6 Important Stats from the Chicago Bears Victory in Week 4

The Chicago Bears earned their second victory of the season on Sunday, taking down the visiting Los Angeles Rams to the score of 24 - 18. Returning their record to .500, the takedown of the Rams has been by far the Bears' most complete game of the season, but their progress may be greater than the six-point scoring margin may indicate.

To get a better understanding of how the Bears earned a win, and what they can do to hold onto their momentum, here are six important stats that tell the story of the team's week four victory:

63%

Running back D'Andre Swift was the offensive MVP in week four, accounting for an impressive 62% of the Bears' total offense. Finishing the game with 93 yards on the ground and 72 yards through the air, Swift gained 7.2 yards per touch, including a 36-yard touchdown scamper in the fourth quarter to extend Chicago's lead to two scores.

Swift's big play abilities were present beyond the final frame, as the back had 14 touches go at least five yards, three touches go at least ten yards, and two touches go at least 25 yards. The team's leading rusher and receiver against the Rams, Swift outperformed his previous three outings combined and seems to have solidified his role as the offense's lead back, a position that was rumored to be up in the air heading into the weekend.

12

While Swift was the offensive MVP, the defensive MVP certainly goes to safety Jaquan Brisker, who led the team with 12 total tackles. His eight solo tackles were also a team-high, and he stuffed the rest of his stat sheet with two tackles for loss (team-high), a sack, a pass deflection, and a game-sealing interception on the Rams' final drive.

After a less-than-ideal start that included an unnecessary roughness penalty and an interception that was negated by a failure to re-establish position in bounds, Brisker was lights out on Sunday, influencing the game from all three levels of the defense. Perhaps the most versatile player on team, let alone the defense, Brisker's physicality near the ball and instincts in coverage make him a game-planning nightmare most weeks.

277

Turning the attention to the specialist unit, rookie punter Tory Taylor had an exceptional outing in week four, totaling 277 punt yards on just five attempts. Diving into his play a little deeper, the Iowa product had just one kick returned, downed 60% of his boots inside the eight-yard line, and had a long of 66 yards to completely flip the field late in the fourth quarter.

Taylor's ability to pin the opponent deep and heavily impact field position seems to have been worth the fourth-round pick thus far, especially alongside the team's stifling defense. A true weapon on special teams, everyone benefits from having a game-changer at the punter position, and Taylor already appears to be one of the best in the league.

0

Turnovers are always a key part of the game, and the Bears' offense did their job on Sunday, turning the ball over 0 times. Despite putting the ball on the ground once, Caleb Williams was very protective of the rock, finishing the game with just six incompletions and even fewer turnover-worthy moments. From top to bottom, the offense seemed to advance from their turnover issues from the past few weeks and submitted a clean stat sheet for the first time this year.

The defense was equalling as ball-focused, finishing with two takeaways including a Montez Sweat strip sack to set the offense up in the red zone as well as Brisker's aforementioned game-winning pick. Winning the turnover battle consistently will lead to wins for this talented Bears' team, so both units should look to compound their progress over the next few weeks.

84

If there is one glaring area for improvement from Sunday's win, it is certainly the penalties, which resulted in 84 total yards against the Bears. While both the defense and special teams unit committed fouls throughout the game, the offense was the worst in terms of quantity with six penalties that counted for 45 yards.

While penalties will always be a part of the game, the troublesome aspect of the offense's struggles stems from the type of fouls committed. Of their six infractions, four came pre-snap in the form of false starts and illegal formations. Being cleaner on offense will not only make for a more productive unit, but it will keep the group from shooting themselves in the foot with untimely mistakes.

7

Dating back to October 22, 2023, the Bears have won 7 straight home contests, the longest active streak across the NFL. In that time, the Bears' offense has averaged 26.6 points per game at home (compared to 15.4 on the road) and the defense has allowed just 15.1 points per game at home (compared to 21.5 on the road). The team has won just one road game in this span.

It is difficult to extract a lot of information across seasons, especially considering how much the roster has changed since the end of the 2023 season. Still, the need to protect Soldier Field appears to be an identity ingrained in this team, and the Bears will have the opportunity to extend their streak in week five against the visiting Carolina Panthers.