Kirby Lee/Imagn Images

Sometimes an NFL team takes on the personality of its head coach. The Chicago Bears have taken on the personality of their rookie quarterback. An extroverted, outgoing Caleb Williams shared the football on Sunday, throwing for 226 yards and four touchdowns in leading Chicago (4-2) to a 35-16 win over Jacksonville (1-5) at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“I think the progress that we’ve had is going to keep growing” Willliams said on the field with NFL Network’s Stacey Dales. “I think we have great leaders and a great personality of this team that I’ve talked about many times. All that’s going to keep growing and we’ve got to keep going.”

If they keep going and win again, the Bears will have their first four-game winning streak since 2018. But for now, they’ll rest and recharge after a long return flight to Chicago and a Week 7 bye. And true to his growth mentality, Williams will self scout before next lacing up his cleats in Week 8 against Jayden Daniels and the Commanders.

“I can’t turn the ball over like that,” he said of his second-quarter interception on a deep pass intended for DJ Moore, “a wide-open touchdown to DJ. A few things that were going on throughout the game that I’ve got to be better at.

“You’ve got to keep going. There’s going to be times throughout the game where there’s plays you don’t like, plays you messed up on, like today, but have to keep going. Have the positive mindset, stay a constant communicator throughout the whole team, offensive coordinator, everybody. That positive mindset goes a long way for our guys.”

One of those guys is tight end Cole Kmet, who led the team with 70 receiving yards on five receptions. Kmet matched a career best with two touchdown catches and filled a huge void for the Bears after they lost long-snapper Scott Daly for the game after a first-quarter knee injury. After Williams hit Kmet on a 31-yard touchdown to give Chicago a lead in the second quarter, Kmet stayed on the field to snap for the extra point. He filled in for Daly over the balance of the game.

“Cole’s unbelievable,” Williams said. “After he scored his touchdown, that was the first thing we came to the sideline and celebrated about, was him snapping the ball. Obviously, those single points go a long way in games like this. He did a great job, obviously of playing tight end, catching the ball and blocking, but also being able to snap the ball for our holder and kicker, to be able to put it through, is amazing.”

What’s also amazing is the Bears defense. After allowing Jacksonville to drive 76 yards on 14 plays for a game-opening field goal, Chicago then allowed only 11 plays and 36 yards over the next three drives – all punts – to preserve a 14-3 halftime advantage.

And they did it without two injured starters, safety Jaquan Brisker and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, both inactive. The turning point in the game was the first play of the second half, when linebacker T.J. Edwards forced an Evan Engram fumble and Elijah Hicks recovered. Seven plays later, Williams found Keenan Allen for a 7-yard touchdown to give Chicago a commanding 21-3 advantage. Allen finished with five catches for 41 yards and two touchdowns.

Chicago also got seven points off another takeaway early in the fourth quarter, when nickel back Josh Blackwell picked off Trevor Lawrence, giving the Bears possession at the Jaguars’ 36-yard line. D’Andre Swift (17 carries, 91 yards) punctuated that drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.

Jacksonville remains in London, where the Jaguars will meet New England at Wembley Stadium to kick off Sunday’s slate of Week 7 games.


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By Zak Gilbert

Since his freshman year at the University of Colorado, Zak has worked 30 years in sports, including 18 NFL seasons. He's spent time with four NFL teams, serving as head of communications for both the Raiders and Browns. A veteran of nine Super Bowls, he most recently worked six seasons in the NFL's New York league office.

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