What Could the Bears Take a Further Look at During Their Bye Week?
The Monsters of the Midway are looking better each and every week. Bears fans have been the most excited I’ve ever seen about this team in a while. After their win this past Sunday in London over the Jacksonville Jaguars 35-16 to improve to a 4-2 record, they now look towards their bye week. This bye week gives the Bears a huge opportunity to better hone their craft and stay consistent. Although they’ve been playing extremely well the last three weeks, just like any team in the NFL, there’s always something that can be tweaked or further looked at. The last thing the Bears want to do is lose momentum during this bye week as they look towards their Week Eight matchup against another 4-2 team, the Washington Commanders, who just lost to the Baltimore Ravens.
Pass Protection
Even though they're coming off dominant wins in back-to-back weeks, the Bears are giving up more sacks than they want to. Caleb Williams got sacked three times against Jacksonville, increasing that season's total to 20 sacks. Williams is second only to Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, who’s been sacked 31 times through Sunday. Having better pass protection would give Caleb Williams more freedom to perform how he pleases considering the fact that he’s been maturing very quickly as a play caller for this Bears team.
Staying Healthy
For the most part of the season so far, the Bears have been doing a solid job of staying healthy. There were a couple of key defensive players that were out Sunday including safety Jaquan Brisker and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. It was recently reported Monday morning that cornerback Kyler Gordon had to get further imaging done on his hamstring. Long-snapper Scott Daly was also ruled out for the remainder of Sunday’s game due to his knee. Hopefully, the Bears can take this time they have off to heal their players so they are 100% ready for the second half of the schedule after the bye week. As strong as the NFC North has been lately, the Bears are going to need their players back to fully healthy as they prepare to take them head-on.
Keep the Running Game Consistent
Ever since the Week Three loss to the Colts, the running game for the Bears has been there. Since Week Three, D’Andre Swift has been proving that the three-year deal he signed before the season has been worth it. Swift had another great performance on Sunday with 17 carries for 91 yards and a touchdown. In the past three games, Swift has run for 257 yards and three touchdowns. He also has 15 receptions for 147 yards in that span. If D’Andre Swift can stay consistent in the backfield for this Bears’ offense, it’ll open up more options for Caleb Williams as a playcaller.
