The Chicago Bears got another strong game from their defense in Week 4. But this time, they played the ever-elusive complementary brand of football they had been seeking.
Caleb Williams did not surpass the 300-yard mark for a second week in a row. Chicago’s offense still took another step forward, with a season-high 131 team rushing yards led by D’Andre Swift who tallied 93 yards on 16 carries, including a 36-yard touchdown scamper.
That came after starting left guard Teven Jenkins was lost for the game with a rib injury.
Bears-Rams Takeaways: Caleb Williams, Offense Find ‘Flow’
Caleb Williams Gets Honest About Bears’ Offensive Surge vs Rams
“It’s always tough to lose a offensive lineman, especially Tevin. Tevin, he’s a unbelievable player and things like that, and love when that dude’s up there blocking for you,” Williams told Clocker Sports during his postgame presser.
“I think it was just us getting into the flow. Us feeling good, us understanding all the hard work that we put throughout the week, the detailed work that we put in throughout the week. The leadership – the leaders leading – things like that throughout the week. Understanding how big it is to come out you know with a win this week and get that momentum going again. And so I think it’s a testament to us as a team – our coaches, our players, and our leaders – to be able to, when a guy like Tev goes down, to keep going.
“It sucks, like I said. But to be able to keep going and get the offense going, it’s a testament to – I think – our personality as a team and us overall.”
The Bears had 35 yards of offense when Jenkins went down in the second quarter.
They finished the game with 264 total yards, including 157 yards and 1 touchdown through the air from Williams, who completed 73.9% of his passes on the day. With no immediate updates given on Jenkins after the game, the Bears are fortunate to have potentially found their way.
Nate Davis Steps in for Teven Jenkins
Davis opened training camp as the starter at right guard and opened the season there, though a would-be training camp battle with Ryan Bates never happened as planned. He lost his job to Matt Pryor, who started at right guard in Week 3.
Davis played one snap, in relief, in that game
It is no small thing that the offense took off once Pryor replaced the injured Jenkins while Davis assumed his normal position. What it means going forward is unclear.
But Davis did his job and says they responded well to the extra internal scrutiny this week.
“Just felt good just to be back out there with the guys, help them win, and just do my job as best as possible,” Davis told Clocker Sports postgame in the locker room. “As a group, we responded well. … We had our best rushing performance. So now we just gotta keep it going.
“It just kind of shows we are an explosive offense, for sure. But we just gotta continue to hone into details, continue to trust each other, and let’s keep it moving.”
Davis says he emerged from the game no worse for the wear, which is good news.
“Physically, I feel great. I got rolled up on twice, but I’ll be fine,” Davis said. “Mentally, it feels good to bring the team a little forward. [I will] continue to trust in my abilities and just do what the team asks me to do.”
Jenkins’ injury history is one of the few reasons there are question marks about his future in Chicago. He has yet to put together a full slate of games in his three-plus-year career.
He is also in the final year of his contract, potentially adding more intrigue to the Bears’ surge.
Daniel Hardy Gets Revenge W, Bragging Rights
Bears reserve edge defender Daniel Hardy spoke with Clocker Sports this week about being eager to get a victory over the team that drafted him in 2022. He also said that he had some trash talk planned for his former teammates if the Bears won.
Hardy got to check both items off his list.
“[It feels] amazing. I have so many friends and teammates, people that I played with over there that I respect a lot,” Hardy told Clocker Sports on Sunday in the locker room.
“It’s always fun to get a win against your former team and some guys who cut you. But you know what it is, We went out there, we stuck together as a team. All three phases. Controlled field position on special teams, ran the ball really well on offense. On defense, we got takeaways, and it was just a phenomenal team game in all three phases.”
The Bears defense had 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery, which came after Montez Sweat sacked Matthew Stafford. Stafford, down his top two wide receivers, finished the day with 224 yards, 0 touchdown passes, and the pick.
He completed 69% of his passes, though, and made several key throws on the day.
“You’ve seen him do it a bunch of times, whether it was in Detroit or in that season that they won the Super Bowl,” Hardy said. “Matt Stafford and a 2-minute drill is a dangerous thing. But everybody over here respects his game, that’s why we took it so seriously. We were able to close out the game the way we did.
As for his planned trash talk, Hardy said he followed through on his plans but gave the proper respect to the Bears’ opponent.
“I was trash-talking all day, but it’s all good-spirited fun,” Hardy said. “You practice with those guys, you believe with those guys. You go through the training camp hell together. So it’s a special bond that guys build doing that stuff together. So all good-hearted fun. Love all of them and wish them nothing but the best.”
That is surely easier to say after notching a victory.
Bears Get Gashed By Rams RB
The conversation around Jenkins may not even need to be had if his rib issue proves to be minor. But the Bears will surely want to be sharper with their run defense, which allowed Rams running back Kyren Williams to amass 94 yards on 19 carries.
Williams did most of his damage in the first and third quarters, tallying 15 carries for 86 yards in those frames.
That is a 5.7-yards-per-carry clip.
The Bears tightened up, perhaps aided by the pressure applied by the offense scoring, allowing Williams to gain just 7 yards on his three carries in the fourth quarter. But their uncharacteristic vulnerability on the ground opened up the Rams’ play-action passing game.
At full strength, Matthew Stafford and Co. might have been more productive against the Bears’ disruptive group.
Offensively, the start was rough and there were still too many pre-snap penalties.
Williams also missed more open receivers deep and took some sacks that he may have been able to avoid. But it was fitting that, on a day when the Bears defense was not standing up versus the run, that the offense found its “flow” largely by leaning on the ground attack.