Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron spoke to the media Thursday in advance of Sunday's game against the Commanders. Here are five things we learned from that session:

(1) Waldron has been pleased with the strides the offensive line has made.

The same unit consisting of left tackle Braxton Jones, left guard Teven Jenkins, center Coleman Shelton, right guard Matt Pryor and right tackle Darnell Wright is slated to start its fifth straight game together in Washington.

"Those guys have done a good job of just getting better every single week," Waldron said. "They've worked hard. They show up. That group as an offensive line led by [coach] Chris Morgan shows up ready to attack the day."

The continuity the line has developed has helped the offense score 15 touchdowns in its last 13 quarters after the unit mustered just one TD in the first 11 quarters of the season. Many have pointed to the practice week following a Week 3 loss to the Colts in Indianapolis as a turning point for the offense.

"We go back to some of the walk-through settings where guys are really maximizing those opportunities to communicate with each other to get on the same page," Waldron said. "How they're going to hit blocks, how they're going to do things, and then taking that to the individual periods, where they've done a really good job. And right across the board, the thing that's been most noticeable is every single week the group of O-linemen that's in there has worked better together, has done a great job of finishing and played with great effort, great intensity."

(2) The cohesiveness between quarterback Caleb Williams and tight end Cole Kmet has been a key factor in the offense's success.

Kmet was honored as NFC special teams player of the week after filling in for injured long snapper Scott Daly in the Bears' 35-16 win over the Jaguars Oct. 13 in London. But the fifth-year pro made an even greater impact on offense, catching five passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns.

This season Kmet has 26 receptions on 29 targets for 289 yards and three TDs. Williams' 89.7 completion percentage when targeting Kmet is the best by any quarterback/tight end tandem in the NFL.

"They've done a great job," Waldron said. "Cole's done a great job of being a leader on this team, bringing energy and passion every single day that he steps on the field. He's a great communicator when you talk about that, and you talk about the rapport that he has with Caleb right now. I think a lot of that developed in the offseason in training camp and then it's continued to develop during the season."

(3) Kmet's 31-yard TD reception in London came on a creative play that Waldron had employed in his previous job as Seahawks offensive coordinator.

Williams faked a screen pass to the left and then to the right before throwing over the middle to a wide open Kmet.

"I know [49ers coach] Kyle Shanahan did a great job utilizing it against us in Seattle," Waldron said. "We utilized it in Seattle. It's been utilized in college football for a good amount of time.

"Those are just plays when you have some different ones that fit the structure of the defense that might pop up week to week, having a good inventory of things from the past or things from around the league or around college football that might be able to be implemented in that situation.

"And then it always comes down to the players making it come to life … That's just a lot of preparation and precise work that those guys put in in walk-through settings or in individual settings to have a good result on the field."

On two occasions when Waldron called the play in Seattle, he recalled that it resulted in one touchdown and one sack.

(4) Waldron was happy to see veteran receiver Keenan Allen have his best game of the season in London, catching five passes for 41 yards and two TDs.

"Talk about an ultimate pro," Waldron said. "What I saw from Keenan is showing up to work every single day ready to ask questions, ready to talk through situations, ready to look at how he can blend in with everyone else that's on the offense. When the opportunities presented themselves [against the Jaguars], he was ready to make plays, which he always is.

"One of the hard parts is always going to be when you have DJ [Moore], Keenan, Rome [Odunze], Cole, Gerald [Everett], [D'Andre] Swift, Roschon [Johnson], all these guys that we're mixing and matching touches for, each week might play out a little bit differently. But for us as a coaching staff, we know Keenan's a guy that is a unique route runner. His ability to get separation, his ability to get open, aggressive hands, the way he can win at the top of his routes is something that we're always going to, from a schematic standpoint, try to get him involved as much as we can."

(5) The offense has performed at a high level the past three weeks, but Waldron wants to see the unit start faster.

The Bears have scored just one touchdown and one field goal in the first quarter this season. Their first possessions in their six games have resulted in four punts, one missed field goal and one field goal. They scored five touchdowns in each of their last two games but started both contests with three-and-outs.

"The big thing is starting faster, keep putting an emphasis on that." Waldron said. "And a lot of that's going to come down to opening-drive third-down conversions, knowing that if you can convert on third downs, you can extend those opening drives, you can extend those first-quarter drives and play a little more efficient at the beginning of games. But it's also not to say that if you play well throughout the course of the game, you have a chance to rebound from those things if it doesn't start perfectly."