Final Score: Bears 24 Rams 18
The Bears grabbed a much-needed win in Soldier Field on Sunday, defeating Sean McVay and the injury-laided Los Angeles Rams 24-18. Improving to 2-2, Chicago demonstrated an encouraging performance on all fronts. The offense was finally able to find success on the ground, which enabled QB Caleb Williams to calmly and effectively operate the offense. Williams didn’t have a massive day numbers-wise, passing for 157 yards and 1 touchdown. But, he did a good job keeping care of the ball and hitting a few difficult throws when necessary. After a slow start, the offense as a whole found a groove in the 4th quarter that hopefully will continue into next week.
Bright Spots
Rushing Attack Got Going
Finally, the Bears were able to rush effectively. RB D’Andre Swift broke out for 93 rushing yards and a touchdown. As a team, Chicago accumulated 131 rushing yards on 28 carries and 2 rushing touchdowns. Shane Waldron’s offense worked so much better with Swift gaining good yardage on first down. Williams has consistently had to deal with 2nd-and-longs this year, which makes everything more difficult than it should be. Waldron also was able to find a balance between the rush and pass (28 rushes vs. 23 pass attempts) after heavily favoring the pass last week.
Pass Rush and Secondary Continue to Stay Strong
The defense continues to impress. The pass rush was a factor in this game, especially in the 4th quarter as Rams QB Matt Stafford took some big shots from Chicago defensive lineman. DE Darrell Taylor had a couple massive QB knockdowns, including on the final play of the game in what resulted in a Bears interception. DE Montez Sweat also made a huge play in his first half strip sack of Matthew Stafford.
The secondary also had another great performance. It only allowed Stafford, likely a future Hall of Fame quarterback, 224 passing yards and limited him to zero touchdowns. The Rams came into the game down WRs Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, and the secondary did not allow anyone to step up in their place.
Glaring Issues
Continue to be Out-Pressured
I wouldn’t dub it a glaring issue, but the team does continue to be out-pressured. This week, Chicago created 9 pressures compared to LA’s 16. Last week, they only had 8 compared to Indianapolis’ 21. The battle in the trenches is vital in every game, and the Bears need to work on balancing this number out. The difference in pressures allowed vs. pressures given up is something to monitor.
Wide Receiver Trio isn’t as Splashy as Expected
Another issue I could pick out from this game is the lack of WR involvement. I have no issue with how things were handled this Sunday- they won. But, I do want to see more action for DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze. Odunze only had one catch for 10 yards yesterday, but I am more concerned about Moore. Even after catching the touchdown on Sunday, he and Caleb hardly ever seem to be on the same page. Luckily, I expect each of these relationships to improve with time.
Standout Performers
Jaquan Brisker
Safety Jaquan Brisker had his most impressive 2024 performance Week 4. He led the team in tackles (12) and tackles-for-loss (2). He breezed past RB Kyren Williams for an easy sack in the second half and put the dagger into the Rams with his game-sealing interception with less than a minute remaining. Brisker was a spark plug on Sunday!
D’Andre Swift
Running back D’Andre Swift had a massive breakout performance this week. He led the team in both rushing and receiving yards, racking up 165 yards in total. Swift ran for 27 yards on a screen pass at the end of the second quarter, setting up a quick field goal. From then on, he was ultra-efficient. His explosive 36-yard touchdown run extended Chicago’s lead to two-scores and proved to be enough to secure the win.
Tory Taylor
I would be remiss to not mention rookie punter Tory Taylor. Taylor truly is a weapon for this team. He boomed two 60+ yard punts and pinned the Rams inside the 20-yard-line on 3 separate occasions, including twice to the 8-yard-line in the final 6:30 of the game. In LA’s two most important drives, they were backed up inside the 10-yard-line thanks to Taylor’s impressive leg. It’s not just his kicking strength either; it’s the spin that he puts on his punts. One of the 60-yarders landed on at the 5-yard-line and bounced sideways and a bit backwards, straight out of bounds. This negated the need for a Bears gunner to make a play, making their jobs easier.
Were the Keys to the Game Met?
The Bears met one of the keys to the game in that they did take advantage of LA’s injuries. They limited Stafford with his second-string receiving options and were able to punish the Rams’ backup offensive lineman by putting some real pressure on the quarterback. My other key was to utilize the wide receivers, which clearly did not happen. However, this goal was built under the assumption that the run game would be nonexistent (as it was Weeks 1-3). If the rushing attack is working, you should always stick with it.
Key Drive of the Game
The Bears’ second touchdown drive was vital in this matchup in that it extended the lead to multiple scores. In addition to its scoring implications, it was also just a clean drive. Arguably Williams’ most impressive throw came here, a dot over the middle of the field to Cole Kmet. It was capped off with D’Andre Swift’s impressive 36-yard touchdown run. The drive also lasted less than 4 minutes. The Bears aren’t prone to quick scoring drives, so this was fun to watch!