Stock up, Stock down after Bears win over Jaguars |
For the second week in a row, the Chicago Bears defeated a team by at least three possessions when they took down the Jacksonville Jaguars 35-16 this past Sunday in London. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams threw for 226 yards, four touchdowns, and 56 rushing yards. The offense is finally getting on track, although some areas could still be improved.
Caleb Williams - Stock Up Williams’ stock is up after his four-touchdown performance against the Jaguars. That game marked his second in a row with a quarterback rating over 120. He also made NFL history by becoming the first player to rush for at least 50 yards and have at least three passing touchdowns in an international game. This is quite an accomplishment, especially for a player who always looks to pass first before taking off with the ball. While the numbers are impressive, the intangibles are more impressive. Williams is reading defenses much better than in the first few weeks of the game, and his chemistry with his playmakers has improved. Eight players were targeted at least once against the Jaguars; three were targeted five times. Wide receiver Keenan Allen was one of those players, and he also had his first two touchdowns as a Chicago Bear, showing that chemistry is also growing on the field. There is a lot to be excited about in Chicago regarding Williams.
Offensive Line - Stock Down
While there may be a lot to be excited about with Williams, the offensive line is still underwhelming. Williams was sacked three times against Jacksonville, bringing the season total to 20. He is on track to get sacked 57 times. If that were to occur, it would mark the fourth season in a row that Chicago’s offensive line has given up at least 50 sacks. The health problems with guard Teven Jenkins make this worse, as the offensive line depth is indeed being tested.
It would be excellent for Chicago fans to go one game without seeing their quarterback get sacked, something that has not happened since November of 2023 when the Bears beat the Carolina Panthers 16-13 on Thursday Night Football with Tyson Bagent as the quarterback; that game marked the first time in over a year a Bears quarterback was not sacked in a game.
D’Andre Swift - Stock Up
A few weeks ago, something clicked for running back D’Andre Swift against the Los Angeles Rams, but he has not looked back since. Against the Jaguars, the Pro Bowl running back put up 91 rushing yards with an average of 5.4 yards per carry and his third straight game with a rushing touchdown. In addition, he caught all four of his targets for 28 yards. This is what the Bears are paying him $8 million a year for - to be a dual-threat running back. Chicago’s offense struggled mightily in the first few weeks, but now that Swift has gotten the running game going for the Bears, the whole offense is gelling together. That kind of impact cannot be understated. Swift has gone from an almost invisible part of this offense to an integral piece within weeks.
D’Andre Swift’s ranks amongst RBs over the last 3 weeks:
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 14, 2024
Fantasy Points: 71.4 (2nd)
Rushing Yards: 257 (4th)
Rushing TD: 3 (3rd)
Receiving Yards: 147 (1st)
Scrimmage Yards: 404 (2nd) pic.twitter.com/uLkVMk8ajj
Khalil Herbert - Stock Down
With how successful Swift is, as well as the minimal action that second-year running back Roschon Johnson is seeing, it makes running back Khalil Herbert somewhat irrelevant for the offense. Through the first six games, he has only played seven percent of the offensive snaps, although he has been helpful on special teams as he has been on 41 percent. Since the Bears started their winning streak, Herbert has not had a single rushing attempt. He only averaged two yards per carry on his attempts through the first three games. At this point, Herbert is not worth keeping on the active roster. His stock is down to the point of trading him, as the Bears could probably get a day-three draft selection for him.
Chicago Secondary- Stock Up
Days before Chicago took on the Jaguars, safety Jaquan Brisker was ruled out with a concussion, and Hicks was preparing to play in his place. Hicks had been around the Bears just as long as Brisker as they were both members of Chicago’s 2022 NFL draft class, along with cornerback Kyler Gordon who eventually had to leave the Jacksonville game due to injury. Second-year cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was also unable to play.
Despite having their depth tested in the secondary, they did not flinch. Chicago has still only allowed one team to score at least 20 points, holding the Jaguars to 16 points after they had put up 37 the week before. Hicks finished the game with five tackles and a pass breakup. That pass breakup was a crucial play in the end zone to force the ball out of Jacksonville receiver Gabriel Davis’ hands and force them to kick a field goal. In addition,
