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.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – D’Andre Swift emerged from a rough start to his Bears tenure frustrated, disappointed and driven to do better for the organization that paid him a bunch to run the football.

The veteran running back emerged from an excellent, productive-as-heck performance against the L.A. Rams in a better mood, with the same drive to do better.

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That’s Swift’s mentality encapsulated, one that never wavers based on results. Even after a day where he was good in all aspects of his game, with 165 yards of total offense and a touchdown on 23 touches, Swift started looking for yards not gained and ways to improve the next time out.

That’s part of Swift’s personality, which fits a low-key, non-demonstrative individual who doesn’t react with emotion.

It’s also an overlooked part of what Swift enjoys about his job. More than the fame and glory that comes with being an NFL player, loves the process of playing the game.

That includes the film work, the meetings, the weeklong build-up of trying to improve heading into the next contest.

“Staying levelheaded is just part of who I am,” Swift said in an interview with Marquee Sports Network. “While I love performing in games, I really enjoy the process of everything, through the good and the bad. I just love coming to work. I look each day as an opportunity to do what I love, to correct my wrongs heading into another chance to be great.”

Swift’s comments about being frustrated blew up, representing the overall sentiment of an offense performing below expectation. Swift wasn’t thrilled with his output, but didn’t walk around the building pissed off. He remained positive, open to coaching and motivated to solve problems.

“If things aren’t going right, like in the first few weeks of the season, I don’t get too down on myself,” Swift said. “I know it ain’t gonna rain forever.”

The sun shined down on Solider Field during that Week 4 win over the Rams, literally and figuratively, in a moment where the run game woke up.

Coaches were happy for Swift, who grinded through some tough times early on.

“For Swift, talk about a guy who works hard. Right?” offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said. “And hard work pays off. So for him, I know the start of this season was not what any of us were looking for from him. And a lot of things went into that. But he never flinched, never blinked, went right into the next game with that workman-like approach. So, I think what we saw there was just the culmination of a lot of hard work from throughout his career, throughout his life and not wavering when the next opportunity came to him.

“…He is elusive, he’s twitched up on that first cut. So, it was fun to see him have a couple more opportunities there to really show his skillset.”

Swift wasn’t ready to pound his chest or offer an i-told-you-so after his big day. He acknowledged what went right and wrong and started his process all over again.

“Things went well against the Rams, but there were ways that I could’ve had a better game,” Swift said. “There are always things to correct, to do better. That’s how I approach my job. You have to stay in the mentality that there’s always room for improvement.”

That will come through the details and the overall run-game approach of 11 players executing together. It happened against the Rams but must keep happening for this offense to reach new heights.  

“That’s why we were able to make strides in the run game, but we have to keep progressing after taking a step in the right direction,” Swift said. “…You can always find ways to get better, but you also have to maintain consistency in this league. We have to do it week after week.”