With each week Bears QB Caleb Williams has been seeing the game better and better. Last week he looked in control even though the stats weren’t mind blowing. This week Caleb put it all together and had his best as a pro as the Bears used a 30-point outburst to blow out the Panthers 36-10
It was a banner day for Caleb Williams as he finished 20 of 29 for 304 yards and 2 TDs. He also added 5 rushes for 34 yards. After a slow start that saw the Panthers go up 7-0 on a Chubba Hubbard 38-yd TD, the Bears sped up their offense and got it going. They also used the run game to help get the passing game going. It also didn’t hurt the Panthers had significant injuries to their defense that allowed the Bears to seemingly move the ball at will. D’Andre Swift followed up his 165 yard offensive outburst with another strong performance. Swift had 21 rushes for 73 yards & 1 TD while adding 2 catches for 43 yards. Caleb Williams found 6 different receivers during the game with the lion share of the target going to DJ Moore. After a week of fans wondering about the chemistry between Caleb & DJ and a weird obsession with DJ’s “body language” Moore responded with a 5 catch, 105 yard, 1 TD performance.
On the defensive side it was another day at the office for one of the top defenses in the league. They got to Andy Dalton for 4 sacks and added another 10 QB hits. The defense also got 3 turnovers and made life miserable for the Panthers all game. The Bears held the Panthers to 3 of 12 on 3rd down conversions and only 294 yards of offense. After giving up a 1st quarter TD to Hubbard the defense stiffened up and really applied pressure all afternoon. Gervon Dexter, Andrew Billings & Demarcus Walker accounted for 2.5 of the 4 Bears sacks. Kevin Byard contributed with 6 tackles, 1 TFL & 1 INT. Jaquan Brisker followed up his impressive game last week with 5 tackles & 1 FF.
Jaquan Brisker just knocked a guy out pic.twitter.com/bR37ACpxgk
— Dave (@dave_bfr) October 6, 2024
Top Stars of the Game:
- Caleb Williams, Bears – 20 for 29, 304 yards, 2 TDs; 5 rushes, 34 yards
- DJ Moore, Bears – 5 catches, 105 yards, 2 TDs
- D’Andre Swift, Bears – 21 rushes, 73 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 47 yards
- Gervon Dexter, Bears – 2 tackles, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery, 4 QB hits
- Kevin Byard, Bears – 6 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT
- Chuba Hubbard, Panthers – 13 rushes, 97 yards, 1 TD
Grading The Bears:
Offense: After the 1st series that went absolutely nowhere the Bears made the quick adjustment and got back to basics. Doing that got the offense in gear and the Bears never looked back once they grabbed a 14-7 lead. Caleb Williams had it working with his receivers and they committed to the run game with 39 team rushes for 128 yards. The offense also had 3 drives of 60 yards or more. All three of those drives resulted in touchdowns. Grade: A-
Defense: When you can get 4 sacks and force 3 turnovers then you’ve done your job. The defensive line controlled the line of scrimmage and were to get off the field on 75% of 3rd down plays. The 10 points given up were the fewest this season for a defense that was already top 10 in points given up at 18.8 points per game. After the 1st quarter TD drive for the Panthers the Bears would hold the Panthers scoreless for the next 6 drives before they had another scoring opportunity late in the 3rd quarter. Grade: A
Special Teams: Tory Taylor had an average day for him as he averaged 44.5 yards per punt. Cairo Santos added a FG but missed an extra point. The kickoff returners for the Bears averaged 26.7 yards per return while the kick returners for the Panthers averaged 33.7 yards per return. Grade: B
Coaching: This was the best coaching job of the season by far for Matt Eberflus and his staff. The quick adjustments they made in the 1st quarter were key as both sides of the ball turned it up a notch and quickly put the game out of reach. Not to nitpick but the 4th & 1 play call in the 2nd quarter was head scratcher and then going for two late in the game when the game was out of reach was Waldron once again being too cute. Grade: A-
What’s Next:
The Bears played their best game of the season by far and really had all three phases of the game working today. With this win the Bears sit at 3-2 and will use this momentum to head across the pond to do battle with the Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday in London. The Bears will have a chance to get another game before a stretch of games against WAS, ARI & NE before playing their first divisional game in November.
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