Offense
- The Jaguars came in with the No. 8 run defense this week but are 32nd versus the pass. So I was surprised that the Bears ran the ball as much as they did. They ran the ball 15 times for 6.4 yards per carry in the first half. They threw the ball 15 times. The final run/pass ratio was 25/29. This was all fortunate for the Bears. They always need to run whether it works or not. But their offense definitely looks best when the run is working. The Jaguars eventually had to stop playing games up front and it slowed their pass rush. Caleb Williams occasionally had a lot of time in the pocket, especially in the first half.
- One thing that really stuck out was the number of times that Williams ran today. I wonder if that’s going to be something that they’re going to try to incorporate into their office more and more. It does add an extra dimension and it slows the pass rush because the defensive linemen have to stay disciplined. As long as Williams is careful with it and doesn’t get hurt.
- Its still early and the protection generally wasn’t bad. But the Bears have to be very concerned about Braxton Jones, now. He’s occasionally getting pushed around by the bull rush and its not getting a lot better.
- Big game for D’Andre Swift (17 carries for 91 yards, 4 receptions for 28 yards and a touchdown). The Bears got him into space and he took advantage of it. stats
- Nice to see Keenan Allen have a good game today. He caught 5 balls for 41 yards and two touchdowns. Only Cole Kmet had a better game with 5 for 70 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Defense
- No great surprise. The Jaguars came out and attacked Jaylon Jones and did so with some success. But generally speaking the Bears did a good job of limiting the big play with the help of some big drops by the Jaguars receivers. I’m pretty sure they were willing to give up short completions today and make the Jaguars work their way down field.
- Not to make too much of it but I’m really surprised that Trevor Lawrence, who is basically a veteran, still relies on an arm band to call the plays.
- Kyler Gordon had a wonderful game. Surprisingly, he often showed up best against the run. Of course, you need that as a nickel but you don’t often see it as a strength. When he left the game with an injury, the difference was obvious.
- Lawrence does a very good job against the blitz. He has a knack for hitting receivers right in the area a blitzer just vacated.
Miscellaneous
- LOL Rich Eisen – “There is no ‘I’ in Kmet!” I love you, Rich, but that one might have been just a tad bit forced.
- Guys were slipping all over the turf in the first half on both sides. They seemed to adjust in the second half.
- I get very frustrated at some of the incomplete calls from replay. Travis Etienne tucked that ball away in the second quarter. It might not be the rule but in my book, that’s possession.
- I thought the best news I got all week was when I heard that the Jaguars were coming in late in the week. Despite the fact that they do this every year I distinctly remembered the Bears doing the same think the last time that the Bears came into London. They played jet lagged all game. But the Jags really do know what they’re doing. They were definitely ready to play in the first quarter of this game and, if anything, the Bears looked a step slow. the guess here is that they come in late but don’t let it disrupt their sleep schedule.
- Kudos once again to Bears fans for showing up in London and making enough noise to make it tough for the Jaguars players to hear on occasion. My understanding is that Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is basically built to be loud. They took advantage of it.
- Kudos to punter Tory Taylor, who did a wonderful job getting some wild snaps from Cole Kmet down for kicks today. Regular long snapper Scott Daly went down in the first quarter with an injury.
- The Jaguars played pretty well at times today and their stats weren’t that much worse than the Bears. But they flat out dropped at least three touchdowns this game. That, along with the two turnovers, was just a killer. They had some critical penalties that also hurt them badly.
- While I certainly give credit to the Bears for playing reasonably well on both sides of the ball today, once again you have to consider the opponent. Like the Panthers, who the Bears played last week, the Jaguars aren’t very good right now. And, like the Panthers, the Jaguars played poorly even by their standards. But those days look like they are coming to an end. The Commanders are next up after the bye and they won’t be push overs. And the divisional games are coming… We’re going to find out what this team is really made of soon.
The most important thing – and let’s never forget it – is the progress of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. Williams looked pretty good today. He had a couple throw I know he’d like back. He held the ball too long on occasion, again. But in fairness the Jaguars were often flagged in the secondary on those plays, explaining why he couldn’t find a receiver. the touchdown pass to Keenan Allen in the second half was a very good professional throw. Williams is making nice progress. If the Bears keep slowing the pass rush by running the ball well, he’ll continue to have rookie success.