CHGO Digest: Bears' Week 6 win by the numbers

Good morning, friends!

It’s always a good morning on a Bears Victory Monday.

Don’t let anybody tell you that the Bears’ four wins are worth less because they’ve come against teams with a combined 4-16 record. Wins are wins.

4-2 is the Bears’ best start through six weeks since Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles led the team to a 5-1 start in 2020.

Here’s hoping Caleb Williams can avoid the six-game losing streak that derailed that season.

Onto Week 7… and the bye!

— Patrick Norton

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Caleb Williams, George Blanda, and Charlie O’Rourke

We’ve tricked ourselves into believing in rookie quarterbacks before. We’ve probably said that “this feels different” when justifying our love and appreciation for someone new.

This does feel different, and for the first time in a long time, the numbers back it up. Never mind Caleb Williams’ rookie status; the No. 1 overall pick is on track to compete for the best quarterbacked season in the 105 seasons of Bears football. Sunday morning’s Week 6 win only boosted the hope that Williams could be the one to break the trend of hopeless belief.

• Posting a passer rating of 106.6 in Week 4 against the Rams, 126.2 against the Panthers in Week 5, and 124.4 against the Jaguars in London, Caleb became the first Chicago quarterback to have three consecutive games with a 100+ passer rating since Josh McCown did it in 2013 while filling in for an injured Jay Cutler – remember this season…

• 36 against Carolina last week and 35 against Jacksonville yesterday? That’s the first time the Bears have scored 35+ points in back-to-back games since 2013 when McCown and the Bears crushed the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football, and Cutler returned from injury with the season on the line against the Cleveland Browns the following week.

• Sunday also marked the first time the Bears have scored five offensive touchdowns in back-to-back weeks since *drumroll please* 1956!! Rick Casares and Perry Jeter led the Bears’ backfield, and George Blanda and Ed Brown split quarterbacking duties while the offense scored 17 touchdowns in three weeks against the Baltimore Colts, San Francisco 49ers, and Los Angeles Rams. Head coach Paddy Driscoll eventually led the 9-2-1 Bears to the 1956 NFL Championship Game, but Chicago lost to the New York Football Giants, 47-7.

• Williams is the first rookie quarterback selected No. 1 overall to win four of his first six career starts in the common-draft era. Much easier when the team picking first isn’t actually the worst team in the league. With four passing touchdowns on Sunday to bring his season total to nine, Caleb has already passed Mitchell Trubisky’s (7) and Justin Fields’ (7) rookie season totals. He’s two away from the franchise’s record-holder Charlie O’Rourke, who, as a rookie, passed for 11 touchdowns as Sid Luckman’s backup in 1942.

• For the 12th time in a row, Chicago’s defense has held opponents to less than 22 points. The Bears are 8-4 since allowing 31 points to the Detroit Lions in Week 11 last year. The last time the Bears kept their opponent to 21 or less in 12 consecutive games? 2005 – Lovie Smith’s second season in Chicago, and his first NFC North division title. The ’85 Bears only allowed more than 21 on three occasions.

🔎 GO DEEPER | My biggest takeaways from the Bears’ dominating win in London and more on Caleb Williams’ potentially historic pace.

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🐻⛳The Desert Duel🌵🏈

Coming with us to watch Caleb Williams and the Bears take on Kyler Murray’s Cardinals? Join us on the links for an unforgettable ALLCITY battle between CHGO and PHNX at Raven Golf Club in Phoenix. Still debating making the trip? What are you waiting for!?

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Roundup: Bears’ secondary banged up, Cole Kmet long-snapping extraordinaire?

• Already without Jaquan Brisker (concussion) and Tyrique Stevenson (calf), Chicago’s nickel corner Kyler Gordon left Sunday’s game in the third quarter with a hamstring injury. Gordon needed help getting to the locker room, and as the Bears pulled away from Jacksonville, the team quickly ruled out the 24-year-old defensive back. After the game, Gordon posted a celebratory video to his Instagram story walking to the bus outside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

• Long snapper Scott Daly exited Sunday’s contest after the team’s first drive punt, forcing tight end Cole Kmet into action as the team’s emergency long snapper. The Bears did not punt the rest of the day, and the operation on extra points was relatively smooth, especially for Kmet who admitted it’s not something he spends much time on in practice. Cairo Santos did have one field goal attempt tipped after Tory Taylor had to control a high snap from Kmet. I cannot wait for the next episode of The Eighty Five with Cole Kmet.

🔎 GO DEEPER | Nicholas Moreano on how Shane Waldron’s scheme opened up new possibilities for the Bears’ offense, including Cole Kmet’s massive two-touchdown day.

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CHGO Bears from London

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Join us for an upcoming CHGO event!

🌵 11/1 – 11/4 | CHGO Bears Road Trip to Arizona, including Desert Duel
🍻 11/10 | CHGO Bears Tailgate at Wabash & Cermak! — Week 10 vs. Patriots