Bear Digest

Bears offense led by an unexpected hero in first half vs Saints

As Caleb Williams struggles early in Week 7, the Chicago Bears offense continues to score thanks to an unlikely performer.
Pete Martuneac|
Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Quarterback development is never linear, and Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams proved that in the first half of Week 7 against the New Orleans Saints. After a thrilling 25-24 Week 6 victory over the Commanders, Williams finished the first half on Sunday just 8-of-17 passing for 97 yards and an interception.

Fret not, Bears fans. For one thing, it's not all Williams' fault. Center Drew Dalman had two errant snaps in the first quarter that effectively ended each drive. There has also once again been questionable officiating, like this insane offensive pass interference call against rookie Colston Loveland.

Second of all, as mentioned above, quarterback development is never linear. You're going to see Williams have bad games this year, and that's okay. It doesn't mean he's regressing or never going to be a consistent starter.

Luckily for Bears fans, even with a bad game from Williams so far, Chicago has racked up a 20-7 lead over the Saints, thanks to an unexpected hero: running back D'Andre Swift. After a brutal start to the season, Swift has been excellent since the bye week, moving up into the Top 5 of the Bears on SI's player power rankings for the Bears.

So far on Sunday, Swift has 48 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown, almost single-handedly keeping the Bears' offense moving. He's also been assisted by rookie Kyle Monangai, who scored his first NFL touchdown on Sunday and put up an impressive 6 yards per carry in the first half.

New Orleans gets the ball to start the second half, however. If the Bears want to avoid another nail-biter in the 4th quarter, they need to lock in on both sides ofthe ball. Dennis Allen's defense must shake off that bad final drive of the half where they gave up a huge pass play to set up a Chris Olave touchdown, and the offense must finally put together a complementary drive between the passing and running game.

D'Andre Swif
Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

More Chicago Bears News:

Published
Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

Home/News