Bear Digest

Bears Winners and Losers from 36-10 Victory Over Panthers

Analysis: The winners far outweigh the losers in this rout of Carolina by the Bears and not all of them are players.

Gene Chamberlain

Big Andrew Billings celebrates his sack of Andy Dalton with teammates in Sunday's 36-10 win over the Panthers.
Big Andrew Billings celebrates his sack of Andy Dalton with teammates in Sunday's 36-10 win over the Panthers. / Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images
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Bears defensive players could help but like the feeling. They could get used to this.

They didn't need to guard the fort every second of a game for a change because the offense more than held up its end in a 36-10 win.

"It's a good feeling man," defensive end Montez Sweat said. "It's a good feeling to just sit back and drink your Gatorade and be able to know, you know what I'm saying, if the offense scores on the other side of the ball then we don't necessarily have as much pressure but it also gives us a chance to pin our ears back and go pass rush."

The Bears more closely resembled a complete team than any time since Matt Eberflus became coach.

Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson recalled seeing the points going up.

"Honestly, it was more like 'keep going,'" he said.

That wasn't really the idea when the Bears decided to go for two points after their final touchdown provided a 26-point lead in the fourth quarter. It wasn't a case of piling up the points according to coach Matt Eberflus.

"That was the chart, that was it," Eberflus said.

Bears fans will somehow find a way to excuse their coach for trying to put extra points on the board.

Imagine that? The Bears offense accused of running up the score on someone.

There were nothing but winner on their side of the field Sunday, and here were the biggest ones.

Bears Winners

OC Shane Waldron

The Bears actually scored a touchdown in the first quarter. In fact, their 27 points in the opening half was more than twice as much as they have had in a first half this season and tied for the most by the Bears in the first half of a game since 2021. No more "Shane Getsy" for the new Bears offensive coordinator. Even his screen passes worked in this one.

PASS CONNECTION FOR BEARS ONLY CAUSES SMILES IN WIN OVER PANTHERS

CALEB WILLIAMS GOES DOWNFIELD FOR 36-10 ROUT OF PANTHERS

QB Caleb Williams

His 126.2 passer rating kept his trend of improvement from one week to the next alive, and it also was the highest passer rating for a single game by a rookie Bears quarterback since the NFL-AFL merger. Jim McMahon's 121.1 rating against the Rams on Dec. 26, 1982 was the previous high. Williams is not going to find getting it downfield for 10.5 yards an attempt so easy in the future against other defenses but he's starting to get the idea what it takes to play in the league and that's what matters. He became the first Bears rookie with multiple 300-yard passing games. Not even Craig Krenzel did it. You take your shots when they are there, and Sunday they were there a lot. And now maybe a few less people will be trying to say the Bears fouled up by drafting him. By the way, Jayden Daniels' passer rating was 41 points lower than Williams' on Sunday if anyone cares.

The Bears passing game came in with six big plays in the first four games. That's a completion of 20 yards or longer. They had six in one game Sunday.

WR DJ Moore

He got to bring his two adorable kids, who we all got to know through HBO's Hard Knocks, into the press room for postgame interviews. He also now has 11 receiving touchdowns since coming to the Bears and that's the fourth-most among all NFL receivers in that time period.

RB D'Andre Swift 

He had 120 yards from scrimmage, his second straight 100-yard game from scrimmage. A few weeks ago people were calling Swift a wasted signing by Ryan Poles. Now his breakaway speed is beginning to scare defensive coordinators and linebackers who must deal with him

S Kevin Byard

His first Bears interception was just another example of the stable play he's provided in back. He also tied for a team high of six tackles and had one for loss Sunday. CBS Sports had labeled him among the worst free agent signings in the NFL. Someone took a swing and a miss there. Pro Football Focus had him graded the 12th best safety in the league going into the game, which isn't bad for a guy who is supposed to be washed up. This is what many so called experts said after he didn't satisfy the Eagles with his play in the second half of the 2023 season.

DT Gervon Dexter

It might not be a stretch to blame him at least in part for that big 38-yard TD run straight up the gut that Chuba Hubbard had but he more than made up for it with a sack and a fumble recovery, and overall strong interior defensive play. How strong? Dexter had four quarterback hits on Andy Dalton. Finally, Panthers coach Dave Canales showed his starter some mercy and brought in Bryce Young to finish out the game.

G Matt Pryor

Sure, he's going to get fined for being ejected from the game after a bit of roughing in the end zone when everybody was shoving and acting like a jerk but Pryor also was a key blocker at right guard all game. And when the Bears had Teven Jenkins go out with an ankle injury, they didn't move Pryor over to left guard and bring in Nate Davis. They brought in Bill Murray to play left guard for Jenkins. The right guard spot belongs to Pryor now, and they ran two of their goal-line TDs behind him. By the way, it was Murray who was the first Bears player in the end zone fight with Jaycee Horn but the officials, as usual, missed the first shot and kicked out Pryor for basically breaking it up.

DT Andrew Billings

Big Bill got to eat. It literally looked like the Bears nose tackle devoured the Red Rifle on a sack. Billings wasn't supposed to be a pass rusher. He's the run stuffer. But he has been top 10 for pass rush win rate among defensive tackles all year, according to ESPN's analytics. He only helped his cause on Sunday.

S Jaquan Brisker

His reign of terror continued with a forced fumble, pass breakup and five tackles a week after he had 12 tackles and an interception.

GM Ryan Poles

He got Caleb Williams, Darnell Wright, Tyrique Stevenson, DJ Moore and another second-rounder next year from the Panthers for Bryce Young. And then his team beats them two straight years. I need to buy a new car and I'm thinking of hiring him to negotiate the price.

Bears Losers

KR Velus Jones Jr.

He couldn't even get active for a game when return man DeAndre Carter had bruised ribs.

G Nate Davis

If they're using Matt Pryor at right guard and not moving him with Teven Jenkins out, it doesn't say much for Davis' chances to get back into the starting lineup barring an injury. He got paid $30 million for three years to be a backup. At least his groin injury or whatever it was will have time to heal.

K Cairo Santos

Sorry, but a kicker missing an extra point is a net loser unless you also make a long field goal. They didn't need him to do this.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.