Improving Caleb Williams, DJ Moore connection among five questions Bears must answer vs. Panthers
Editor’s note: The Bears play their third game this season on Sunday at noon CT vs. the Carolina Panthers. Immediately after the Bears game, stream The Official Bears Postgame Live brought to you by United Airlines exclusively Marquee Sports Network and the Marquee Sports Network App. For more information on how to watch, click here.
Way back when the Bears and Panthers were formally pitted against each other in Week 5, it was fair to expect an breezy walk to a win at Soldier Field.
The Bears were on the uptick. The Panthers epitomized dysfunction.
Count that as a dub, right? Maybe, maybe not.
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Carolina has shown real fight since old friend Andy Dalton took over as starting quarterback. The Panthers can run the ball well, a strength aimed at a rare weakness in the Bears’ defensive armor.
Chicago remains favored, but the Panthers aren’t a layup anymore.
That’s why you don’t put Ws and Ls next to games the day of schedule release. There are some questions that must be answered on Sunday for the Bears to get a needed win and start showing the signs of progress required to weather a grueling stretch through the season’s second half.
Can Bears shut the run down?
The Bears defense doesn’t have many vulnerabilities, and it might be nitpicky trying to identify them on a unit that has performed so consistently well. That’s why we’ll lean on Jaylon Johnson to point them out. Despite excellent performances overall, the star cornerback isn’t thrilled with the volume of explosive plays. And he would like the run defense to be tighter.
That last one will be crucial to victory against Carolina.
The Bears have let Tony Pollard, Jonathan Martin and Kyren Williams get going in the first half of games especially. The Panthers offense centers on a physical run game featuring Chuba Hubbard, who is averaging 5.4 yards per carry through four games.
“You see this young man breaking tackles, you see a lot of yards after contact,” Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington said. “It puts the onus on us to be very good with our tackling and our gap control. The other thing about this young man is that he will find the void in the run defense. It could be as a cutback runner, it could be at the point of attack, if there’s a void, he’s going to find it. He’s getting downhill right now, and as a result, they’re big plays.”
Run defense takes all 11, but single gap control is vital in this defensive scheme throughout the front seven. Being able to slow the run game without dropping a safety will be key in this contest and making the Panthers one dimensional should make this an easier win to earn.
2. Can Bears (finally) start fast?
So many offensive players brought up this point during the practice week. That’s because Chicago has scored three first-quarter points through four games. Periods of solid offensive play have come in the second half of contests, so getting cranked up early can give Chicago the chance to take control of this one from the outset, force the Panthers to pass more than they’d like and let the defense go on a turnover hunt.
Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said that has been a point of emphasis this week, especially with the negative plays and pre-snap penalties that have proved costly in first halves and kept the Bears behind the sticks. Establishing the run early will also be key in this endeavor, setting up the possibility of long, sustained scoring drives that could set the tone.
3. Can Caleb continue to beat the blitz?
Opposing defenses love throwing the kitchen sink at rookie quarterbacks. That includes those drafted No. 1 overall. Caleb Williams has seen plenty of them to this point, but is starting to fend them off more often. He was 6-for-9 for 65 yards and a touchdown versus the blitz against the Rams, a positive sign that he’s getting rid of the ball faster in those situations and taking advantage of the defensive vulnerabilities they create.
Panthers head coach Dave Canales said, “we’ve got some stuff,” ready for Williams from a blitz perspective. The better he is diagnosing them pre-snap and adjusting to disguised intentions post-snap, the tougher this Bears attack will be to stop.
4. Can the Caleb-DJ connection get stronger?
Chicago’s rookie quarterback and veteran receiver have made some good plays this year. They’ve also missed on a few, leading to some of Moore’s disgruntled facial expressions caught on camera and some sideline conversations designed to get on the same page.
While Moore wants to be more impactful, he isn’t upset with his quarterback. He’s working through some growing pains. Moore remains confident that their best is yet to come.
“We was all a rookie at one point, being a vet, so I know what he’s going through,” Moore said. “You can’t be too frustrated. I mean, you can be frustrated within the way you’re playing as a player, but not at a young guy that’s still coming along.”
An early strike (or two) could build some positive momentum for this pairing, which should be an explosive one as they continue to work out kinks.
5. Can Bears attack Carolina’s weakness?
The Panthers won’t have either of their starting linebackers available for this game. Joesy Jewell is out. So is Shaq Thompson, who is likely done for the year. That hurts Carolina up the middle, especially with star defensive tackle Derrick Brown already done for the year.
The Bears should feast working the middle of the field, implying that D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson can attack on the ground. This also might be a high-volume day for Cole Kmet and Keenan Allen. If that’s the case, this contest should be one-sided and the first time we’ll see the Bears’ explosive offensive potential.