The Chicago Bears avoided a three-game losing streak by beating the Los Angeles Rams 24-18 at home on Sunday to improve to 2-2.

There were ups and downs on both sides of the ball, but all in all it was enough to help them get the win. No matter how injury-depleted the Rams may be, the benefit of Matthew Stafford at quarterback and Sean McVay as head coach always makes Los Angeles a worthy opponent.

Avoiding a 1-3 start should prove to be huge for the Bears’ long-term playoff hopes, giving them some hope as they advance through the rest of the season. Here are a few quick insights from the win.

Can both sides of the ball be good at the same time?

When the Bears defense dominated out of the gate, the offense struggled. Conversely, once the offense picked things up, the defense started to slow down. It was a solid performance on both sides of the ball when you add it all up, but for once I’d like to see this team dominate both in attack and defense at the same stage of the game.

D’Andre Swift is back

After a slow start to the 2024 season, Swift scored his first rushing touchdown of the year against the Rams on a big 36-yard run. He also proved to be a valuable threat in the passing game, as he consistently served as a reliable check-down option and caused some defenders to miss in space. His vision looked better and his explosiveness seemed to be back. It was an encouraging development from the veteran running back.

Still ups and downs from Caleb Williams, but there is progress

There were still a few instances where Williams failed to hit his receivers down the field, leaving a handful of potential deep throws on the table by knocking down his targets. Deep ball accuracy remains an issue for the rookie quarterback. At the same time, however, he consistently managed to find the open man, reading the full pitch and identifying targets beyond his initial read to get the ball out quickly and accurately. He seems to be filling the role of a quality game manager at this point, which is encouraging for a rookie. However, if he can connect the dots on those big plays, the ceiling is extremely high.

The defensive line is… good?

In recent years, the Bears have excelled in run defense, but have struggled to generate pressure in passing. Their run defense hasn’t been that good to start the 2024 season, but the pass rush is looking a lot better in the first few weeks. Gervon Dexter and Montez Sweat both had sacks, and Austin Booker also recorded a quarterback hit. Dexter in particular seems to be playing the role of a breakout defender with his three sacks through four games as a defensive tackle.

Sanctions galore

Too many false start penalties plagued the Bears on offense and actively worked against their desire to move the ball down the field. It speaks more to a lack of discipline on offense, but Cole Kmet was also guilty of a few foul penalties. That’s something that needs to be cleaned up in the future.

Tory Taylor

Just… Tory Taylor. Enough said.

Join us now to talk bears on Mason West’s Wear and Tear Bears Postgame show with his special guest Ryan Droste!