Bears, QB Caleb Williams tighten up in 2nd half to beat Rams 24-18
Everything seems to be slower and more arduous for the Bears than the rest of the NFL, and it’s been a grueling wait for quarterback Caleb Williams and their offense to get moving.
It took a while Sunday against the Rams, too, but after an aimless, dragging first half, they started to look much more like they imagined heading into the season. Williams fired darts downfield, D’Andre Swift swerved through the defense and the Bears pulled away for a 24-18 win at Soldier Field.
Nothing means more for the Bears than Williams’ progress, which will determine not only whether they reach their short-term goal of making the playoffs but their big-picture aspiration of escaping perpetual irrelevance. While Williams still has a long way to go, he took a significant step with his sharpest all-around game yet.
He strung together a modest stat line of 17-for-23 passing, 157 yards, a touchdown and a 106.6 passer rating and made major plays when the Bears were desperate for them.
Swift led the Bears in rushing with 93 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, plus he caught seven passes for 72 yards.
Here were the Bears' inactives:
WR/RB Velus Jones
FB Khari Blasingame
OL Bill Murray
DE Dominique Robinson
CB Terrell Smith
DT Zacch Pickens
The Bears and Rams both went into the game 1-2. The Bears won their opener against the Titans before dropping road games against the Texans and Colts.