There were plenty of questions for Matt Eberflus, Shane Waldron and the Bears offense heading into today’s game against the Rams and although a few of those questions still persist, the team did just enough to steal a win at home to even their record to 2-2.
The offense was once again under the microscope and for much of the 1st half they couldn’t move the ball and sustain drives. Their 1st TD came with a short field thanks to Montez Sweat getting a strip sack on Matthew Stafford. The Bears punched the ball in on a Roschon Johnson 1-yard run. The Bears would add a late FG to take a 10-6 lead into the half.
The Bears would stretch their lead to 17-9 on a 9-yd TD pass from Caleb Williams to DJ Moore. That pass capped off a 12 play, 74 yard drive. The Rams would respond with a 70 yard TD drive but would fail the 2-pt conversion to tie it up. On the very next Bears possession they would use a 5 play, 70 drive to take a 24-15 lead. That drive was capped off by a 36-yard TD run by D’Andre Swift.
The Rams would have one more opportunity to win the game down 6 but the Bears would bring pressure and force Matthew Stafford to throw right into the hands of Jaquan Brisker to effectively end the game.
Top Stars of the Game:
- D’Andre Swift, Bears – 16 rushes, 93 yards, 1 TD; 7 catches for 72 yards
- Jaquan Brisker, Bears – 12 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack, 1 INT
- Montez Sweat, Bears – 2 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack, 1 FF
- Kyren Williams, Rams – 19 rushes, 94 yards, 1 TD
- Quentin Lake, Rams – 6 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack
- Braden Fiske, Rams – 4 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack
Grading The Bears:
Offense: A mixed bag for the offense today. The offensive line wasn’t very good in the 1st half. Caleb Williams took a lot of punishment and was sacked 3 times. It didn’t help that LG Tevin Jenkins got injured again. The offense also accounted for several procedure penalties during the game that left the Bears in either 2nd & long or 3rd & long situations. The offense found some answers late in the 1st half and into the 2nd half with the run game. The Bears averaged 4.7 yards per rush and did a better job trying to protect Caleb in the 2nd half. There still seems to be some miscommunication between Caleb and his receivers but with each passing week Caleb continues to improve. Kudos to D’Andre Swift for amassing 165 yards of total offense. Grade: C+
Defense: Once again the defense played an important part in getting the win for the team. The defense generated 3 sacks, 6 QB hits and 7 tackles for loss. Montez Sweat, Jaquan Brisker and TJ Edwards were all over the field. Gervon Dexter, Sr. added a sack and continues to provide a solid presence up the middle. The defense did give up 4.7 yards per rush for the game but came up with big plays and stops when it mattered. Grade: B+
Special Teams: Cairo Santos added a FG and punter Tory Taylor put on a show today. He averaged 55.4 yards per punt and one of those punts went for 66 yards. His punts help flip the field for the Bears all game long. Grade: A-
Coaching: Questions still abound for this offense even after the win. The offense looked stagnant in the 1st half and 10 penalties is the mark of a team that look undisciplined at times. That lack of discipline is also a sign of coaching not having the players completely prepared for the game. The defensive play calling was good and helped set the stage for the win. Grade: B-
What’s Next:
This game feels like the Bears stole one but a win is a win. The season would look a lot tougher if they were staring down the barrel of a 1-3 start. The offensive play calling in the 1st half as well as the offensive line protection for Caleb Williams was particularly ugly. The Bears also made life harder for themselves with 10 penalties for 84 yards. They managed to apply pressure on Matt Stafford and aside from the 2 long drives the Rams had in the 2nd half the defense was stellar once again.
The Bears will welcome the 1-3 Carolina Panthers to Soldier Field next Sunday as 3.5 point favorites.
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