Bear Digest

Top Takeaways from the Second Bears Preseason Game

Analysis: The Bears emerged with more confidence and optimism from the second preseason game largely because of Caleb Williams' performance, and a budding pass rush.

Gene Chamberlain

Caleb Williams Puts Win in Perpective.mp4
Caleb Williams Puts Win in Perpective.mp4 /
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The Bears looked so sharp against Buffalo in their 33-6 preseason win that it's easy to get too caught up in what they actually accomplished.

Fortunately for them, coach Matt Eberflus quickly brought things back to earth by talking about the difficult coming week of practice and a practice against Cincinnati prior to next week's third preseason game at Soldier Field.

"And I told the team, you know, in the in the locker room there that we got to level up," Eberflus told reporters afterward. "You know, I challenged them last week to be able to get better as a whole group individually, you know, and collectively and, and they did that and we had to do it again because we don't have time not to improve. So there's got to be a sense of urgency in our building."

It's true Bears starters managed two scoring drives in two series with Caleb Williams seeing his first action, and starters saw playing time for the first time in preseason while moving out to a 6-3 lead.

Beyond that, it was a preseason game with subs from both teams playing most of the way, no different than all preseason games in this respect.

Nor should the easy win be discounted simply because the Bears were playing their second preseason game and started camp a week earlier than the Bills, who were playing their first preseason game.

This situation happens every year after the Hall of Fame Game and if it made a difference in how a team performs in exhibitions it would show up in the win column. It doesn't. Sure, Houston had a relatively easy win over Pittsburgh after it had also played a game prior, but that usually means little.


The teams who played in the last 10 Hall of Fame Games went on to an 11-9 record the following week. So, prior to this year's games, it was 50-50 over a decade whether taking part in that Hall of Fame Game meant a better second preseason performance.

Here are the top takeaways from the 33-6 Bears win in Week 2 of preseason.

1. Caleb Williams Throwing on the Move

All this was well known throughout his college career and in the run up to the draft, but Williams showed the pocket is merely a word and not an actual place for him. His 26-yard pass on the move to Cole Kmet typified how the Bears can use him within the offense. Play-action doesn't necessarily come inside the pocket and this can be a good weapon for beating blitzes or heavy rushes. 

2. Williams Can Play in the Pocket

The suggestion that Williams wouldn't or doesn't play inside the pocket by critics never looked less valid than when the Bears faced third-and-12 on their very first possession. A holding penalty against Darnell Wright led to second-and-17 and Williams found a way to get the first down and extend the drive, by drilling a throw to DJ Moore at the sticks. 

3. Williams Improvises

He'd shown it time and again in college football but in the NFL would he be able to change up his delivery to get out of trouble? A down after the catch by Moore, he did, in the 42-yard screen pass to D'Andre Swift. Trapped in a collapsing pocket, Williams merely flipped the ball over the charging linemen rather than draw back and try to throw it. It was quick thinking under pressure and the strange deliver took the defense by surprise, getting Swift an extra step on the way to the long gain.

4. Williams the Rookie

Rookie quarterbacks do boneheaded things and Williams showed he is no different. With the ball on his own 7, he tried throwing out toward the sideline late on a play to Rome Odunze. It's an invitation to an interception and pick-6. Sure enough, the ball should have been picked off and Odunze wasn't open. It was a case where he should have either found a way to scramble, buy more time and throw or simply throw it away. Instead, he was saved by an illegal contact penalty on the play, and not one he would have known occurred before he threw it.

BEARS PRESEASON WEEK 2 REPORT CARD VS. BILLS

CALEB WILLIAMS' THRILL SHOW COMING SOON TO AN NFL FIELD NEAR YOU

CALEB WILLIAMS' EFFECTIVE DEBUT STARTS BEARS ON WAY TO EASY WIN

BEARS LOOKING FOR MORE THAN DEFLECTIONS FROM GERVON DEXTER

5. Get Out the Slip 'N Slide Again

Williams seemed proud of himself after the game for a slide on his key 13-yard scramble for a first down during the second possession. Watch the slide again and it was anything but textbook. His weight was too much on one hip. The one good thing about it was he didn't let someone get nearby before he hit the turf. Justin Fields used to slide fine but he waited until the last possible second and got clocked. Williams needs to keep working on the technique with the Slip 'N Slide that they took out during the first episode of Hard Knocks because the slide was not something anyone would use to steal a base or a yard on the football field.

6. Never Sleep on DJ Moore

He's been less involved in a lot of the practices at Bears camp as a target than  Rome Odunze and Keenan Allen, but when actual football began Moore was there for three targets. Allen had none and Odunze just one, the last pass Williams threw at the back of the end zone. Actually, Odunze got targeted twice but one of those was wiped out on the illegal contact penalty.

7. Pass Rush Spark

Out of the blue, the Bears had a pass rush. They had nothing the first game. They got Austin Booker in for 47% of the snaps, Daniel Hardy 46% and the two had 2 1/2 sacks each. Being in a situation where the Bills had to pass made it easier for the two edge rushers. Khalid Kareem and Zacch Pickens also had sacks as Bills backups became sitting ducks. It's not accurate to say this went a long way toward solving the need for another pass rush threat besides Montez Sweat, but at least it gave hope someone else can do it after the dud of a first game the pass rushers had.

8. What Line Shuffle?

The Bears offensive line had been shuffled two or three times since the first preseason game because of injuries and the line they used with Matt Pryor playing right guard and Coleman Shelton at center was one they had used more in OTAs than in training camp. It still worked perfectly with the wide zone scheme. The only flaw in blocking came when they couldn't convert second-down and third-down runs for short yardage on their first drive in the red zone. This could become a problem, though, with two centers who are 300 pounds or lighter and with an unsettled right guard situation.

9. The Real Depth

What needs to be remembered is Mitchell Trubisky, Josh Allen and Steve Buechele faced a half-strength Bears secondary. With Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker still out, the Bears had 40% of their starting secondary on the field to face Allen. Also, the first cornerback off the bench, Terell Smith, is injured and missed the game. So, really it was two of the top six DBs played. Players lower on the depth chart moved up and played in spots against passers for reps they normally wouldn't get. Jaylon Jones, Leon Jones, Josh Blackwell and Reddy Steward all came out of it with a lot more reps than normal and produced.

10. Big Play Shane

The Shane Waldron offense in Seattle became one known for bigger plays but not much possession time. They were last twice in possession time and next to last once. In this game, the Bears offense under Waldron had five plays that went for more yards than the longest Buffalo play.

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.