Caleb Williams looks to build on his best game as Bears eye 3rd straight win when they meet Jaguars

 

[October 11, 2024]  By ANDREW SELIGMAN

Caleb Williams wasn't all that interested in sharing vacation stories this week. Chicago's prized quarterback had work to do.

Williams' focus was on the task at hand as the Bears prepared to face the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday.

The No. 1 overall draft pick acknowledged he'd been to Paris and Monaco and enjoys the architecture and food and the chance to simply reset when he's on vacation. Other than that?

“Let’s get back to ball," he said.

The way Williams performed in last week's romp against Carolina, it's no surprise he was looking forward to returning to the field. After all, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner out of Southern California had his best game to date.

Williams completed 20 of 29 passes for 304 yards with two touchdowns to DJ Moore and zero interceptions, leading Chicago to a 36-10 victory. His 126.2 passer rating was the best by a Bears rookie since the AFL-NFL merger. The previous high was Jim McMahon’s 121.1 against the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 26, 1982.

Williams has another big opportunity facing a struggling defense for the second week in a row. Jacksonville (1-4) ranks 31st overall and last in the NFL against the pass.

The Bears (3-2) are coming off their most lopsided victory since they pounded the New York Giants 29-3 in Week 17 of the 2021 season. A win would give them three straight for the first time since a three-game run late in the 2020 season. That streak was capped by a victory over Jacksonville.

Beating the Jaguars this time would make Chicago 4-2 at its bye. For a franchise trying to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2018, that is no small feat.

“Getting a win out here and then going into the bye week happy is a must,” Moore said.

The Jaguars look to make it two straight wins after losing their first four games. They beat Indianapolis 37-34 last week.

Stingy defense

The Bears have held opponents to 21 points or less in 11 straight games, the longest active streak in the NFL. It doesn't hurt to have a top-10 defense.

The Bears rank seventh overall and sixth against the pass. They had three takeaways last week and are third in the NFL with 11 this season. Only Green Bay (14) and Minnesota (13) have more.

Home abroad

The Jaguars are playing their 12th game in London since 2013. They are 6-5 across the pond.

This is their second season playing consecutive games there, one as the road team and another as the home team. They meet New England at Wembley Stadium next week.

This year, though, Jacksonville won’t have to change hotels between games. It was a mild inconvenience in 2023 and one they hope to avoid moving forward.

Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift (4) celebrates his one-yard touchdown run with quarterback Caleb Williams (18) against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

“It’s nice,” coach Doug Pederson said. “You just come right back to the same place. You don’t have to load up like we did last year after a couple of days in one spot and go to another hotel, another spot.”

Swift turnaround

Bears running back D'Andre Swift didn't show what he can do the first three games. It has been a far different story the past two weeks.

Swift had a combined 285 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns against the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina. He ran for 73 yards and a touchdown and added 47 yards receiving in the win over the Panthers after picking up 165 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown the previous week. It's a big jump after he had 68 yards rushing and 46 yards receiving through the first three games.

Swift had 1,049 yards rushing and 214 receiving with Philadelphia last season and made his first Pro Bowl. He signed a three-year contract in March.

From winless to defenseless

Now that Jacksonville is no longer winless, it’s time for the team to focus on no longer being defenseless.

The Jaguars are 31st in the league in total defense, allowing 393.4 yards and 28.6 points a game. They’re one of three teams without an interception and have really struggled against the pass despite having capable edge rushers in Travon Walker, Josh Hines-Allen and Arik Armstead.

Jacksonville has allowed an opening-drive touchdown in each of its last four games.

“Players need to play,” Hines-Allen said. “We need to make our plays and just start faster. If we can be able to do that, we are going to be right where we need to be.”

Travel plans

The Bears and Jaguars took different approaches when it came to getting to London.

While Chicago opted to fly out Monday night in order to have more time to shake off the jet lag, Jacksonville planned to leave Thursday, as it regularly does when it plays there. Then again, the Jaguars won't be heading home after the game.
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AP Pro Football Writer Mark Long in Jacksonville, Florida, contributed to this report.

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