Windy City Gridiron
The Bears found themselves in unfamiliar territory as they rode the wave of a 4-game winning streak entering a matchup with the struggling Baltimore Ravens this past week. Despite the contrast in team records and the absence of Lamar Jackson, Baltimore was still viewed as the betting favorite in this game. On one hand, this is completely understandable, given the significant injuries to the Bears’ defensive secondary (notably missing all 3 starting CBs in this game), on the other hand, you’d hope that Caleb Williams and this ascending Chicago offense would instill enough confidence to carry the team to victories when needed. Sadly, the offense struggled to find the end zone and Tyler Huntley did enough to hold down the fort for the Ravens, secure the victory, and end the Bears’ winning streak. Here’s how the offense fared statistically following the performance:
Caleb Williams
Comp: 2022 Jared Goff
Benchmark Statistics:
The Bears quarterback had been on a disappointing trend entering week 7, contrary to the team’s winning ways. Williams put in a solid effort, but failed to lead his team into the end zone. This led the team to settle for a pair of field goals in a very productive first quarter, which ultimately wasn’t enough of a lead to build from. Caleb’s greatest mistake was an interception deep in Bears’ territory that set Baltimore up for the game-sealing score. Williams now has thrown three interceptions and just two touchdowns over the last four games, hitting his season projection pretty hard.
D’Andre Swift
Comp: 2022 D’Andre Swift
Benchmark Statistics:
Swift seemed to be limited on carries and snap count due to lingering injuries in this one. He was still able to average just over 4 yards per carry and add Chicago’s lone TD on the day, but even on his successful touches, he didn’t quite look like his usual self. With the level of impact he’s had in recent weeks, it may be safe to question what kind of impact Swift’s health had on the scope of this game as a whole.
Kyle Monangai, DJ Moore, Roschon Johnson, etc.
Comp: 2024 David Montgomery
Benchmark Statistics:
Monangai took on a bulk of carries in Swift’s stead, but the effectiveness was lacking for the rookie. The run game has improved for Chicago across the board since the bye, but this week seemingly cemented the hierarchy of the backfield, and the rookie has some improvements to make before he can hope to carve into a healthy Swift’s workload.
Cole Kmet
Comp: 2021 T.J. Hockenson
Benchmark Statistics:
Cole Kmet missed the first game of his career this week, and we’ll see if the veteran tight end will be available to return against the Bengals.
Colston Loveland
Comp: 2023 Sam LaPorta
Benchmark Statistics:
With Kmet’s injury, the rookie Loveland looked to have an opportunity for more targets in the passing game. This really only amounted to 3-of-5 for 38 yards, though. At this point, we probably have...
