Windy City Gridiron
The entire nation had their eyes on Amazon Prime last Friday, and it was for more than just great holiday deals. The Chicago faithful watched with baited breath as our beloved Bears took the field in Philadelphia looking to solidify their positioning amongst the leaders of the NFC. To the surprise of most, they did just that. What could have been a an opportunity for the Eagles to right the ship after a startling defeat to Dallas the previous week became a nationally televised domination by the Chicago running game behind their revamped offensive line. This Bears team has been stacking wins this year, but this one felt different on multiple levels. Let’s take a look at how this momentum-building victory has impacted the team in terms of our offensive production benchmarks:
The weather wasn’t doing the quarterbacks any favors in this matchup, but swirling winds weren’t entirely to blame for Caleb Williams’ continued accuracy woes. The Bears’ quarterback has consistently produced inconsistent outings on the season, with missed opportunities matched by amazing plays on a regular basis. Caleb rightfully leaned on the run game for the majority of this one, but came through with a dagger touchdown pass to Cole Kmet when it mattered most. As we enter the final 5 games of the season, you’d like to see Williams put things together a bit more and carry some momentum into a potential postseason run.
Caleb Williams
Comp: 2022 Jared Goff
Benchmark Statistics:
If you didn’t see this game live, chances are you still heard about the terrific performances of both D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai. Both backs managed over 100 yards rushing and a score in the win over the defending Super Bowl champions. The rookie and the Philly native deserve plenty of praise for continuing along the path they’ve been carving out since the bye week, as do the offensive lineman (and other blockers) who have cleared the defenders in their way. The projections for both Swift and the backups (now primarily Monangai) are very impressive in comparison to our benchmarks, despite a slow start to the year.
D’Andre Swift
Comp: 2022 D’Andre Swift
Benchmark Statistics:
Kyle Monangai, DJ Moore, Roschon Johnson, etc.
Comp: 2024 David Montgomery
Benchmark Statistics:
I suppose this was the standout group on a day that the quarterback only managed 154 yards passing. That said, Kmet and Loveland only managed 6 receptions combined, so the success was still all relative. That’s not a knock on either player, as mentioned above, Kmet hauled in the game-sealing score in the 4th quarter. Loveland has continued to show ball skills that put him near the top of the group of Bears receivers and has Williams looking his way often when a crucial catch is needed.
Cole Kmet
Comp: 2021 T.J. Hockenson
Benchmark Statistics:
Colston Loveland
Comp: 2023 Sam LaPorta
Benchmark Statistics:
The wide receiver play was down across the board. Burden...
