CHGO Digest: How important is Keenan Allen's return for the Bears' offense?

Good morning, friends!

Caleb Williams understands what it means to be a franchise quarterback and how the face of an organization should act.

Nobody jumps in front of the blame train at Halas Hall quite like No. 18. Miscommunications? On Caleb. Failed execution? On Caleb. Four linemen falling flat on their faces after a failed 4th-and-1 pistol option? On Caleb.

Fair or not, let’s just hope the winning aspect of being a franchise quarterback comes next.

Onto Week 4 with a legitimate shot to right the ship at home.

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— Patrick Norton

Keenan Allen limited in return to practice

We were promised a three-headed monster for Caleb Williams. With Keenan Allen sidelined for two weeks with a lingering heel injury, we’d instead been given a reboot of Two and a Half Men starring DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, and DeAndre Carter. Carter filled in adequately, but he’s not exactly a six-time Pro Bowl receiver, either.

Allen returned to the practice field at Halas Hall on Wednesday in a limited capacity, but he’s returning at a crucial time for the offense. Following Caleb’s 363-yard performance on Sunday night, adding Allen back into the mix only makes things better.

• Excited about Allen’s possible return? You’re not alone. Matt Eberflus sounded giddy on Wednesday about having another explosive option available. “He’s another weapon that we have available to us on the offense with a unique set of skills as you know. We’ve all seen him play. So we’re excited if that comes about that he comes back.”

• Caleb Williams is excited to have his receiver back, too. “It’s gonna be great for our offense. It’s just something else that the defense has to worry about throughout this week and then obviously on game day. And so it’s gonna be great for us. His special talent of getting open in a phone booth is gonna be great for us.”

• DJ Moore’s particularly ecstatic about Allen’s ability to draw defenders. “You don’t just got two people out there. You got three that you’ve got to worry about. And you can’t just shade it to one side or to one person. With Keenan back in the mix you’ve got to play the whole field.”

• Moore also shared high praise for Rome Odunze’s massive game in Indianapolis, hauling in six catches for 112 yards and one touchdown. “It was amazing. He goes out there, wins his one-on-ones down the field, across the field, whatever you’ve got to do. When I’m getting taken out of the game either with the safety or Cover 2 to my side, he was out there winning, and that’s all you can ask of him.”
  

🔎 GO DEEPER | Whether it was Matt Eberflus, Caleb Williams, or DJ Moore, all three acknowledged the team’s need to improve communication.

Wabash & Cermak

Whether you’re going to the game or just want to hang with DIEHARDS, join CHGO at the corner of Wabash & Cermak ahead of Week 4’s matchup against the Rams at Soldier Field!

Darnell Wright’s back injury comes at worst time

Darnell Wright did not practice on Wednesday due to a back issue. After Matt Eberflus said that consistency and continuity were the most important things for the offensive line to grow following the seven-sack disaster in Houston, it’s been anything but that for the unit tasked with protecting Caleb Williams.

Nate Davis played just one snap on Sunday against the Colts when Braxton Jones left briefly with an injury, forcing right guard Matt Pryor to fill in at left tackle. One snap — down from 70 in Week 2.

• Pryor was far from perfect in Indianapolis, but Matt Eberflus seemed pleased with the versatile lineman’s first performance of the year. “We thought that Pryor did a nice job. You guys all watch the tape. It was firm in the pocket and did a nice job blocking at times. Had a couple plays that he wished he had back. But for the most part did a nice job there.”

• With Pryor benching Nate Davis, Darnell Wright’s injury strikes at the worst time. Instead of consistency, the Bears are left in limbo wondering what line combination is tasked with protecting Williams against the Rams. Could Pryor jump back outside for Wright as he did for Jones last week? “Well, he’s the guy that we have flexibility with. He’s got some flexibility so that’s what we have to work through. We have to see where we are.”

• What about third-round rookie Kiran Amegadjie? After spending the majority of the preseason on the Non-Football Injury list with a quad issue suffered while at Yale, Amegadjie was a full participant in practice for the first time last Friday, and active on Sunday. Eberflus sees the potential, too. “Yeah, Kiran’s looked really good. He is one of our options. And he’s looked good. He’s continuing to improve. He’s a guy that’s super smart in terms of the mentals and the technique is improving every single week.”

🔎 GO DEEPER | Nicholas Moreano chats with members of the Bears’ offense about the differences between running under center and from the gun.

Roundup: White Sox walk off Angels, clinging to 120.

• Andrew Benintendi’s walk-off single in the 10th inning clinched the White Sox’s 38th win of the year, keeping the loss total at 120 for at least one more night. With history on the line, the Sox have one more chance in Chicago to break the 1962 New York Mets’ record of 120 losses in a single season. If the South Siders pull off the sweep today, they’ll head to Detroit where the Tigers are fighting for the final wild card spot in the American League.

• Shoutout to the fan wearing the Minnie Minoso jersey cheering his head off when the White Sox completed their first post-7th inning comeback of the season on Monday night. That’s a true diehard.

The Eighty Five with Cole Kmet

🎧 SPOTIFY | APPLE PODCASTS | Chicago Bears Offense: What went right & what went wrong?

Join us for an upcoming CHGO event!

🍻 9/29 | CHGO Bears Tailgate at Wabash & Cermak! — Week 4 vs. Rams
🍻 10/6 | CHGO Bears Tailgate at Wabash & Cermak! – Week 5 vs. Panthers

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