Bears quarterback Caleb Williams leaps out of bounds during Sunday’s win over Carolina.
Scott Anderson/Shaw Local News Network
The Bears had a golden opportunity to put together their best game of the season when they faced the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at Soldier Field. They seized and ran away with it in a dominating 36-10 win.
Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense tallied the most points the Bears have scored this season after Williams threw for more than 300 yards for the second time in the three weeks. The defense continued to show it’s one of the best in the league, creating three turnovers.
The Bears improved to 3-2 after they won their second straight game. Both sides of the ball continued to build momentum and have their strongest showing of the season.
Below are the five big takeaways from Sunday’s matchup.
1. Williams, offense continue to grow
The Bears hoped to see week-by-week growth from Williams when they selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft. Five weeks in, they have to be happy with what they’ve seen.
Williams and the offense built upon their best performance against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 4 and took it to another level Sunday. The 36 points the Bears scored was the most they’ve scored since Week 17 last season when they had 37 against Atlanta.
Williams threw for 304 yards and completed 20 of his 29 pass attempts with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Sunday was the third straight week Williams didn’t throw an interception.
Bears coach Matt Eberflus and Williams emphasized the importance of Williams understanding what the Bears need to do based on what the defense presents him. Williams thought he did that Sunday.
“I think we did a tremendous job of when we needed the big runs, when we needed the screens, when we needed the explosive plays whether it was after turnovers or three-and-outs or the defense holding them to this and that and us getting back on the offense and playing well together, I think that’s definitely how we want to play,” Williams said. “Definitely what we envisioned as an offense and as a team. We’ve got to keep doing it.”
2. Defense keeps rolling
The Bears’ defense just keeps creating turnovers. It had another three Sunday. The Bears have created multiple turnovers in four of their five games this season.
On Sunday, it was the safeties causing trouble. Jaquan Brisker forced a fumble after hitting Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble hard with his helmet. Tremble exited the game in concussion protocol. Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter recovered the fumble.
“It’s a great team effort, guys got sacks, turnovers in all different varieties,” Bears safety Kevin Byard said. “The only that was missing was a sack fumble. It’s an exciting day, that’s what it’s supposed to look like though. That’s the standard that we play with and that’s how we want to play every single game.”
Dexter had a huge game. He hit the quarterback four times, including a shared sack with defensive end DeMarcus Walker. Later, Dexter reached Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton again and forced Dalton to loft a pass likely sooner than he wanted to. It came down in the hands of Byard for an interception.
After leading the Panthers to something of an offensive resurgence the last two weeks, Dalton had a much tougher time against a talented Bears defense.
Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds forced a fumble late in the game, which was recovered by cornerback Kyler Gordon.
3. Swift plays well again
Running back D’Andre Swift had another big day running the ball. Swift totaled 73 rushing yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. He also added 47 yards through the air on two catches.
Following a slow start to the season, Swift is finding his stride. The Bears took advantage of another poor defense. Carolina couldn’t seem to do anything to stop the Bears. The Panthers were playing without linebackers Josey Jewell and Shaq Thompson. Rookies Trevin Wallace and Claudin Cherelus started at inside linebacker.
Swift’s biggest play was a 42-yard screen pass from Williams in the second quarter. Swift shed two would-be tacklers and cut his way back across the field. The big gain set up Swift’s 1-yard touchdown run.
Roschon Johnson also scored a pair of 1-yard touchdowns in the game.
“Just get it in there anyway, anyhow,” Johnson said. “Read my keys, trust my keys and just go when I see it.”
The Bears continued to use Doug Kramer as a sixth offensive linemen in certain short yardage situations. That package has mostly worked for the Bears. The refs, however, did flag Kramer for a clipping penalty that negated a Williams rushing touchdown.
4. DJ Moore’s big day
Moore had his first 100-yard day of the season and his sixth since joining the Bears last season. It was just the second time since joining the Bears that Moore scored multiple touchdowns in a game.
He finished his day with 105 receiving yards and two touchdowns on five catches. His first touchdown came early in the game. The Bears saw a mismatch they liked and went no huddle to keep the Panthers from substituting. Williams faked a handoff to the running back and the Panthers secondary lost track of Moore, who was wide open along the right side.
“When he threw it I was like, man, it’s a touchdown because I knew I crossed a corner face and there was nobody in the middle of the field,” Moore said. “I was like ‘it’s my ball or nobody’s,’ and 99% of the time, it’s my ball.”
Moore had a quiet first few weeks. It took until Week 4 before he found the end zone. The Bears knew Williams and Moore would find their connection soon enough. It appears they are doing just that.
5. Home sweet home
The Bears rewarded fans with another win at Soldier Field. They won their eighth straight game at home dating back to last season.
The Bears last lost at home almost a year ago when they fell Oct. 15 to the Minnesota Vikings. Since then, the Bears have beaten the Las Vegas Raiders, Panthers (twice), Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, Falcons, Tennessee Titans and Rams.
Byard and the Bears didn’t downplay how important it is to win at home for a team that wants to build momentum and make the playoffs.
“If you want to win a division, you want to be playing meaningful games in January and February, you’ve got to protect your home field advantage,” Byard said. “That’s what we’ve been doing, obviously they’ve been doing it before I got here. This year to be 3-0 at home is huge for us.”
The winning streak will span over a calendar year because the Bears will travel to play the Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday in London. Then they’ll have a bye week, travel to the Washington Commanders and Arizona Cardinals before returning home Nov. 10 to play the New England Patriots.