LONDON — The Bears had their best offensive game in Week 5 with 36 points and 300 passing yards, and they still left some big plays on the field.
Rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze got open for a deep ball. DJ Moore dropped a pass. General manager Ryan Poles noted that Keenan Allen ran some of his Allen-esque routes during the win over the Panthers.
That’s a good thing, at least after a win, for the Bears to see the potential of this passing game.
“There’s stuff that you leave out there that you wish you would’ve hit for whatever reason,” wide receivers coach Chris Beatty said before Thursday’s practice in England. “Sometimes you hit the first read and don’t always get to the later one that’s a bigger play. … Anytime you throw for 300 yards and feel like you could’ve thrown for a lot more, that’s a good thing.”
The offense has been able to unlock something each week. There should be opportunities against a Jacksonville defense giving up a league-high 287.8 passing yards per game and 7.7 yards per pass (28th).
“It just shows you the progress that we’re gaining as guys continue to work together, as Caleb (Williams) continues to see the field, see different looks and the receivers and everyone getting on the same page,” quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph said.
As the Bears wrap up their week of practice in England, the chance to go into the bye with a 4-2 record is real, and one they don’t want to miss. More progress for Williams and the passing game will put them in position to enjoy their long flight home.
Now, on to your questions.
Why is this defense struggling to defend the run? Gervon Dexter has at least made splash plays in the passing game. Andrew Billings has made plays as a run defender. The Bears have good linebackers. What is happening schematically? — Thomas B.
This is an important topic ahead of Sunday’s game, as the Jaguars rank second in the NFL in yards per carry. Tank Bigsby has four carries that have gone for more than 20 yards, including a 65-yarder. The Bears defense ranks 24th in run defense EPA (expected points added), per TruMedia. Last year, they ranked ninth while allowing only 3.8 yards per carry. They’ve already allowed four runs of 20 yards or longer after giving up six such runs all of 2023.
So, what’s different? According to linebacker T.J. Edwards, it should be a simple fix. We did see the run defense improve last week after allowing Chuba Hubbard’s long run.
“I feel like it’s been maybe people out of place by a hair,” he said. “In this league, all guys need is a crease. But run defense is the whole defense together. It’s everybody doing their job and more. So that’s kind of how we look at it. We understood it wasn’t a lack of focus or anything like that, just executing a little better.”
It’s possible that the middle of the line with Justin Jones and Andrew Billings was a better combo versus the run than the current one. I’ve noticed teams getting some of their longest runs when the Bears have their backup line out there. On 10 runs against the defensive line with Chris Williams in for Dexter, teams are gaining 7.5 yards per rush. Austin Booker and Darrell Taylor have been on the field for two of the longer runs against the defense this season. That doesn’t mean those specific players are at fault for any of those runs, necessarily, but it’s just a small trend and not necessarily surprising that the second group would have those struggles.
The Jaguars are 30th on third down and the Bears are third defending on third down, but that disparity won’t be a factor if Jacksonville is effective running the ball on early downs.
Would it make sense for the Bears to move Teven Jenkins back to his preferred right guard spot? Based on last year, it could lift up Darnell Wright and make the right side a strength. — Felix U.
This question has come up a fair amount early in the season. The Jenkins-Wright combo on the right side was a formidable one at times last season, something I explored with Kyle Long in this film review. Jenkins has had to move around a lot in his career. He said over the summer that he’s more than happy to be able to stick to one spot, and I think the Bears would prefer that, too.
“I do like being in one spot as of right now so I can try to be the best I can in one position,” Jenkins said in August. “I have no problem being versatile and switching around and doing everything. But it does feel nice to have one position to do and one position to focus on.”
I asked offensive line coach Chris Morgan about it this week. He said that while they work to cross-train their “depth” and make sure guys are versatile during the offseason, they like to have spots firmed up when the real games begin.
“When you get to the season, you’d like to keep guys in the same spot,” he said. “If you can.”
Considering Matt Pryor’s flexibility, I imagine they did at least discuss moving Jenkins but decided it was best to keep him on the left side.
“You don’t want to move anybody, that’s No. 1,” Morgan said. “A player like Teven shows you he could play on both sides. … Not having to move anybody helps.”
The price for guards has exploded. What are the Bears thinking with respect to Teven Jenkins and his somewhat uneven start to the season? — David S.
Another popular Jenkins question this week regarding his future. I figured if Jenkins a) stayed healthy and b) played at a high level through the first six games, an extension would get done at the bye. He had a good camp, and it would save the Bears some money, as opposed to trying to compete with that guard market you mentioned in free agency. It would give them another lineman to rely on for 2025, as that group seems like it could have a bunch of moving parts this offseason.
However, Jenkins already has battled two injuries. He didn’t finish Week 4 because of a ribs injury or Week 5 because of an ankle injury. He did not practice Thursday, putting his status for the Week 6 game in doubt. As the O-line struggled in the first three weeks, he did at times, too. The line did also did fine when he exited the wins over the Rams and Panthers. Considering those factors, it would be highly surprising if an extension got done next week unless it was a very team-friendly deal.
I’m dying for a detailed breakdown of the play where we got the audio of Coleman Shelton saying to Caleb, ‘We got f—ing fire, man.” What exactly did Shelton mean? Did Caleb check into the right play? Did he actully see the “fire” or was he saving face? — George M.
Lucky for you, George, Williams was asked about this play on Wednesday in England. Here’s his breakdown:
“We were at the line, Coach sent in a play and the play could’ve worked, would’ve worked, but they had the fire blitz,” he said. “Coleman yells it out and I saw it also because he was about 3 yards away from the line or 5 yards away from the line. We had other things, other routes … within the play and made sure everybody knew what they had. From there, Coleman yells, ‘We’ve got fire,’ I say back, ‘I know, I’ve got it,’ throw a flat ball to Rome.”
I noticed Austin Reed was not dressed but on the sidelines in the game the other day. If the worst happened and both Caleb and Bagent went down during a game, who would the emergency QB be? I was thinking Roschon Johnson, who was originally recruited at U of Texas as a QB might fit that role. — Bob A.
Teams that have three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster are able to make one inactive who can come in only if both QBs go down. If another team tried to poach Reed at some point, the Bears could keep him by promoting him to the 53-man roster and use him in that fashion on game days. Until then, Johnson is a good thought as the emergency QB. I would expect a lot of “wildcat” with him in that role, offering the very rare possibility of him throwing the ball.
I did ask Edwards, who played some quarterback at Lakes High School, where he’d be in the emergency QB power rankings.
“I’ve got to be up there, I’d say top 10. I don’t know if Flus has seen my film yet, so I have to show him that,” he said. “In terms of the linebackers, I’m definitely 1. There’s a lot of guys who think they can do it. I’m sure (Montez Sweat) for some reason thinks he can do it.”
Edwards reminded me that defensive end Dominique Robinson also has quarterbacking experience. He did it in high school before converting to wide receiver, and then defense.
Former pitcher Cole Kmet can also throw the ball around a little bit, but in this rare, rare case you’re discussing, I imagine it would be someone like Johnson, an offensive skill player who can hand it to others, run it himself and maybe throw it. Maybe.
Bears-Jaguars fun facts
• The Bears are 5-3 all time against the Jaguars. The last time the teams met was a 41-17 Bears win in Jacksonville thanks to 21 points in the third quarter.
• The last time the Bears were the home team in the series was 2016 when Jacksonville won 17-16 at Soldier Field. Arrelious Benn’s 51-yard touchdown gave the Jags the lead for good.
• This is the Bears’ third regular-season game in London. They are 1-1 with a win over the Bucs at Wembley in 2011 and a loss to the Raiders at Tottenham in 2019.
• No one on the current roster played for that ’19 team, which fell to the Raiders 24-21. The Bears rallied from a 17-0 deficit to take the lead before giving up a 13-play, 97-yard touchdown drive following a running-into-the-kicker penalty.
• The Jaguars have two former Bears — linebacker Caleb Johnson and defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris.
• This will be Marcedes Lewis’ first game against his former team. He spent 12 seasons with the Jaguars, including five games in London.
Game picks: Bears (-2) vs. Jaguars in Tottenham, 8:30 a.m. CT on NFL Network (locally on Fox-32)
Kevin Fishbain: Bears 26, Jaguars 20
(5-0 straight up, 1-4 against the spread)
Weird things can happen in international games, and maybe I’m swayed by spending too much time in the English countryside where the Bears practiced, but the offense should keep rolling (like the hills in Ware) against a struggling Jags pass defense. The matchup against running back Tank Bigsby will be crucial, but if the Bears get a lead, this will very much feel like the home game that it is in Tottenham.
Adam Jahns: Bears 27, Jaguars 16
(4-1, 4-1)
This feels similar to the Bears’ matchup with the Panthers. The Jaguars have the league’s worst pass defense (or is it defence this week?) and they’re 30th in scoring. Caleb Williams’ improvements should continue. The difference is that games in London can be difficult to predict. Some teams are just flat. Crazy things tend to happen. All that said, I’d still bet on good things to continue for the Bears and Williams in this one.
Dan Pompei: Bears 26, Jaguars 23
(3-2, 1-4)
This is not a gimme for the Bears. The Jaguars are better than their record shows, they are comfortable with the London routine, and they could be starting to turn a corner. But the Bears have made consistent improvements, too, and could continue to elevate.
Jon Greenberg: Jaguars 24, Bears 23
(4-1, 4-1)
I have a bad feeling about this game and foresee thousands of fans muttering “bloody ’ell” in their warm pints of ale. Trevor Lawrence had a good game against the Colts last week and the Jags’ running attack has been stout. If Caleb Williams can play like he did against the Panthers, this pick might be wrong. And the Jags have the worst pass defense in the league, so it’s possible. But he’s still a rookie, so the downs come after the ups.
(Photo of the Bears practicing in Ware, England: Kevin Fishbain / The Athletic)
