After 4 TDs, Caleb Williams is rolling. How good can these Chicago Bears be?

LONDON – It was always going to be a slow start. Rookie quarterbacks don’t start off hot in Week 1. Right now, Caleb Williams’ slow start to the 2024 season is long forgotten.

Williams threw four touchdown passes during Sunday’s 35-16 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Over his past three games, Williams has averaged 229 passing yards and more than two touchdown passes per game.

Most importantly, all three games have been wins. The Bears are 4-2 following Sunday’s win over Jacksonville. They have a full week off with a Week 7 bye ahead of a matchup against the Washington Commanders on Oct. 27.

Once again, the Bears played outstanding defensive football Sunday. They have one of the best defenses in the league. They have an offense that is evolving behind its rookie quarterback. They have the most accurate kicker in team history and the most exciting young punter in the league.

The question is not if this Bears team is good. The question is just how good can this team be?

“[We’re a] player-led team,” said veteran receiver Keenan Allen, who scored two touchdowns Sunday. “We’ve got a lot of leadership. We feed off each other. The defense is amazing. The offense has gotten better every week. Special teams is second-to-none.”

We’ve got a lot of leadership. We feed off each other. The defense is amazing. The offense has gotten better every week. Special teams is second-to-none.”

—  Keenan Allen, Bears wide receiver

The defense has been good since day one. It has created multiple turnovers in five of six games this season. The offense was always going to lag behind. It might just be catching stride now.

The quarterback appears to be the key.

Head coach Matt Eberflus commended Williams for continuing to work day in, day out.

“[It’s] his ability to learn and grow and want to get better,” Eberflus said. “He knows that he’s always working and improving and growing. This year is a big year for him to be able to learn the game up here [in the NFL]. You know, he’s always been good enough in terms of the talent and those things. But he’s learning the game and learning our offense and learning our skill sets that we have [as an offense].”

Williams threw an interception early in Sunday’s game when he missed a wide open DJ Moore near the end zone. It easily could’ve been a fifth touchdown pass if Williams led Moore, but instead the pass was short and it went down as a turnover.

Williams used that as motivation to fuel four consecutive touchdown drives on the next four possessions. The Jaguars, who ranked last in the NFL in passing defense, looked exactly like the type of team that would be last in passing defense.

Bears star pass rusher Montez Sweat told Allen after the game that he was frustrated on the bench. Every time the Bears offense faced a third down, Sweat prepared himself to go back in on defense. The Bears converted 5 of 11 third-down attempts and one fourth-down try. Most of those conversions came on those four scoring drives.

Six games into his NFL career, Williams is clearly in command of this offense.

“Guys felt that energy,” linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said. “Man, that’s our leader. Everybody’s behind him, everybody trusts him, and he’s only going to get better.”

The Bears have played three of the worst passing defenses in the NFL over the past three weeks. That’s a totally fair counterpoint. This is a win streak built on the backs of bad defenses.

Still, good NFL teams beat bad teams. Williams can only play the teams on the Bears’ schedule. Things will definitely get tougher, particularly on Nov. 17 when the Packers come to Soldier Field. With the Commanders, Cardinals and Patriots on the schedule before then, the Bears have three more winnable games before that first NFC North contest.

Could this Bears team enter that Nov. 17 game with a 6-3 record? What about 7-2? The way this is going right now, neither scenario looks impossible.

It will surprise nobody that Eberflus, who is always measured during his news conferences, isn’t getting ahead of himself. He said the Bears are “in a good spot,” but have plenty of room to improve.

Edmunds, a team captain, agreed.

“Definitely building something special, but you’ve got to take a step back for a minute and relax, make sure we back healthy, get our bodies right and re-evaluate the things we want to get better with,” Edmunds said.

Before the season, Eberflus told his players and coaches to break the season down into chunks. The first six weeks before the bye were part one. The Bears will have another long layoff six games later after they face Detroit on Thanksgiving Day. Then they gear up for the final five [maybe six with a playoff game?].

They’re through part one and they’re 4-2. This organization hasn’t been two games above .500 since 2020. They’ve earned a breather.