Sunday night’s Bucs-Bears game had the key ingredients needed to panic Chicago fans. Franchise quarterback Caleb Williams looked lost for much of the action, throwing four interceptions and stalling on three three-and-outs in the second half. The team as a whole, meanwhile, surrendered a 17-3 first-half lead, allowing the tying touchdown following a fumble in the late stages of the fourth quarter. But any concerns one might have about the Bears’ offense seem relatively minor today, as despite all their mistakes, a Cairo Santos field goal and a strong defensive performance allowed Chicago to notch its fourth straight victory, 27-24, improving to 7-2 as they battle for first place in the NFL’s toughest division.
The first nine minutes at Soldier Field were a celebration. The Buccaneers, entering the game as obvious underdogs but after putting together their two best drives of the season, got steamrolled, allowing two Williams TD passes while mustering just six yards. But from that point on, everything became a struggle. Williams threw a pick near the end zone to conclude a drive, then threw another on his next opportunity when he tried and failed to throw the ball out of bounds to avoid a sack. Before halftime, he gifted a third pass to the defense, making the stupid decision to just throw the ball forward under pressure. Watching from afar, it felt like Williams’ early success had put him in an inconsequential state of mind on the court, and in his postmatch, it seemed like confidence was the culprit.
“I’m going to throw until I can’t throw anymore,” Williams said. “That’s how I live. I work hard to be in this position. I’m never going to not throw the ball. I could throw 100 picks in one game. … That’s how I grew up. That’s who I am. I’m not afraid of guns.”
Williams is able to boast about his conviction because the Bears defense continually saved him after those turnovers. Earlier in the season, the D’s had to work in tandem with the offense to produce results, largely limiting their opponents’ scoring by leading the league in time of possession. But over the past two weeks, they’ve become a different animal, as the attention garnered by recently acquired lineman Jeffery Simmons makes life easier for everyone else on the unit. Despite losing the TOP battle in this game, these guys took advantage play after play to thwart Tampa’s advances. After Williams’ first interception, they stuffed quarterback Baker Mayfield on a fourth-and-1. After his second, they forced a quick punt into the Bucs’ end. His third led to a Tampa field goal, but his fourth was followed by Jaylon Johnson scooping one back and bringing it home. Their own success was contrasted with the Bucs’ defining mistake in the ball game, when they accidentally left Colston Loveland wide open for a 38-yard pass on the game-winning drive.
That defensive dominance, which also included four sacks on Mayfield, brought to mind the 2006 Bears, who more than made up for Rex Grossman’s inadequacies at quarterback with a defense capable of leading the team to the Super Bowl. Williams is an infinitely more impressive playmaker than Grossman, but this was actually the first time since 2006 that the Bears won a contest in which they were responsible for five giveaways — the infamous “The Bears are who we thought they were!” » game. On paper, this should have been a sobering setback for Chicago. But the defense, at least when it wasn’t forced to take the field in its own 20, seemed virtually invincible.
And invincible is almost the norm for the NFC North so far this year. The Vikings, Lions and Packers all have their flaws as well, but this division sets the tone for the rest of the NFL. Minnesota is 6-1 and set to take on Buffalo on Monday night. The Lions earned their fourth straight victory Sunday in Miami, just after handing the Vikes their first loss. And the Packers, at 6-3, have just delivered a haymaker to the Patriots in Sunday’s most anticipated game. Everyone is out of breath trying to keep up with everyone else, and the Bears pulling off a half-great, half-awful messy escape act on the field keeps them within arm’s reach of their rivals. What might as well have been an embarrassing erasure is instead another step forward.
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