After a 1-2 start in the first three weeks of the regime season, the Chicago Bears are relevant in the playoff conversation in the middle of October. The Bears have now won three straight games and the victories over the Carolina Panthers (36-10) and Jacksonville Jaguars (35-16) have been extremely convincing.
The Bears will take a 4-2 record on the road in Week 7 when Caleb Williams takes on the No. 2 pick in the draft, Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders.
Here are three studs and two duds in the Bears’ blowout victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Chicago Bears studs
Cole Kmet
Kmet’s stat sheet on offense was spectacular, but that won’t tell the full story about the team captain’s performance on Sunday. Kmet recorded five receptions for 70 yards and two touchdowns. That would have been impressive, but the tight end was asked to perform another major duty.
Long snapper Scott Daly (who was filling in for Patrick Scales, on injured reserve for a back issue) suffered a knee injury early in the game. Kmet acted as the Bears’ emergency long snapper and snapped for all five of the team’s extra points.
Shane Waldron
Waldron received a lot of grief from Bears fans after the first month of play. The criticism was deserved, Bears offensive team captains met with Waldron in Week 4 so the first-year offensive coordinator would make necessary changes to how he coached the unit.
Waldron’s adjustments have been noticeable in wins against the Panthers and Jaguars. The play design of the first touchdown of the game was beautifully sculpted to get Kmet open. Kmet took care of the rest.
Just perfect play design here by Shane Waldron. Cole Kmet with insane effort on the touchdown reception. #Bears pic.twitter.com/3QkvyL5vCY
— Jordan Sigler (@JordanSig) October 13, 2024
Caleb Williams
Williams went 23-of-29 for 226 passing yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. He added 56 yards on the ground. When he was interviewed for NFL Network’s broadcast immediately following the game, the first thing the rookie brought up was the underthrown interception.
Sans the missed touchdown opportunity that turned into an interception, Williams was near perfect in England. The second-quarter interception didn’t kill Williams’ confidence. On his next drive, Williams drove the team down the field for 85 yards and tossed Kmet his second touchdown reception of the day.
Josh Blackwell
Oh yeah, the Bears have a good defense, too.
The Bears came into the game missing Jaquan Brisker, Tyrique Stevenson, and Terell Smith due to injury. Jaylon Jones and Elijah Hicks stepped up and played well on Sunday. Third-year cornerback Josh Blackwell intercepted Trevor Lawrence early in the fourth quarterback to crush any hope of a Jaguars’ comeback.
Chicago Bears duds
Nate Davis
One of the Bears’ biggest investments during free agency in 2023 was a healthy scratch against the Jaguars. Nate Davis isn’t even good enough right now to play the backup role on the active day roster.
Velus Jones Jr.
Velus Jones Jr. was also a healthy scratch in Week 6. Jones hasn’t been given opportunities since Week 1. The Bears chose not to entertain trades for Jones during training camp. One wouldn’t assume they could get more than a seventh-round pick, if that, for Jones before the trade deadline.
For More Chicago Sports:
Follow me on Twitter at @JordanSig, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Jordan Sigler via email at jordanmsigler@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks.
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
