4 Takeaways From Bears’ Win Over the Jaguars: Caleb Williams’ London Takeover

Caleb Williams, Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears’ defense has always traveled well, and Sunday’s Week 6 matchup versus the Jacksonville Jaguars was no different.

This is despite the team being across the pond in London, the Jaguars’ second home. The Bears came away with a 35-16 victory over a reeling Jags squad coming off its first win of the season – versus the Indianapolis Colts, who beat the Bears in Week 3 – to go into their (Chicago’s) bye week at 4-2.

At the forefront of the discussion coming out of the win? The offense.

Bears-Jaguars Takeaways: Caleb Williams, Offense Take Over London

Caleb Williams Logs 4-TD Day as Bears Beat Jaguars

Caleb Williams completed 79.3% of his passes for 226 yards with 4 touchdowns and 1 interception. Williams lamented the pick during his walk-off interview with NFL Network’s Stacey Dales.

But Williams was especially locked in after the turnover. The Bears were stagnant to start the contest, going three-and-out and punting on both of their first two drives. Williams was 2-for-3 for 33 yards and 1 sack taken at that point.

Williams led a touchdown drive on the next possession, completing his final two passes (of three in the series) for 48 yards with the scoring, 31-yarder going to tight end Cole Kmet.

The Bears got the ball back after a Jaguars three-and-out, starting at their own 5-yard line.

They proceeded to string together seven plays, reaching Jacksonville’s 41-yard line. But Williams, eyeing DJ Moore who had a step on his defender, underthrew the wideout and found Jags safety Andre Cisco instead.

Before throwing the interception, Williams was 3-for-3 for 35 yards on the drive, making him 7-for-9 for 116 yards. One of his incompletions was wiped away by a defensive penalty.

The Jaguars failed to capitalize, giving the Bears the ball back after a three-and-out.

Williams went 5-for-6 for 32 yards on the ensuing drive, tossing a touchdown to Kmet, his second of the day. Williams went 11-for-14 for 89 yards in the second half, taking 2 of the 3 sacks he absorbed on the day.

He also added 56 yards on four carries. Hidden within the numbers is the context of many of those plays.

Three of his runs earned first downs. Two gained 52 yards to set up Kmet’s second score.

Williams found seven different pass catchers in the game, and he would have found eight had he been able to connect with Gerald Everett in the fourth quarter. He also threw two touchdowns to veteran and safety valve Keenan Allen.

It will be repeated ad nauseam, but the Bears’ last two opponents have not played good defense all season.

That being said, teams can only play who is on their schedule.

One of the first steps a team can take toward being a contender is beating the teams you are expected to. The Bears did that, and they did so while being down several players and losing others in the game.

Cole Kmet Snaps 19-Year Drought Amid Bears’ Looming Special Teams Issue

Kmet was a two-phase star, finishing the game with a team-high 70 receiving yards and tying Keenan Allen for top spot with five receptions. He also served as the team’s long snapper after Scott Daly was lost in the first quarter and ruled out in the second.

The Bears’ operation did not miss a beat with Kmet serving his dual roles.

Kmet also became the first player to catch a touchdown and then snap since Mike Bartrum of the Philadelphia 76ers in 2005, per Quirky Research.

Through six weeks, Kmet is on pace for 73 receptions, 818 yards, and a would-be career-high 8 touchdowns. He is coming on strong, with at least three receptions in each of the last five games and at least 57 yards in three of the last four.

Most encouraging for the Bears, Kmet has formed a strong connection with Williams.

It began with the tight end being the first to get on the rookie about errors to help him along and has turned into production on the field during the season.

Daly’s injury does bring the team’s long-snapper into question. Daly was already filling in for Pat Scales, who is on injured reserve after back surgery. The Bears also replaced Cameron Lyons with Daly at the end of the preseason.

What is more concerning, long snapper may be the least of the Bears’ injury concerns.

Bears Secondary Suffers Another Blow

The Bears lost safety Jaquan Brisker to a concussion before they left for London. And backup cornerback Terrell Smith has been out for several weeks. But the Bears were also without starter Tyrique Stevenson and lost Kyler Gordon to a hamstring issue in the third quarter.

Jaylon Jones stepped up, starting in place of Stevenson and leading the team with 10 tackles.

And coaching staff darling Josh Blackwell stepped in for Gordon, intercepting Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence in the fourth quarter before the Bears’ final scoring drive.

Brisker’s fill-in, Elijah Hicks, also played well, recovering a fumble forced by linebacker T.J. Edwards in the third frame. But at some point, injuries will catch up to the Bears just as they did amid the team’s slow start in 2023.

Then, it was Gordon and former starting safety Eddie Jackson.

Kevin Byard has replaced Jackson, notching his first interception as a Bear in Week 5. And Blackwell, Hicks, and Jones all gained valuable experience during that stretch.

The Bears called up recently-signed practice squadder Ameer Speed for the game. They also have undrafted rookie Reddy Steward (LINK) on hand to fill out the depth on game day in Week 8 should they emerge from the bye week still short-handed.

Bye Week a Welcome Sight

Nobody is fully healthy at this point of the season. But for the Bears, especially after the developments of the last week, the bye week comes at the best time.

Brisker, Stevenson, and now Gordon are all question marks going into the break.

There was little offered in the way of updates following the game. Expect similar information from Bears head coach Matt Eberflus during his usual day-after press conference on Monday morning.

The Bears are still without defensive tackle Zacch Pickens too. Sources tell Clocker Sports he has dealt with a tear in his injured groin.

The Bears return to face Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders in Week 8.