What we learned about Caleb Williams is that the Bears’ offense leads to wins against the Rams

What we learned about Caleb Williams and the Bears’ offense to win against the Rams originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

CHICAGO — It took a while, but Caleb Williams and the Bears’ offense finally came to life against the Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field on Sunday … at least for two drives.

The Bears’ rookie quarterback and offense spent the entire first half flailing around in front of a car dealership like an inflatable tube man. Nothing worked and they were only ahead at halftime thanks to their defense.

Fans became restless in the first half as Williams was constantly under pressure and missed several open shots.

But the Bears offense that was the talk of the offseason — the theoretical one — showed itself in the second half.

Chicago’s first drive of the second half was a 12-play, 74-yard drive that ended with a Williams dart to DJ Moore for a touchdown. The drive was characterized by a good mix of running and passing, some speed and no mental errors.

Her next drive showed her explosiveness. Williams hit tight end Cole Kmet for a big gain, and then running back D’Andre Sweat hit a 36-yard touchdown run that proved the difference in a 24-18 victory that pushed the Bears’ record to 2-2 increased.

Williams finished the day 17-for-23 for 157 yards and a score. Swift rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown while also catching seven passes for 72 yards.

Here’s what we learned from the Bears’ 24-18 win over the Rams:

You will do it yourself

With the offense doing next to nothing in the quarter hour and a half, the Bears defense was once again asked to take over from Williams and Co.

After the Bears’ 8-play, 9-yard drive ended in a punt, star defensive end Montez Sweat made the game-changing play they desperately needed.

On first-and-10 from their own 20, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford fell behind and was sacked by Sweat, who hurled the ball loose. Cornerback Kyler Gordon recovered the ball at the LA 16-yard line, setting up the Bears’ offense with a short field.

One they almost wasted.

An incomplete pass to Moore and a 1-yard run by Swift set up third-and-9. Williams’ pass to Keenan Allen in the end zone was incomplete, but the Rams were cited for pass interference on the play, giving the Bears a new set of downs at the 1-yard line.

This time there was no speed option.

The Bears’ offense was set up in a jumbo package with backup center Doug Kramer at fullback in front of Roschon Johnson. The Bears handed the ball to Johnson, and the second-year defender plunged into the end zone to give them a 7-6 lead.

No offensive solution in the first half

The Bears’ offense came under fire early in the season for its inability to run the ball, poor pass protection, lack of execution and confusing play-calling.

None of that was better in the first half on Sunday.

Midway through the second quarter, the Bears had 50 net yards. This included an 8-play, 9-yard drive that lasted 6:14 minutes and ended with a punt.

This attack included two penalties by Darnell Wright, a penalty by Coleman Shelton and an injury to left defender Teven Jenkins. Jenkins did not return due to a rib injury.

Williams went 8 of 13 for 71 yards in the first half. He was under pretty constant pressure as Rams rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske gave the Bears’ O-line hell.

Williams showed good and bad in the first half.

He hung in a muddy pocket, took a hit and delivered a screen pass to running back D’Andre Swift that went 27 yards. But a few plays later, Williams missed an open DJ Moore in the end zone and the Bears had to settle for a field goal to take a 10-6 halftime lead.

The Bears’ offense is waking up from hibernation

After the Rams opened the third quarter with another field goal drive, cutting the lead to 10-9, Williams and the offense had their best drive of the season.

The No. 1 overall pick engineered a 12-play, 74-yard drive in which the Bears used speed, stayed in front of the sticks and distributed the ball to players of varying skill sets.

The drive ended with Williams throwing a dart to Moore in the back of the end zone, scoring his first career touchdown at Soldier Field. Moore was surrounded by a defender and did a good job of securing the pass while also getting both feet downfield.

The Rams responded with a touchdown drive of their own, cutting the lead to 17-15 after a failed two-point attempt. The quick hit increased the pressure on Williams and the offense to rebound.

That’s what they did.

Williams threw a score to Cole Kmet on second-and-10 for 22 yards. After the completion, the Bears picked up the pace and Swift completed a 36-yard touchdown run on the next play to give the Bears a 24-15 lead.

This is the Bears offense that people expected at the start of the season.

The Rams had a chance to score the game-winner, but safety Jaquan Brisker picked off Matthew Stafford to secure the win with 56 seconds left.

The Bears’ defense kept them hanging in the first half, and Williams and the offense finally showed up in the second half, getting back to .500 and calming the questions around them…at least for a week.