Another week, another step forward from Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears offense. The Bears found success on the ground and through the air against a struggling Jacksonville Jaguars defense, tallying 373 yards and 35 points in Sunday's win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Wide receiver Keenan Allen (five catches for 41 yards) and tight end Cole Kmet (five catches, 70 yards) each found the end zone twice while running back D'Andre Swift continued his stretch of big games in the Bears' victory overseas .
First Quarters are Like Mondays
Final score aside, not everything went as planned in the Bears blowout win. Like last week's win over the Carolina Panthers , the offense's first possession started with a three-and-out, punctuated by a sack of quarterback Caleb Williams and the opponents looking to get on the board first.
With reports of Jacksonville arriving in London later than planned due to delays caused by Hurricane Milton, it was the Bears who came out sluggish to start the game.
Jacksonville and quarterback Trevor Lawrence got into a rhythm early with quick passes to the sidelines. Lawrence connected with four different receivers on the way to starting the Jaguars opening drive 5/5. That's where things stalled.
After a false start on first-and-goal from the eight, Chicago's defense stiffened by stuffing a run on first down before forcing two incompletions and a 30-yard field goal. The Cover-2 bend-but-don't-break defense did its job.
Down 3-0 early, the Bears offense had another quick three-and-out, giving the ball back to a Jaguars team that dominated the first quarter in yardage by outgaining Chicago 98-7.
It was the fourth time in six games the Bears offense started slowly, failing to score points in the first frame. While it wouldn't end up being the harbinger it often can be for an offense, it was the sixth straight game that Chicago allowed its opponent to score first.
The Bears are last in the league in first-quarter points, scoring just 10 points through six games. But, spoiler alert, they led the league in second-quarter scoring with 40 points entering Week 6.
T-Minus Q2 for Takeoff
The Jaguars' second possession was more in line with expectations for the struggling AFC South squad. After allowing a 16-yard completion to tight end Evan Engram, the Bears' defense stepped up by sacking Lawrence before holding Engram to a nine-yard gain on third-and-11, forcing a punt.
Trying to get the offense going, Chicago went go no-huddle on their third possession, something that's been productive over the last three games. The seven-play drive showcased the Bears' resurgent run game, getting 19 yards from D'Andre Swift and another 10 yards and the first of Cole Kmet's two touchdowns. A 31-yard catch and run came from a clean pocket with Williams able to find Kmet after fakes to both sides before finding the tight end wide open over the middle.
Kmet did the rest, powering through a tackle and diving for the end zone.
After Kmet's touchdown put the Bears up 7-3, the defense settled in, holding Jacksonville to its first three-and-out of the day and giving the ball back to Williams and company. The Bears had to start from deep in their own territory after punter Logan Cooke's kick went out of bounds the five-yard line.
Unfortunately, any momentum the Bears had was squashed when Williams put too much air under a deep shot to DJ Moore, allowing Jacksonville safety Andre Cisco to undercut Moore and nab the interception.
But again, the defense held the slumping Jaguars offense to their second straight three-and-out. This time, the Bears took advantage.
Starting at their own 15, the Bears ran their 2-minute offense to perfection. After a couple of hard runs by Swift, Williams got great protection from his offensive line before being forced to break the pocket on a 23-yard scramble, setting up the Bears with first-and-10 from their own 49-yard line with 1:58 to play in the half.
From there, the Bears passing game took over. Quick completions to Rome Odunze, Kmet, Keenan Allen, and Swift had Chicago facing a second-and-seven from the Jacksonville 21. Forced to scramble again due to good coverage, Williams gained another 19 yards to set up the Bears with first-and-goal from the two-yard line.
The 10-play, 85-yard drive put Chicago up 14-3 at the half.
Offensive AND Defensive Dominance
The third quarter saw the Bear's offense momentum continue, spurred on by the defense's dominance and takeaways. Including the Bears' second touchdown of the day, the team scored touchdowns on four straight drives.
The first of the second half came on a seven-play, 41-yard drive that started after linebacker T.J. Edwards delivered a perfect Peanut Punch on Engram's 24-yard reception, knocking the ball out and into backup safety Elijah Hicks' hands.
Allen was the recipient with his first touchdown catch of the season, a nine-yard laser from Williams over the middle to make it 21-3 Chicago.
The Jaguars answered with an 11-play drive for 70 yards, culminating in a 21-yard touchdown pass from Lawrence to wide receiver Gabe Davis — yes, the same one who spurned a free-agent offer from the Bears to sign with the Jaguars. That score made it 21-10 Bears.
The following six possessions were a back-and-forth of touchdowns and turnovers. Touchdown Bears. Touchdown Jaguars. Touchdown Bears. Interception Jaguars. Touchdown Bears. Touchdown Jaguars. Missed field goal Bears.
Chicago's second score of the half capped a 10-play, 70-yard drive ending with a beautiful three-yard fade for Allen's second score of the day, making it 28-10 Bears.
The Jaguars' ensuing possession ended with Josh Blackwell picking off Lawrence , giving Chicago's offense a short field at the Jacksonville 36. After a 27-yard catch by Kmet, it looked like Moore scored on Williams' fifth touchdown pass of the day, but he was ruled just short at the 1/2-yard line. Swift took the subsequent handoff up the middle for the score to make it a 35-10 Bears lead.
With the game in hand, the Bears defense went into prevent mode and allowed the Jaguars to march 70 yards in 17 plays. Davis recorded his second touchdown of the day, a fiveyard reception on fourth-and-goal. The two-point attempt failed, making the score 35-16 in favor of Chicago.
The Bears recovered the ensuing onside kick at the Jaguars 44. Eight plays and 19 yards later, Cairo Santos's 43-yard field goal attempt was blocked.
After a quick three-and-out by the Jaguars and backup quarterback Mac Jones, the game ended with Bears backup Tyson Bagent lining up for victory formation for the second week in a row. With 1:52 left on the clock, it was a classy move by Jacksonville head coach Doug Pedersen to forgo his timeouts and let the game end.
Now entering a bye, the Bears will have two weeks to rest and restore health. They'll travel to the nation's capital to face the 4-2 Washington Commanders in Week 8.
Extra Points
Caleb Williams had his best game of the season, going 23/29 (79%) for 226 yards and four touchdowns against one interception. He added another 56 yards on the ground.
Tight end Cole Kmet took over long snapping duties when starter Scott Daly (knee) was ruled out early in the game. Kmet also managed to catch five passes for a game-high 70 yards and two touchdowns.
Wide receiver Keenan Allen had his best game of the season, hauling in five passes for 41 yards and two touchdowns.
Running back D'Andre Swift kept his hot streak going, amassing 119 yards from scrimmage (91 rushing, 28 receiving) and scoring one touchdown.
Subscribe to On Tap Sports Net on YouTube and the Bears On Tap podcast for more Chicago Bears content, updates, and hot takes!
Local News
Comments / 0