This week is defined by “redemption”: be it Caleb Williams leading his team to victory over Jayden Daniels, Ben Johnson calling a winning game against Dan Quinn and the Commanders team that ended his postseason run with the Lions, Jake Moody and his return to NFL action, or just the Bears’ overall team triumph at the site of tremendous heartbreak just a season ago. Beyond that, the redemption of the Bears’ rushing game may stand as the largest surprise of Monday night. As we check in this week, that’s
one area of the offense that will show significant improvement.
Quarterback
Caleb Williams
Comp: 2022 Jared Goff
Benchmark Statistics:
Caleb’s performance in week 6 was hampered by a questionable call that took a touchdown pass to Rome Odunze off the board along with a notable late drop from Olamide Zaccheaus that likely would’ve resulted in another big play. Still, Williams managed to turn in a decent performance that nudged his season projection for passing yards just beyond the 4,000 yard threshold that many fans have been eyeing.
Running Backs
D’Andre Swift
Comp: 2022 D’Andre Swift
Benchmark Statistics:
D’Andre Swift was the offensive standout for Chicago this week. That was a welcome sight to behold, as the running game has long-struggled to get going to start the season. Some bye week adjustments may have done the trick though, as Swift managed over 100 yards rushing in addition to a critical receiving touchdown to keep the team in the game late.
Kyle Monangai, DJ Moore, etc.
Comp: 2024 David Montgomery
Benchmark Statistics:
The rushing success was infectious, as Kyle Monangai, DJ Moore, and even Roschon Johnson managed to find some room on the ground against the Commanders. Their success came in a much smaller number of carries, but was further encouragement for the improvement of Chicago’s run game moving forward (literally).
Tight Ends
The running backs and rushing game overall were clearly a point of emphasis for Ben Johnson, Declan Doyle, and the rest of the offensive coaching staff over the last couple of weeks. It paid off in D.C. and if that success continues, hopefully that emphasis can be allowed to shift to the tight ends, who have continued to fail to make a significant impact on the season thus far. You can see this reflected again in both Kmet and Loveland’s numbers (both of whom had decent plays called back on *questionable* penalties FWIW).
Cole Kmet
Comp: 2021 T.J. Hockenson
Benchmark Statistics:
Colston Loveland
Comp: 2023 Sam LaPorta
Benchmark Statistics:
Wide Receivers
DJ Moore
Comp: 2024 Amon-Ra St. Brown
Benchmark Statistics:
Moore came out of the gates on fire before an injury slowed him down production-wise this week. He still managed to make in impact as a down-the-field blocker in the running game, contributing key blocks on a few different plays down the stretch. Nearing a third of the way through the season, Moore isn’t projecting close to what St. Brown did last season, but his production has been solid with room for growth.
Rome Odunze
Comp: 2024 Jameson Williams
Benchmark Statistics:
Rome Odunze was on fire to start the season and it can be assumed that he was a major key for the Commanders defense. Still, he nearly had his sixth touchdown in five games, as mentioned earlier. Despite that erased score, Odunze’s stellar season is still intact.
Olamide Zaccheaus
Comp: 2023 Josh Reynolds
Benchmark Statistics:
Zaccheaus had a rough outing in what was a return to his former team. Securing the aforementioned catch late in the game and turning up the field for a big gain would’ve changed the perception of his performance. Still, his target share hasn’t dwindled which remains a testament to Caleb Williams’ trust in the veteran receiver.
Luther Burden III
Comp: 2023 Jameson Williams
Benchmark Statistics:
The rookie had his lone “normal” game of the year so far in what has been the definition of feast or famine. While outings like he had against the Cowboys would be amazing to see, performances like this one would certainly be welcomed as well if they were to appear with regularity.
