Chicago Bears: What we learned from important Week 4 win vs Rams

The Chicago Bears faced a huge moment before their Week 4 game. They needed a big win and came away with it. Here is what we learned from that victory.

After three weeks into the 2024 season, the Chicago Bears already faced a must-win game against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 4. The offense, which was supposed to be high-flying and a scoring machine, looked as pedestrian as it has recently. Once again, the unit was ranked near the bottom of most categories.

The Bears needed a win badly. The fans were getting restless. After all of the improvements made to the offense, seeing it perform the same way as it had last season was frustrating. At least in the recent past, you could say there was a lack of talent. That excuse cannot be used now. There is talent up and down the offensive roster so these struggles should not happen.

At the start of the game against the Rams, we saw more of the same. The offense again struggled to move the ball. They were shut out in the first quarter for the third time in four games. In fact, they’ve only scored three points in the first quarter this year.

Then, in the second quarter, things started to change. The Chicago Bears scored 10 points. The defense held the Rams to just six points, waiting for the offense to start up. With the points scored late in the first half, the Bears actually had a lead.

Then the offense came out smoking in the first two drives of the second half. They finally looked like an efficient offense. The thing to note, however, is that once the Chicago Bears had the lead, they just sat on it and decided to run the clock instead of continuing to attack.

At any rate, the Chicago Bears came away with the much-needed victory. They had a full effort and looked like a strong team. Of course, there is still some way to go before we declare them over their troubles. They need to do it on a consistent basis before we can talk about playoff contention.

Here are some things we learned from the Chicago Bears’ huge victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

Waldron took the criticism to heart

Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron found himself in the hot seat after many criticized his play-calling. That criticism came from fans, analysts, and even his own players. Some offensive players met with Waldron last week to talk to Waldron.

There were some questionable plays called by Waldron. The most criticism he received came from the play-calling when the Bears had a first and goal from inside of the Indianapolis Colts’ five-yard line. They were not able to get it in even when they had a fourth and goal just inches from the goal line.

Turns out the Chicago Bears faced a similar situation against the Rams. This time, however, he used center Doug Kramer as a fullback. Kramer was able to get a crunching block and opened an easy path for Roschon Johnson into the end zone.

Waldron continued with that concept. On short-yardage situations, he used Kramer again at fullback. Additionally, he used his tight ends, Cole Kmet, Gerald Everett, and Marcedes Lewis, as fullbacks as well. He went with jumbo packages to get short yards and it worked.

Waldron also called more passes downfield and in the middle of the field. He found himself depending too much on screens (similar to what Luke Getsy was using when he was the Chicago Bears offensive coordinator). While he still used a lot of screens, he mixed in some shots downfield. After a few misfires, the Bears started to connect. That got the ball moving and getting into the end zone.

We saw an effective running game!

One of the expectations for the Chicago Bears offense was to have the running game help take some pressure off of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. That had not happened in the first three games and Williams needed to throw way too many times.

Against the Rams, the Chicago Bears running game was effective. The team had 131 rushing yards and averaged 4.7 yards per game.

D’Andre Swift, the Bears’ big free-agent pickup, struggled in the first three games. In those games, he had a total of 114 yards from scrimmage. In Week 4, he had 165 total yards. He had 93 rushing yards and a touchdown and averaged 5.8 yards per carry. He looked like the running back the team expected.

Johnson and Swift could be a very good duo for the Chicago Bears running attack. Johnson is the bruising back who could get the important short yards needed to get touchdowns or to move the chains. Swift is the elusive speedster who could break long runs like he did on his 36-yard score. He hurdled over a defender and was off to the races.

Through all of the criticism, Swift is still confident in what he could do. He did not get down and felt eventually he would show his skills. For him, he knows what he could do so it was just a matter of time before he finally broke out.

It means a lot, but I know who I am. I know who I am, I know what I can do and I know what God instilled in me. If I keep that mentality every time I go to work, I know I’ll be alright.

If the running game continues like this Williams will feel very comfortable as the season progresses.

WIlliams is still getting harassed but is handling it better

The Chicago Bears’ offensive line has been a big disappointment this season. The unit has not been able to consistently open holes for the running backs and could not help give Williams time to stand in the pocket and find receivers.

Williams was again dealing with pressure. He was again running around for his life at times. He was sacked three times and eluded a few more.

This time, however, Williams handled the pressure better. He stayed in the pocket even as it was collapsing, and found receivers. The most important thing, though, was how he was not trying to play hero ball. In the past two weeks, he tried to do too much. He was forcing things and it hurt him and the offense.

In the last two weeks, Williams committed five turnovers. He threw four interceptions and lost a fumble. The Chicago Bears needed him to just stay calm and take what the defense gave him. That is what he did. He did not force passes and when there was nothing he threw the ball away. Furthermore, when he was under pressure he dropped the ball to his running back who could gain positive yards.

While Williams’ numbers were not as gaudy as his 363 passing yards in Week 3, he was more efficient. After throwing 89 passes in the past two weeks, he only had to throw 23 passes against Los Angeles. He completed nearly 74 percent of his passes. In the first three games, he completed just 59.3 percent of his passes.

It is still concerning how much pressure Williams is under. He has taken a lot of big hits. At one point against the Rams, he went under the tent and spent some time on the bike to stay loose. He needs to take fewer hits. However, he is anticipating the pass rush better and is finding his targets.

We saw against the Houston Texans and the Colts that when Williams has a little bit of time he could torch the opponent’s secondary. Last week, he was burning the Rams’ secondary even while under pressure.

Let’s hope the offensive line improves some so we can see Williams fulfill his promise and get the Chicago Bears offense rolling.

For More Great Chicago Sports Content

Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE