach the postseason. Only twice in that time has the team reached October below .500 and rebounded to claim a playoff berth -- in 1979 and 2005.

Again, mid-September isn't supposed to feel this heavy. But it sure feels like a "now or never" moment has arrived with a huge pile of demanding issues that need solutions. At the top of that stack, these three questions rank among the most daunting.

Is the Bears' core, assembled by general manager Ryan Poles, as solid as it was advertised to be coming into the season?

In the form of a short homework exercise, which players on the current roster should the Bears lock into their plans as likely difference-making starters for 2027?

Wait ... 2027?

Yes, that's two seasons from now. But the long-range goal is to build a brighter future with a strong nucleus of standouts and stars.

So, after three-plus years of Poles reconstructing the team, who are those cornerstone players?

Jaylon Johnson would seem to be a top candidate, under contract through 2027 and already established as a Pro Bowl cornerback. But Johnson's groin injury may have already ended his 2025 season and could threaten to re-route his career significantly.

Defensive end Montez Sweat? After an impressive emergence down the back half of 2023, Sweat has only 5.5 sacks over his last 18 games and hasn't provided a healthy return on investment on the four-year, $98 million extension he signed shortly after arriving in Chicago. In Sunday's loss in Detroit, Sweat's first-quarter sack of Jared Goff was negated by a penalty on cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. And well, Sweat's final stat line -- four tackles, one quarterback hit on 39 snaps -- again didn't offer the impact he is being paid to produce.

Quarterback Caleb Williams? More on him here in a minute.

So which other players should Poles and Ben Johnson Sharpie into their plans for beyond this season and beyond next season?

Nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon? After getting a contract extension this spring, Gordon has yet to play in 2025 and is now up to 11 missed games in his career. Valuable when healthy. But not always healthy.

Four-time All-Pro Joe Thuney recently signed a $35 million extension that runs through 2027. But Thuney's 33rd birthday is fast approaching, and while he figures to be dependable for the foreseeable future, it's difficult to know how long he can perform at the highest level up front.

Wide receiver DJ Moore? His chemistry with Williams just hasn't been there with his career average of 68 receiving yards per game over his first six seasons dipping to 57 yards per game over the last 19 games with Williams as his quarterback. That production is trending in the wrong direction.

Right tackle Darnell Wright, a top-10 pick just 29 months ago? He, too, needs to elevate his performance beyond satisfactory to earn the trust and confidence of this new coaching staff. Drafted as the safe alternative to game-wrecking defensive tackle Jalen Carter, the Bears banked on Wright becoming a starting tackle for a decade. As of now, there's no guarantee he'll even receive a second contract.

Suddenly, this homework assignment isn't as fun as it sounded, is it?

Of the 28 players under contract through 2027, the list of certain future standouts may not exceed three or four.

Wide receiver Rome Odunze probably qualifies and is coming off a career-high 128-yard, two-TD performance in Detroit. Rookie tight end Colston Loveland perhaps, too -- though that may require a leap of faith with Loveland recording just two receptions for 12 yards through the first two games.

Since arriving in 2022, Poles has drafted 34 players while signing 17 unrestricted free agents to multiyear deals. At some point, those investments should provide a pulley system to lift the Bears out of the NFC basement. As it stands, Sunday's loss in Detroit dropped Poles' winning percentage as Bears GM to .283 with few signs that the Bears' talent pool can become contention-worthy soon.

Of course, the quickest way to elevate a team is to have a top-tier quarterback. So that's where we'll head next.

Is it time to lower the expectations ceiling for quarterback Caleb Williams?

For Williams' career outlook, it's incredibly premature to make such a suggestion. Sunday will mark just his 20th start and only the third during his union with Ben Johnson. But for 2025? It may be time to temper expectations for the immediate future, with the quarterback's growth slope still appearing so flat.

After a full slate of organized team activities plus two spring minicamps, after six weeks of training camp and now two regular-season games, it's easy to see how much Williams still has to work on. His huddle command and pre-snap operational skills need significant improvement. His footwork remains inconsistent, contributing to ongoing hiccups with accuracy and timing. Williams' processing as a passer remains ordinary, with concerns still lingering that he can't play fast enough to excel at this level.

Coming out of Sunday's loss in Detroit, the biggest compliments paid to the Bears' starting quarterback were along the lines of "He wasn't the biggest problem" or "He was fine." But let's be real. "Not the biggest problem" and "not that bad" aren't what you're looking for from a No. 1 overall pick.

Williams was drafted last year with a belief inside Halas Hall that he could quickly become a championship-caliber engine for a team looking to escape its quarter-century rut of mediocrity. Johnson's arrival as head coach and play caller was widely viewed as a likely catalyst for Williams' development, perhaps even allowing the Bears to become surprise playoff contenders this year. But the Bears are still waiting on that emergence.

After Sunday's performance, Johnson said he was encouraged by what he identified as "significant growth" from Williams against Detroit, expressing hope that another leap may be possible here in Week 3.

"It's not perfect yet," Johnson said Monday. "There are still a number of plays where our eyes aren't quite in the right position or we're holding on to the ball just a tick longer than what we're coaching. But I did see tremendous growth in terms of him going through the progression. There were a few times there where we had to get to No. 3 or 4 in the read and he was trusting his feet and his footwork and was able to get there."

You don't have to squint to see Williams' potential. His arm talent is off the charts. His high-level playmaking gifts flash several times every game. But the true springboard to NFL success requires consistency -- and at a high level -- with the play-to-play responsibilities of guiding an offense.

It's reducing pre-snap penalties, negative plays and costly turnovers. It's finding completions drive after drive after drive. It's distributing the football to the other playmakers and letting them take over. Then, when windows of opportunity present themselves, it's about producing game-changing explosive plays.

In Johnson's ideal scenario, this offense will soon become so polished and so dynamic that he can unlock a new world in which the Bears approach each week with an intense focus on finding exact ways to attack the opposing defense. "Designer plays," Johnson calls them, opponent-specific concepts that will help the Bears break open games.

That world, however, can't be reached until Williams and the Bears show a mastery of the foundational things within Johnson's system. Johnson acknowledged last week that he was still feeling out the balance, learning Williams as a player in ways that will guide how much he puts on the quarterback's plate with the game plan each week.

Keep an eye on all that Sunday, particularly in a potential bounce-back game against a shaky Cowboys defense that has been leaky against the pass and bad on third downs.

Still, with everything taken into account, from Williams' rookie year to this offseason to the first two performances of the regular season, he hasn't provided evidence that a major breakthrough is imminent. Instead, the emphasis has quickly turned to the patience and time required to allow a young quarterback his chance to blossom.

The ultimate goal is for Williams to become the driving force of next-level success for the Bears, the spark inside of ho-hum team performances, the multiplier, the eraser when mistakes happen.

How long will Johnson be willing to wait for that to occur? And if some of the fundamental missteps persist and the Bears' win-loss record goes sideways too quickly, might the coaching staff's patience be tested in ways they never imagined?

So ...

What if former Bears head coach and current Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus were to outwit Ben Johnson on Sunday?

Buckle in for Week 3's most harrowing hypothetical.

In three full seasons calling plays against Eberflus-led Bears defenses, Johnson contributed to a 4-1 Lions record with Detroit averaging 367 yards and 28 points.

Johnson was additionally impressive in the Lions' 34-17 win over the Bears at Soldier Field last December. But that came 23 days after Eberflus was fired.

So what awaits Sunday? Eberflus' Cowboys defense allowed 506 yards and 37 points in Sunday's win and now ranks 30th in pass defense, allowing 283 yards per game. Similar to the Bears, the Cowboys' secondary has been susceptible to the big play while not getting nearly enough help from the pass rush.

Still, you'd have to figure Eberflus understands Williams' weaknesses quite well and will get in his bag this week to find strategic ways to flummox the quarterback he was once tasked with developing. A heavy helping of zone. Well-timed pressure calls. Disguised coverages.

It's easy to envision a scenario in which Eberflus flusters Williams a bit, particularly if the Cowboys offense remains in overdrive and forces the Bears into a chase game. But Williams and Johnson will have their opportunity to operate, too, creating an attack-first game plan while ready to respond to any wrinkles the Cowboys present.

On the plus side, the Bears offense has scored touchdowns on its opening drive in each of the first two games after managing just two field goals on 17 opening drives last season. The trick now will be sustaining that production through an entire game. (The Bears have gone three-and-out on the opening drive of the second half twice already this month and Williams has a second-half passer rating of 72.8 through two weeks.)

Eberflus will have his regular weekly session with Dallas media on Thursday and will no doubt be asked about his somewhat awkward return to Soldier Field as he'll be back for the first time since his Thanksgiving weekend firing. He will likely downplay that part of the week while offering limited insight and perspective on the time he spent with Williams.

Eberflus' most important work will occur behind the curtain as he schemes to slow down Williams and the Bears offense.

Johnson, meanwhile, is viewed around the league as much more impressive at the chessboard and should be eager for this next test. Still, the Bears' midweek visions must produce Sunday afternoon results. If not, the heaviness of an 0-2 start will feel like a feather if a loss to Eberflus and Dallas drops the Bears to 0-3.

Indeed, the pressure has elevated and it's the Bears' challenge to meet this moment.

Who are Ryan Poles' cornerstone players? 3 daunting questions facing 0-2 Bears