Takeaways from the Chicago Bears vs. Jacksonville Jaguars in London

Slow starts begone. The Chicago Bears are rolling on both sides of the ball.

Jacksonville went down and scored first, and the Bears had two three-and-out drives in a row. The misfortune ended there.

Caleb Williams threw four touchdowns and the defense forced multiple turnovers for the third game in a row as the Bears routed the Jaguars 35-16 in London.

Here are our takeaways from the Bears' game against the Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Caleb Williams is proving he was worth it all

Over 100 years of good-not-great quarterback play has led to this.

Williams' final line included four touchdowns, over 200 pass yards and a third win in a row.

After all the years and all the struggles the Bears have had at quarterback, Williams is showing the growth into the kind of player he can be when he reaches his peak. He's only begun to scratch the surface. 

The lone interception was a pass Williams floated to DJ Moore when he should have fired another bullet. That's the only play Williams will wish he had back.

One interception against four touchdowns is a trade Bears fans would and will always take.  

This defense is a ‘when’ and not ‘if’

When the Chicago Bears need a play, the defense is only a call away. 

So far this season, the unit has always answered.

Against the Jaguars, Tremaine Edmunds had a forced fumble overturned, which arguably should have stood, but TJ Edwards made up for it at the start of the third quarter with a forced fumble of his own.

Elijah Hicks recovered, which led to a touchdown drive for the Bears and a firm grip on the game.

So far, the Bears' defense is in the top three in the league in forcing turnovers. The Packers and Vikings were ahead of the Bears entering Sunday. If the Bears want to keep pace with both of those teams, forcing turnovers is a good way to do that.

The Bears have forced a turnover in every game so far this season. It's becoming routine for this unit to fund success at some point during their games.

Chicago Bears' Cole Kmet (centre left) celebrates scoring a touchdown during the NFL International match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London. Picture date: Sunday October 13, 2024. (Photo by Zac Goodwin/PA Images via Getty Images)

The short-handed secondary needs this bye week

The Bears have been without backup Terell Smith since Week 3, arrived in London without Jaquan Brisker and had Tyrique Stevenson suffer an injury during practice.

On top of all that, Nickelback Kyler Gordon was ruled out during the game with a hamstring injury. 

No unit on the Bears roster needs this bye week more than the secondary.

It really was a valiant effort for the Bears' secondary. Kevin Byard almost had an interception and the Jaguars avoided Jaylon Johnson all day, which is usually a good idea.

This upcoming week, the Bears can focus on recovery. This secondary unit is one of the best in the league, and with plenty of divisional games on tap after the bye week the Bears need to be as healthy as possible.

Johnson is a top-five defensive back in the league, but he can't do everything.

Keenan Allen is arriving

When Allen spoke during the offseason, preseason and training camp, he exuded confidence in the fact he could be a player the Bears and Caleb Williams can count on when they need a play. 

A heel injury hampered his first few weeks of the season, but now he's arrived.

Allen caught his first touchdown as a Bear on Sunday, and celebrated with a spot of tea. Before that, he caught two other passes that helped Williams get into rhythm. He caught his second touchdown on the day that helped the Bears respond to a Jacksonville touchdown.

That's the player the Bears needed, especially for a rookie quarterback. Allen is starting to arrive at the perfect time.

Nate Davis' time with the Bears appears to be over

If it wasn't clear last week when the Bears put Bill Murray in the lineup over Nate Davis when Teven Jenkins left with an ankle injury, it was Sunday when Davis wasn't even active on Sunday.

Davis, one of general manager Ryan Poles' first signings, was a healthy scratch on Sunday. 

The Bears have seen enough from Murray and Matt Pyror to keep Davis sidelined.

BearsSports