RECAP – Week 2: Bears Hold Off Los Angeles Rams, 24-18, Improve Record to 2-2
Caleb Williams is the 1st rookie QB selected No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft to win each of his first two career home starts in the common-draft era.
You may think that stat is a little obscure, but hey, let’s be happy.
Matthew Stafford and the Rams came into Soldier Field without their star receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. Although the conditions were certainly more favorable than what was expected for the Bears when looking ahead at this matchup at the beginning of the year, the Rams are still a tough team to beat. Last week, they pulled off a stunning comeback win on the road against the 49ers.
It wasn’t perfect, but this was, without a doubt, the best complete team performance we have seen from the Bears this season. D’Andre Swift gave a glimpse of what fans had envisioned when he signed in free agency this off-season. Roschon Johnson offered complimentary power runs, including a punch-in at the goal line for the first touchdown of the game.
Swift’s full stat line: 16 carries, 93 yards (5.8 AVG), 1 TD, 7 receptions, 72 yards
PHOTO: Matt Marton/Imagn Images
The run game was finally effective, which allowed Caleb Williams to take exactly what the Rams’ defense was giving him. Statistically, it wasn’t a flashy game by any means – 17/23 157 yards, 1 TD / 0 INT. Most importantly, no turnovers. He connected with DJ Moore in the back of the end-zone for a nice touchdown, the first for the duo. The defense continued to play strong, including a game-ending interception by Jaquan Brisker in the final minute of the 4th quarter. Montez Sweat had a strip-sack that led to a Roschon Johnson touchdown, giving the Bears their first lead 7-6, and they never trailed the rest of the way.
However, again, it wasn’t perfect. There are still too many pre-snap penalties. DJ Moore and Caleb Williams are consistently not on the same page. The touchdown was great, but DJ Moore only had 3 receptions for 22 yards on 6 targets. Throughout these first four games, there have been multiple occasions where DJ stopped on his routes, and Caleb threw into no-man’s land. Today didn’t help the early concerns either, as Caleb Williams threw a pass on a 3rd and 15 in the red zone that certainly could have been a walk-in touchdown if DJ Moore didn’t slow up not even 10 yards into his route.
Combining this with the amount of pre-snap penalties, there’s an obvious disconnect in the offense. It’s hard to judge who is at fault at times – none of us are in the film room knowing the order of progressions, the receivers’ markers, choice routes, etc. Bottom line, regardless of whoever’s fault, it’s off.
When the passing game is discombobulated, you know what can make up the difference and make things easier?
A strong running game. The Bears had that today.
If it’s any consolation, at the beginning of the year, I had the Chicago Bears at 2-2 through 4 games. How the Bears got to 2-2 is a different story, but the record remains the same.
Over the next six weeks, the Bears will face the Panthers (1-3), the Jaguars (0-4) in London, Commanders (3-1), Cardinals (1-3), and Patriots (1-3). They will have a bye week after facing the Jaguars. There’s no reason why the Bears can’t be at least 6-3 at the end of this stretch.
Luckily, this was one of those stupidly optimistic weeks when the Bears might be good. Let’s enjoy it!
See you next Monday when everything sucks again!
PHOTO: Matt Marton/Imagn Images
Discover more from Chicago Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.