The defense allowed only one touchdown and running back D'Andre Swift generated 165 yards from scrimmage and a TD to lead the Bears to an exciting 24-18 win over the Rams Sunday at Soldier Field.
The defense forced Los Angeles to settle for four field goals, while Swift led the Bears in rushing with 93 yards on 16 carries—including a 36-yard touchdown—and receiving with seven catches for 72 yards.
"I just got out of the locker room with the players, and I just told them how proud I was of them in terms of them working, partnering with the coaches to improve," said coach Matt Eberflus. "I thought we took a big step in that direction this week, improving on offense, defense and special teams. You could really see that during the course of the game."
After punting on its first three possessions, the offense produced three TDs and one field goal on its next four drives, giving the Bears a 24-15 lead.
Caleb Williams completed 17 of 23 passes for 157 yards with one touchdown, no turnovers and a career-high 106.6 passer rating.
"He was better because I thought he looked down the field for the shots, and when they weren't there, he took the checkdowns," Eberflus said. "We got a lot of yards on those. That was better for him. He's got to keep improving every single week, but I do think that for him, the operation, honoring the football, taking care of the football is the No. 1 job of the quarterback, and he did an excellent job of that."
"When you don't have two turnovers, that's the most important thing," said Williams, who threw two interceptions in last weekend's loss to the Colts. "When you have a defense like us, you've got a punter and a kicker than we have, you're not turning the ball over, it goes a long way. You're going to win a lot of games."
The Bears defense was led by Jaquan Brisker, who recorded a team-high 12 tackles, one sack that forced the Rams to settle for a field goal and a game-sealing interception of Matthew Stafford at the Los Angeles 18 with :56 to play.
Brisker's pick came after the Rams had started their second straight possession at their own 8 following Tory Taylor punts of 66 and 35 yards.
"The punter was great today," Eberflus said. "Tory was awesome."
Joshua Karty field goals of 46 and 37 yards on the Rams' first two possessions of the game gave them a 6-0 lead. Los Angeles settled for the first kick after Gervon Dexter Sr. sacked Stafford for an eight-yard loss.
Stafford completed 20 of 29 passes for 224 yards but committed two turnovers. The first was instrumental in giving the Bears a lead they would not relinquish.
Late in the first quarter, Montez Sweat sacked Stafford, causing a fumble that was recovered by Kyler Gordon at the Rams' 16.
On third-and-9 from the 15, Keenan Allen drew a pass interference penalty on cornerback Tre'Davious White in the end zone, giving the Bears the ball at the 1.
With Williams under center and reserve center Doug Kramer Jr. lined up at fullback, Roschon Johnson thundered up the middle for a 1-yard touchdown run that gave the Bears a 7-6 lead with 5:42 remaining in the second quarter.
The Rams were in position to retake the lead, but Karty's 43-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left with 1:01 to play in the first half.
Swift then turned a screen pass into a 27-yard gain, setting up Cairo Santos' 40-yard field goal, which increased the Bears' lead to 10-6 with :09 left in the half.
The Rams marched the length of the field on the opening possession of the second half, but the Bears defense stiffened inside the 10, forcing Los Angeles to settle for Karty's 25-yard field goal, closing the gap to 10-9.
The Bears offense followed with its best drive of the game, covering 74 yards in 12 plays, capped by Williams' 9-yard TD strike to DJ Moore on third-and-5. The score increased the Bears' lead to 17-9 with 2:37 remaining in the third quarter.
The Rams responded with a six-play, 70-yard drive that culminated in running back Kyren Williams' 3-yard touchdown run. But Stafford was unable to complete the subsequent two-point conversion pass, preserving the Bears' 17-15 lead.
The Bears followed with their second straight touchdown on Swift's 36-yard scamper up the middle, widening the margin to 24-15 with 12:26 to play.
Karty then made it a one-score game at 24-18 with a 52-yard field goal with 8:47 remaining. But the Rams never threatened again, with Taylor's pinpoint punts and Brisker's late interception clinching the victory.
With the win, the Bears improved to 2-2 and will host the Panthers next Sunday at Soldier Field. Carolina fell to 1-3 with Sunday's 34-24 home loss to the Bengals.
