So, my fellow Chicago Bears fans, how did we enjoy that three hour root canal? You can’t quite say that this was a fun way to spend the afternoon, but my goodness gracious, we’re feeling pretty darn good right now, aren’t we?
Apologies for the lack of a traditional format here, but I’ve got seven unhinged and borderline hysterical rapid reaction thoughts on Chicago’s 25-24 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
1. Josh Blackwell, have yourself a day, young fella!
2. Caleb Williams finished 22-for-37, throwing for 212 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. It was, by the numbers, a massive step backwards from where he was last Sunday versus the Dallas Cowboys. But can we talk for a second about the poise that Caleb displayed late in this game?
Down 24-19 with just under seven minutes to go, the Bears marched 69 yards down the field over the course of 11 plays and took a one-point lead on a D’Andre Swift touchdown run on 1st and goal. On that drive, Caleb completed 4 of 5 passes for 42 yards, ran for 18 more, and never put the ball in danger.
I know this wasn’t even close to a perfect performance from the second-year quarterback, but holy cow, he was surgical on the final drive of this game, making multiple plays with his arm and with his legs, never flinching in the face of pressure, doing exactly what the Bears hoped he would do in moments like this one when they drafted him 1st overall 18 months ago.
3. Speaking of getting drafted 18 months ago, Rome Odunze — in his hometown of Las Vegas — hauled in another touchdown reception, his league-leading fifth score of the season. If it weren’t abundantly clear already, DJ Moore’s place as WR1 on the Chicago Bears’ depth chart now belongs to Odunze.
4. This was not an ideal game to be trotting out the Theo Benedet, Ozzy Trapilo tackle combination. Both of those guys may be better options than Braxton Jones at this point, but the Bears need Darnell Wright back, and fast, because Maxx Crosby was an absolute terror all afternoon. But in fairness to these two young tackles, Caleb Williams was sacked just once on Sunday afternoon.
Mixed Bag for the Chicago Bears Defense
5. Let’s start with the bad: the Raiders rushed for 240 yards on 31 carries. Ashton Jeanty was like Hulkamania in 1987… running wild all over the Bears defense. It was especially painful considering you know that Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson both had eyes for the record-setting Boise State back ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.
This continues to be a huge problem, and never was it more clear than today. The Raiders were one of the worst rushing offenses in the NFL heading into this Week 4 showdown, and the Bears single-handedly may have propelled Vegas out of the bottom ten with this performance.
This group needs to get healthy, and thank goodness there’s a bye week coming up next weekend. Get TJ Edwards, Grady Jarrett and Kyler Gordon back soon enough, and we can revisit this conversation in a few weeks.
6. Now let’s move to the good: this was a second consecutive game in which the Bears defense forced four turnovers, and even if the offense could only put a few field goals on the board when treated to those short fields that started in Raiders territory, it was enough to get the job done.
Turnovers are a flimsy stat, and we shouldn’t expect this defense to continue to turn teams over four times in a game, even when Edwards, Jarrett and Gordon are back.
After Week 5 Bye, Bears Return to the Scene of the Crime
7. Remember what happened last year when the Bears visited the Washington Commanders? Of course you do, and don’t worry, I’m not gonna put us through the pain of having to watch the Jayden Daniels to Noah Brown Hail Mary, because if you’re at all like me, that sequence is burned into your brain, just like the Double Doink, just like Aaron Rodgers to Randall Cobb, and just like BJ Raji’s pick-six.
It feels different this time around, doesn’t it? I can’t be the only one who feels that way, right?
I’m ready for the Bears to go into Washington once again. Let’s revisit the scene of that crime and exorcise some demons. We’ve got two weeks.
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