CHICAGO (AP) — Caleb Williams is settling into a rhythm, and the Bears are racking up wins. Overall, things are looking good for Chicago.
The Bears cruised into their bye with a 4-2 record and three straight wins following a 35-16 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. They're on their best run since winning three in a row in late 2020 and have a chance to make it four straight for the first time since the 2018 season, when they won the NFC North title.
They'll try to keep this run going in Week 8 when they visit Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders in a matchup of the quarterbacks taken with the top two picks in this year's draft.
Daniels has the statistical edge. But Williams, who's from Washington, seems to be hitting his stride.
“I think the way he’s prepared going into it, from Week 1 all the way to Week 6,” coach Matt Eberflus said Monday. “He’s proven that he’s gotten better every single week. We’ve gotten better as a football team.”
Williams is a combined 60 of 81 for 687 yards over the past three games against the Los Angeles Rams, Carolina and Jacksonville. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner out of Southern California has seven touchdown passes and one interception in that span, after throwing for two scores and getting picked off four times through the first three games.
Williams threw for four touchdowns against Jacksonville and might have had a fifth had he not waited too long and put too much air underneath a pass intended for DJ Moore that got picked off. He finished 23 of 29 for 226 yards with a 124.4 rating that was just shy of his 126.2 mark a week earlier in a 36-10 romp against the Panthers. The previous high by a Bears rookie since the AFL-NFL merger was Jim McMahon’s 121.1 against the Rams on Dec. 26, 1982.
What’s working
No-huddle offense. Williams has looked comfortable in the no-huddle the past couple weeks. Going straight to the line of scrimmage is also keeping defenses off-balance. Along with that, the Bears are striking more of a balance. In the three games since Williams threw the ball 52 times in a loss at Indianapolis, they have 81 passing attempts and 96 rushes.
What needs help
Pass protection. Though the Bears are coming off dominant wins in back-to-back weeks, they're still giving up more sacks than they would like. Williams got sacked three times against Jacksonville, running his season total to 20. That was second only to Deshaun Watson's 31 through Sunday.
Stock up
RB D’Andre Swift. A first-time Pro Bowl pick with Philadelphia last season, Swift didn't do much in his first three games after signing a three-year deal with the Bears. He sure has turned things around.
Swift had another big outing on Sunday, with 17 carries for 91 yards and a touchdown. He also caught four passes for 28 yards.
In the past three games, Swift has run for 257 yards and three scores. He has 15 receptions for 147 yards in that span.
Stock down
RG Nate Davis. The veteran has gone from starting to being benched and was a healthy scratch on Sunday. With LG Teven Jenkins starting after leaving the Carolina game because of an ankle injury, the Bears had Bill Murray, Doug Kramer and Kiran Amegadjie as backup offensive linemen.
“We felt like going with eight for us provided what we needed for the game and we were OK with doing that,” Eberflus said. “Again, I’ve got to just give Nate a lot of credit here. He’s been a pro’s pro. He’s done a really good job of staying engaged, working every week, and again, we’re going to need all these players, and they know that.”
Injuries
CB Kyler Gordon (hamstring) and long snapper Scott Daly (knee) were undergoing further imaging on Monday. Daly was hurt after Chicago’s second punt, forcing TE Cole Kmet to fill in for him. Gordon exited in the second half. The Bears were already down two starters in the secondary with S Jaquan Brisker (concussion) and CB Tyrique Stevenson (calf) missing the game.
Key numbers
9 — The Bears have won nine straight home games, counting the victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in which they were the designated home team.
21 — Chicago has held opponents to 21 points or fewer in 12 straight games, the league's longest active streak. Washington is scoring 29.7 points per game — tied for second through Sunday.
Next steps
The Bears have an extra week to heal and shake off the jet lag before visiting Washington on Oct. 27.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Andrew Seligman, The Associated Press
