The Bears have never trailed in their last three games, sprinting out of the gate and leading wire-to-wire in wins over the Falcons, Patriots and Seahawks.
The reigning NFC North champs have scored on their opening drive in three straight games for the first time since 2022 and led 14-0, 10-0 and 7-0 after the first quarter.
"Shoutout to the defense because there are times where we haven't started with the ball," said quarterback Caleb Williams. "And then shoutout to the O-line, the wide receivers and everybody doing their job. I think that's what it comes down to.
"We knew last week, [the Seahawks] are not a defense that typically allows explosive plays and first-score drives. So, that was big for us to be able to come out and have a certain energy when we got the ball … just going out there, executing, getting the ball in guys' hands, earning those three, four yards, maybe the nasty two sometimes, and just trying to stay on track. Then from there, just playing together, communicating and doing well."
After winning the coin toss and deferring Monday night in Seattle, the defense opened by forcing a three-and-out, highlighted by a crushing hit by Cam Lewis on receiver Tory Horton that caused a third-down incompletion.
The Bears offense followed with a methodical 17-play, 80-yard drive that burned 8:32 off the clock and was capped by Caleb Williams' 1-yard touchdown pass to Luther Burden III. Williams completed 8 of 10 passes for 58 yards on the possession.
"I think when you start getting in those long drives, it's finding completions," Williams said. "It's keeping the drive alive. It's not going for the kill, per se; it's not going for the shot. It's, 'OK, the shot's not there, let's check it down. Let's get that four yards, five yards and keep the drives alive.'
"I think that's where we grow the offense, whether it's me getting the ball in guys' hands and them knifing and getting those extra two yards, or it's me just being able to find a checkdown quick. And then from there, we run the ball well. That's a part of who we are. It's a big piece of who we are. And so, we're going to keep doing that; we're going to keep finding checkdowns. And then when the explosives show up, when the shots show up, we'll take them too."
With each passing season, Williams has learned to lean more on checkdowns.
"I would say I've grown in that area," he said. "I can go back to high school; all I did was take shots. I went to college and scrambled around a little bit. I took a few checkdowns, very little. And then my first year was very little; I got sacked a lot, all that. Then this past year, I found a few more [checkdowns], scrambled still a little bit. And then this year, it's just being a lot more comfortable with the playbook and understanding it and what we want to do with certain plays. From there, being able to, when they don't get the specific coverage, just being able to check the ball down and keep the drive alive."
Who he is
The buzz created by the addition of All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons has been palpable to Williams.
"Yeah, he's been the best defensive tackle the past couple of years; if not No. 1, then No. 2," said the Bears quarterback. "Having a difference maker like that, it makes everyone else's job easy. The energy he brings—I've played versus him, so the trash-talking and all of that—it's fun having him on our side."
Simmons made a huge impact in his Bears debut in Seattle, tying for the team lead with six tackles and recording 1.0 sack, two tackles-for-loss and one pass breakup. However, what he did after the win was just as impressive to Williams. One of the last players in the locker room, Simmons spent time cleaning up after teammates.
"He's an All-Pro guy, he's this and that, he could walk out, and nobody would say anything or pay any mind, and he's cleaning up the whole locker room, offensive and defensive side," Williams said. "That's who he is. Happy to have him on our side. It's going to help the guys. I truly think he's going to lead those guys and make those guys better. I think that Monday was the first example of that."
Injury update
The Bears held a walk-through Wednesday. But if they had held a regular practice, running backs Kyle Monangai (thumb/toe) and Zavier Scott (wrist), left tackle Theo Benedet (shoulder), defensive tackle Grady Jarrett (groin), and linebacker T.J. Edwards (personal) would have been unable to practice. Cornerback Malik Muhammad (toe) would have been limited.
The Bears are scheduled to hold regular practices Thursday and Friday in advance of Sunday night's home game against the Buccaneers.
