NFL victory in London: The new era in Chicago is taking shape

More and more in control: Caleb Williams.
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The search for a starting quarterback who fit nothing less than the profile of a successful leader for years took what felt like an eternity in Chicago. No Jay Cutler, no Mitchell Trubisky, no Justin Fields were able to fully meet the high expectations of this venerable franchise.

And of course: Caleb Williams, the first overall pick in this year’s draft, will also have to prove himself in the long term. However, the clear 35:16 against the Jacksonville Jaguars this early Sunday was the next sign – especially since the 22-year-old had already given his best performance last week in the 36:10 against the Carolina Panthers with over 300 yards and two touchdowns.

Now in the guest game at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where the Bears were the hosts, Williams “only” recorded 226 yards. However, the rookie completed an impressive 23 of 29 passes – including four (!) touchdown throws to his teammates. The one interception – his fifth after what was initially a bumpy start – was absolutely bearable.

The offense is running hot and is doing particularly well

The best thing about the whole performance, which also included 56 rushing yards from Williams, 91 yards plus score from running back D’Andre Swift and two touchdown catches each for receiver Keenan Allen and tight end Cole Kmet: Chicago improved its own record in the Hotly contested NFC North – the only division with only positive teams before this Week 6 – dropped to 4-2.

But that’s not all. At the same time, the bears also achieved something historic. Because two games in a row with at least 35 offensive points scored – that hadn’t happened for this proud franchise since 2013. Another indication of a promising era that has just begun with playmaker Williams.

On top of that, the Bears’ defense held their opponents – this time the Jaguars, who had slipped to 1-5 around playmaker Trevor Lawrence (234 yards, two TDs, one int.) – to under 22 points for the twelfth time in a row. This is and remains the longest streak across all seasons among all 32 teams. All of this was duly celebrated by the unit of head coach Matt Eberflus (in office since 2021) with a – fitting for England – “Tea Party Celebration”.

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