The Bears finally had an easy one Sunday. Their 36-10 shellacking of the Panthers was the largest margin of victory of the Matt Eberflus era. Here’s how they did it:
Williams’ finest
Caleb Williams’ 126.2 passer rating was the best by a Bears rookie quarterback since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, surpassing Jim McMahon’s 121.1 against the Rams in 1982. Williams is the first Bears rookie to have back-to-back games with a passer rating of at least 100 since Mitch Trubisky in 2017.
No passing fancy
The Bears’ defense again smothered a quarterback not named C.J. Stroud. Throw out the Texans star, and the Bears have allowed a passer rating of 78 or lower to the four other quarterbacks they’ve faced this season — the Titans’ Will Levis (52.5), the Colts’ Anthony Richardson (94.7), the Rams’ Matthew Stafford (77.4) and the Panthers’ Andy Dalton (61.0). The Bears entered Week 5 allowing a passer rating of 69.0, the second-best mark in the NFL.
Swift does it
Running back D’Andre Swift ran 21 times for 73 yards and a touchdown, his second consecutive solid game after he was, statistically, the worst starter in the NFL through the first three weeks.
Swift’s first 37 carries of the season netted him 68 yards, an average of 1.8 yards per carry. His last 37 carries, though, have produced 166 yards and an average of 4.5.
The Bears finally found a team they could dominate.
Williams hit wide receiver DJ Moore for touchdowns of 34 and 30 yards.