Chicago Bears Score and Recap (Week 4): Bears 24, Rams 18 – Swift Shakes Off Struggles in Win

The Bears finally showed some life with their offense and even were able to establish a running game as they posted their second victory of the year against the Rams Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field. Caleb Williams did not throw for as many yards as last week but he made much better decisions and avoided any critical mistakes as he continues to grow as a quarterback.

Los Angeles dominated early in the game with a pair of drives into the red zone that took up the entire first quarter. Chicago’s defense stiffened up near the end zone and limited both possessions to field goals. Montez Sweat strip-sacked QB Matthew Stafford and recovered it deep in Ram territory, which led to a 1-yard touchdown run by Roschon Johnson to put the home team ahead 7-6.

LA could not convert a field goal attempt late in the second quarter but Cairo Santos did not miss a 40-yard kick as the half expired to make it 10-6. The Rams had another nice looking drive to begin the third quarter which again stalled out and ended in a FG that cut the margin to 10-9.

The Bears responded with possibly their best offensive possession of the season so far, marching 74 yards and ending it with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Williams to D.J. Moore for a 17-9 advantage. Stafford and company at last got to the end zone with a 3-yard run by Kyren Williams but the two point conversion was unsuccessful and Chicago remained in front 17-15.

The much maligned D’Andre Swift had the biggest blow in this game when he broke a 36-yard touchdown run to give the Bears a 24-15 lead. The Rams booted yet another field goal to get within six points but an interception by Jaquan Brisker sealed the 24-18 win. (Box score)

Why the Bears Won

They had no turnovers and were able to establish at least a decent running game to protect Williams.

Key Moment

Holding the Rams to field goals early kept the Bears from falling into a big hole right out of the gate. Instead, they were in front by halftime.

Stats That Matter

• Williams is getting better every single game and making much smarter decisions with the ball: 17/23 157 yards passing and one touchdown.
• Swift was basically the entire offense on Sunday with 93 rushing yards and 72 receiving yards out of 264 total team yards.
• Punter Tory Taylor had an incredible game flipping the field repeatedly and pinning the Rams deep.

Bottom Line

The Bears are going to play tons of close games this season so avoiding mistakes and running to protect narrow leads like they did on Sunday is going to be critical. They just aren’t good enough to get away with errors. Williams is definitely moving in the right direction and it’s pretty impressive in just four games.

Next Up

Chicago plays host to a struggling Carolina Panthers squad Sunday at 12:00pm CT with a broadcast on FOX.