The entire nation had their eyes on Amazon Prime last Friday, and it was for more than just great holiday deals. The Chicago faithful watched with baited breath as our beloved Bears took the field in Philadelphia looking to solidify their positioning amongst the leaders of the NFC. To the surprise of most, they did just that. What could have been a an opportunity for the Eagles to right the ship after a startling defeat to Dallas the previous week became a nationally televised domination by the Chicago running
game behind their revamped offensive line. This Bears team has been stacking wins this year, but this one felt different on multiple levels. Let’s take a look at how this momentum-building victory has impacted the team in terms of our offensive production benchmarks:
Quarterback
The weather wasn’t doing the quarterbacks any favors in this matchup, but swirling winds weren’t entirely to blame for Caleb Williams’ continued accuracy woes. The Bears’ quarterback has consistently produced inconsistent outings on the season, with missed opportunities matched by amazing plays on a regular basis. Caleb rightfully leaned on the run game for the majority of this one, but came through with a dagger touchdown pass to Cole Kmet when it mattered most. As we enter the final 5 games of the season, you’d like to see Williams put things together a bit more and carry some momentum into a potential postseason run.
Caleb Williams
Comp: 2022 Jared Goff
Benchmark Statistics:
Running Backs
If you didn’t see this game live, chances are you still heard about the terrific performances of both D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai. Both backs managed over 100 yards rushing and a score in the win over the defending Super Bowl champions. The rookie and the Philly native deserve plenty of praise for continuing along the path they’ve been carving out since the bye week, as do the offensive lineman (and other blockers) who have cleared the defenders in their way. The projections for both Swift and the backups (now primarily Monangai) are very impressive in comparison to our benchmarks, despite a slow start to the year.
D’Andre Swift
Comp: 2022 D’Andre Swift
Benchmark Statistics:
Kyle Monangai, DJ Moore, Roschon Johnson, etc.
Comp: 2024 David Montgomery
Benchmark Statistics:
Tight Ends
I suppose this was the standout group on a day that the quarterback only managed 154 yards passing. That said, Kmet and Loveland only managed 6 receptions combined, so the success was still all relative. That’s not a knock on either player, as mentioned above, Kmet hauled in the game-sealing score in the 4th quarter. Loveland has continued to show ball skills that put him near the top of the group of Bears receivers and has Williams looking his way often when a crucial catch is needed.
Cole Kmet
Comp: 2021 T.J. Hockenson
Benchmark Statistics:
Colston Loveland
Comp: 2023 Sam LaPorta
Benchmark Statistics:
Wide Receivers
The wide receiver play was down across the board. Burden managed 4-of-6 for 33 yards, but little else was noteworthy from the wideouts. Again, multiple factors could be at play, but it is discouraging to see such a talented group fail to click this late into the season. Hopefully a renewed focus from the coaching staff can pay dividends similarly to the success we’ve seen in the run game since earlier in the year. A tough stretch of games against NFC playoff hopefuls (and the Browns) could require some top-level WR play for Chicago to keep their place in the postseason moving forward.
DJ Moore
Comp: 2024 Amon-Ra St. Brown
Benchmark Statistics:
Rome Odunze
Comp: 2024 Jameson Williams
Benchmark Statistics:
Olamide Zaccheaus
Comp: 2023 Josh Reynolds
Benchmark Statistics:
Luther Burden III
Comp: 2023 Jameson Williams
Benchmark Statistics:
It’s very interesting to me how similarly some of these players’ projected stats are starting to align with (or even exceed) our benchmarks. At times this season, it seemed like there was no way anyone would be end up close to the comparison players I had identified, but now that the offense has taken form it seems like Ben Johnson’s fingerprints are starting to be seen. This is all a fun practice, I would obviously prefer that the Bears’ stats be horrible as long as they continue to win. Especially this week. Please win this week.
