After early season struggles, it looks like things are falling into place for the Chicago Bears. They are looking good in all three phases of the game and are gaining momentum as the season progresses.
The 2024 season is just about 30 percent done already and the Chicago Bears have already had a roller coaster ride. After General Manager Ryan Poles overhauled the offense and made tweaks to the defense and special teams, there was a lot of hope.
At the start of the season, however, things looked awfully familiar. The defense was playing at an elite level, the special teams did a good job, and the offense struggled to keep up. This is the formula we’ve seen from the Chicago Bears for decades. We thought things would be different.
Well, things have changed in the past two weeks. The Bears have played well in all three phases of the game. As a result, they won both of those games. They are showing how good they can be and hope there will be a playoff run this season.
Of course, the biggest question was the Chicago Bears offense. Poles made wholesale changes to the unit. He booted Justin Fields and used the number one pick in this year’s draft on Caleb Williams. He wanted to ensure WIlliams’ success so he brought in a plethora of weapons.
© Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images
Poles brought in running back D’Andre Swift, tight end Gerald Everett, and six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen. He also selected another wide receiver, Rome Odunze, with his second top-ten pick (number nine). Many people felt that the Chicago Bears had the best wide receiver room in the NFL.
Poles also picked up offensive linemen Ryan Bates, Coleman Shelton, and Matt Pryor via trade or free agency. He also picked up Kiran Amegadjie in the third round of the draft.
There were happy feelings around Halas Hall. Then the season began and it quickly looked like it would be another frustrating season.The offensive line was in shambles with injuries and undisciplined play. Bates played just one game before having to go on injured reserve. Amegadjie had not even played, as he was still recovering from surgery last season.
With the offensive line struggles, the Chicago Bears’ running game could not get going. The Bears averaged just 72.7 yards per game. Swift had to fight just to get back to the line of scrimmage. People started to wonder what Poles was thinking signing him to be the RB1.
With all of those struggles, Williams had his own troubles. He was running around for his life as he was constantly under pressure. Because of that, he tried to do too much. He felt the pressure to come up big and he ended up making crucial mistakes. In Weeks 2 and 3, he had five total turnovers.
Things were not going well in Chicago Bears Nation. Through it all, the defense was playing lights out. That defense looked like the elite unit the players said it was. In Week 1, the defense, along with the special teams, literally won the game. The offense failed to score a touchdown, while the defense and special teams found the end zone.
The old frustrations were coming back and the season was in danger of going down the toilet. However, something finally clicked for the team. The Chicago Bears started to play well on offense, while the defense and special teams continued to play well.
The defense now has at least a turnover forced in every game this season. The Bears now rank fourth in interceptions, third in total turnovers, and first in fumbles forced. The defensive players were talking all offseason about how great they can be. They are backing up that talk now.
© David Banks-Imagn Images
Kicker Cairo Santos has been the same dependable kicker as he has since he returned to Chicago. He is 8/9 on field goal attempts with a long of 54 yards. Additionally, he is 9/10 on extra points.
Rookie punter Tory Taylor is showing why the Chicago Bears picked him up in the fourth round. In Week 4, he had a couple of punts that went over 60 yards, helping pin the Los Angeles Rams deep in their territory. Three of his punts went inside the 20. For the season, he has 10 punts that landed inside the 20.
Taylor has been able to flip the field, allowing the defense to play aggressively. That also gives the offense a short field to work with when the defense does its job.
In the last two games, Swift has had a revival. In the first three games, he had a total of 114 yards from scrimmage, averaging 38 yards per game. He could not find any holes to run through and he wasn’t able to get involved in the passing game.
In the last two games, though, things have been different. He averaged 142.5 yards from scrimmage. While the improved line play has a lot to do with the improvement, so is his being more decisive in hitting the holes. He has the speed to quickly get through those holes. Once he does, no one has caught him on the open field.
Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron has also had a hand in the improvement. He took a lot of heat for some of his play-calling. TO be fair, though, with the offensive line’s struggles, there are only so many plays he could call that could work.
Against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3, Waldron took a beating for the swing toss to Swift on fourth and goal from the one-yard line. However, it was called to take advantage of Swift’s speed. What was not planned for was the Colts defensive line completely thrashing the Chicago Bears offensive line. On the play, at least four offensive linemen were on the ground.
© Matt Marton-Imagn Images
To help out the offensive line, Waldron has now utilized some beef at fullback. He has used all of his tight ends as well as center Doug Kramer. That has helped open some holes for the running backs. Additionally, he has had Kramer go in motion to crush the edge rushers.
Waldron also has a more balanced offense. Early on, likely because of the running game struggles, he had Williams throwing way too much. Williams threw 89 total passes in Weeks 2 and 3. Not surprisingly, the Chicago Bears lost both of those games.
In the three Bears victories, Williams has thrown between 23 and 29 passes. In Week 5’s game against the Carolina Panthers, WIlliams threw 29 passes. The Bears ran the ball 36 times. That is the kind of balance the Chicago Bears need to keep Williams safe and help in his development.
Speaking of Williams, he is growing each week. Early on, with all the pressure, literally and figuratively, on his shoulders, he tried to do too much. He tried to look for the big play so he held onto the ball too long. He ran around and moved backward, losing yards and taking huge sacks.
He is cutting down on his hero ball tendencies. He is taking more of what the defense is giving him. He realizes that perhaps a five-yard gain underneath is better than an incomplete or interception downfield. After those five turnovers in two games in Weeks 2 and 3, he has zero turnovers in his last two games. In fact, in the Chicago Bears’ three wins this season, he has zero turnovers.
Williams is figuring out how to beat defenses. When he is standing in the pocket he has burned opponents’ secondary. He has made some beautiful throws that have resulted in big plays. He needs to know that if he plays within himself and the system, the big plays will come.
Because of his more disciplined approach, Williams’ completion percentage is shooting up. He has completed over 71 percent of his passes. You will have a lot of nice games when you complete 71 percent of your passes.
What makes this Caleb Williams TD even better is that he progresses on it.
this is a screen block & go concept at the top of the screen meant to pop Keenan Allen open.
when the deep safety flies over, Williams just calmly works over to Moore. pic.twitter.com/1Jbkx3Lbp4
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) October 6, 2024
Williams has also started to have a connection with D.J. Moore. Moore is the WR1 so he and Williams have to be on the same page. They were not connecting in the first three games. They had no touchdowns in the first three games. In the last two games, they have three touchdown connections.
The connection has not been there with Allen yet, though. However, he has been dealing with an injury so that has had an effect. Odunze has had some big plays so far. However, he tends to disappear. Once Allen and Odunze get back on track, this Chicago Bears offense will be dangerous.
The Chicago Bears are starting to put it all together now. There are a lot of new pieces so it may take some time for everyone to get on the same page. However, it looks like that is starting to happen.
Once the other big pieces start to get involved, this will be a very dangerous offense. If the defense continues its ascension, there will be many more great plays to witness. They rank ninth in a crowded NFC. The Chicago Bears are one of six teams to have a 3-2 record. Hopefully, the team can stay in playoff contention and give more hope to their fans.
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