Bears Week Two Takeaways
The Chicago Bears were defeated by the possible Super Bowl Contender Houston Texans this past Sunday 13-19 on Sunday Night Football. While this game could have been a hard-fought showcase for Caleb Williams and the new-look offense despite wide receiver Keenan Allen not suiting up, this game was quite the reminder of the negatives that have obstructed this Bears team from previous years. Williams and the offense turned things around early in the game, showing an incredible amount of growth from Week One to the first half of Week Two. That momentum on offense came to a quick stop in the second half even though running back Khalil Herbert was able to find the endzone. Even so, Williams still hasn’t been able to find anyone in the endzone in two games.
The Defense Was Persistent
On the other side of the ball, the defense was looking like a top unit in the league. Last week against the Titans, the Bears forced three turnovers and scored two touchdowns, one being from special teams. The Bears didn’t have any reason to be within one score at any point on Sunday, but the defense played so well that the Bears had a chance to win the game. The Bears’ primary linebackers continued to play solid as Tremaine Edmunds led the team with 11 tackles, including one sack. Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon also stepped up in stopping the run game, each recording a tackle for loss. The defense held C.J. Stroud and the Texans to only one touchdown and they gave up only 75 rushing yards and forced mostly field goal attempts. In Week One, the Texans rushed for 213 yards, so the Bears did a great job stopping the run game this week.
The Run Game Was Nowhere to Be Found
Through two weeks of the regular season, the Bears’ leading rusher is Caleb Williams at 59 rushing yards. D’Andre Swift has been looking like a complete disaster early on. On Sunday, he rushed for 18 yards on 14 carries. Every drive for the Bears starts with a second-and-long scenario because of a horrible run on first down either for a loss or no gain. The Bears currently rank 29th in yards per rush and 28th in rush yards per game. Chicago needs the running game to succeed if they want to win more games because no offense can be complete without a threatening run game. Last season, three-fourths of the Conference Championship teams were in the top five in total rushing yards, including the Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, and San Francisco 49ers. Whether it’s giving Khalil Herbert or Roschon Johnson more opportunities or redesigning the run game for Swift, something needs to change in that area.
Caleb Williams Struggled, but It’s Still Early
Without a shadow of a doubt, Caleb Williams struggled in this game. He threw two interceptions, got sacked seven times, and missed some throws that could’ve changed the game entirely. On the bright side, he threw for almost twice as many passing yards compared to his debut in Week One. This would now be the second time in two weeks that the Bears have had end zone drops from their “elite” wide receiver trio. Williams went 12-for-15 for 91 yards and a 91.9 passer rating in the first half while taking clean control of the pocket. In the second half, Williams completed only 50% of his passes, threw two interceptions, and recorded a 21.6 passer rating. When facing the blitz, Williams went three-for-12 with five sacks and an interception. The Bears need to do a much better job of protecting Williams or take another risk of having a Justin Fields situation. To be honest, Williams looked better than he did in Week One, not much better, but I believe he showed growth. Caleb Williams has now played two games in the NFL, so it’s still early on to make any conclusions about him as a quarterback in the NFL.
