The Chicago Bears made a statement to their detractors on Black Friday with a 24-15 win over the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles. If the playoffs started this week, which of course they don't, the Bears would be the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
On a windy day in Philadelphia, the Bears leaned on their run game to great effect as they rushed for 281 yards and averaged six yards per carry. The running back duo of D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, of course, led the way, as they combined for 255 yards on 40 carries.
The Bears' passing game was another story. Caleb Williams completed less than 50 percent of his passes (17-for-36) for 154 yards with a touchdown and an interception. On a couple of occasions, on-target throws resulted in near misses, as a receiver slipped, etc.
Williams also came up clutch late in the game with a touchdown pass that put the game out of reach. But that kind of performance from the passing game could cost the Bears in big games over the rest of the season, and everyone knows it.
As expected, head coach Ben Johnson said just that when he spoke to reporters as the new week started.
"Everybody has a role to play to get this pass game cleaned up. It's not where it needs to be. We're winning in spite of our passing game, not because of it. And none of us are pleased with that."
Caleb Williams' draws appropriate grade for his Week 13 performance
When Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report graded each starting quarterback's performance in Week 13, it's no surprise Williams got a "C."
After the automatic mention of the great work the Bears' running backs and offensive line did against the Eagles, Sobleski got to the more direct bottom-line assessment of Williams' day.
"Williams made an excellent 28-yard touchdown throw while rolling to his left and making the toss without setting his feet. A good moment for the quarterback doesn't overshadow how well the Bears played in the trenches. Williams did enough, which is all Chicago needed."
Williams may never be the consistently accurate passer Johnson and Bears fans would like him to be. But on those tougher days, due to weather conditions, etc, "doing enough" (avoiding turnovers/managing the game, making a clutch throw or two) as he did against the Eagles will be good enough.
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The Bears winning a road game against a good team in less-than-ideal conditions when Williams was not nearly at his best is a good thing. And the promise for better from the second-year signal caller over the rest of the season is not diminished at all.