LONDON — When Chicago Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower told tight end Cole Kmet, “Scott is hurt,” Kmet was confused.
Why would an injury to Tyler Scott affect Kmet?
“You need to get snaps in,” Hightower said.
At that point, Kmet realized that Hightower was referencing long snapper Scott Daly, who left the game with a back injury.
“I’m like, ‘Oh, s—, I’ve got to go snap right now,” he said laughing.
It was easier to laugh about it because kicker Cairo Santos made all five extra points with Kmet snapping and the Bears won 35-16, which meant Santos’ late missed field goal attempt did not affect the outcome.
It was that kind of game for the Bears. Everyone contributed. They started two backups in the secondary, cornerback Jaylon Jones and safety Elijah Hicks. When nickel corner Kyler Gordon got hurt, Josh Blackwell came in and finished the game.
When Daly got injured in the first quarter, it could’ve been the spiraling type of injury. One of those, “It’s just not their day” moments. The Jaguars were up 3-0, had forced two Bears punts and quarterback Trevor Lawrence had been on point. Now the Bears had to roll with an emergency long snapper in addition to second-stringers on defense.
But Bears quarterback Caleb Williams led a scoring drive, throwing a 31-yard touchdown pass to Kmet. After he bowled over a Jaguars defender, Kmet did his home-run-swing celebration and went to go snap to punter/holder Tory Taylor.
.@ColeKmet stretches out for the TD!
📺: @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/hkGe6V930g
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 13, 2024
“That’s elite. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that, having a guy score a touchdown and then do a snap,” veteran wideout Keenan Allen said. “That’s pretty solid.”
Kmet might have channeled the few Thursday reps he gets in practice or the snaps he’d take in his backyard with his dad and brother as part of a strategy of “the more you can do” for his football career. He snapped a bit in high school, the Bears found out and he became the emergency snapper.
Sunday was an emergency. He had to play every-down tight end and long snapper.
Santos’ kick went through the uprights.
“In a pinch like that, not getting to warm up … we get snaps during the week with him, but to get thrown into a game situation like that, for what he did, it’s impressive,” Santos said.
The Bears took the lead and did Kmet a favor — they didn’t punt again the rest of the game.
“I’m pretty sure we had that fourth-and-4 scenario before Keenan caught that ball. And I was like, this is usually a punt-and-pin situation, but I’m sure Coach is like, let’s try and get the first down here and that’s what happened,” Kmet said.
Kmet said that this is what the league is about, having to plug and play because of injuries. Time and time again we hear about players having to always be ready, and for coaches to prepare for every situation.
On defense, Hicks, Jones and Blackwell stepped into roles they have all played before in their careers. They even did it together at times as rookies in 2022.
Hicks broke up a would-be touchdown pass on Jacksonville’s opening drive, forcing the Jaguars to settle for a field goal. After being targeted a few times in the first quarter, we didn’t hear much from Jones, part of a group effort that held rookie sensation Brian Thomas Jr. to 27 receiving yards.
“It’s great,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “You have a guy that’s in a backup role that’s working his butt off on special teams and then he gets his opportunity, and you see him perform like that — even Blackwell, Jaylon Jones, all those guys, it’s always good to see that because they are working at it just like everybody else. When they get that opportunity and they seize that opportunity and play well, it’s always fun to see.”
To start the third quarter, linebacker T.J. Edwards dislodged the ball from Jaguars tight end Evan Engram, and Hicks pounced on it. Two possessions later, Blackwell notched the first interception of his NFL career.
.@ChicagoBears with the INT ‼️
📺: #JAXvsCHI on NFL Network
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/OUzRy2dj9a— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2024
“When he threw it, I was like, ‘That’s coming right to me,’” Blackwell said. “Maybe he did see me, I don’t know. I’m glad he threw it.”
Blackwell said he and Hicks talked after the game about the confidence they have to step in and maintain a high level of play.
“We definitely think we’re starters behind the starters,” he said. “I think it says a lot about our depth. That’s what’s so special about us. We have a whole bunch of guys that could be starters in other places.”
The Bears were really rolling when reserve defensive tackle Chris Williams notched the first sack of his career in the fourth quarter.
“I just had a plan and knew what I was gonna do in that situation and just executed it,” Williams said.
Veteran defensive tackle Andrew Billings observed that nearly every defensive lineman on the roster has a sack.
“Next man knows what to do. There’s no drop-off,” he said. “That’s huge. That’s how you win, when the backup is playing like a starter. That’s what you need in this league.”
Even linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga, in the game with the rest of the second-team defense, joined the party with his first sack since 2021.
“It’s a whole bunch of dogs,” Williams said. “We all work hard. We’re all determined. We’re all just trying to find ways to get better so we can take this team where we need to.”
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For the third win in a row, the Bears were able to lean on myriad players. Caleb Williams, Allen, Kmet and running back D’Andre Swift had the big stats on offense. The offensive line had a strong performance (after the first quarter). The defense had two takeaways, held the Jaguars to 30 yards in the second quarter while racking up eight QB hits and six passes defensed. Even Taylor made his two punts worth it, setting a franchise record for punting average in a game with multiple punts: 61.5 yards.
The Bears were penalized only twice for 10 yards. And for the second week in a row, they put an inferior opponent away.
We can keep waiting to judge how good Williams, the defense, and the entire team truly is when the schedule gets significantly tougher. That’s fine. But for those more challenging games, it’ll mean a lot for the Bears to be able to rely on a deep roster of guys who can step in when needed.
Even a tight end at long snapper.
(Photo: Harry Murphy / Getty Images)
