Bears, Caleb Williams are holding everything together — so far

Three plays after Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart needed a little time to get up and walk off the field after fumbling and losing possession with a 17-7 lead late in the third quarter Sunday, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams came up limping noticeably after being sacked by Abdul Carter — a play that was nullified by a penalty.

As it turned out, Dart played just two more snaps before leaving the game with a concussion. Williams shook off the injury and passed for 111 yards and a touchdown, leading three scoring drives to give the Bears a 24-20 victory. His passer rating before the Carter hit — 68.2. After the Carter hit — 106.6.

The NFL season is one big war of attrition, but especially in the second half of the regular season. And having a resilient, durable quarterback — knock on wood — goes a long way toward winning it. Patrick Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain in a wild-card playoff game in 2023 — a four-to-six-week injury when it happens to a Bears player — and missed one series before leading the Chiefs to three victories and a Super Bowl championship.

It remains to be seen if Williams has that kind of pluck. But he’s already surpassed most Bears quarterbacks in durability. Sunday’s game against the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium will be his 27th consecutive start — tied with Jim Harbaugh for the third-longest streak among quarterbacks in franchise history — behind Bob Avellini’s 42 and Bill Wade’s 37. (Jay Cutler was much tougher than he got credit for, but his longest streak in eight seasons with the Bears was 23 starts.)

The Bears are winning that war of attrition, but it’s not like they’re overdue for a spate of injuries. They’ve had their share — starting with Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson in the offseason. But their injuries have been survivable. Nahshon Wright is making plays in place of Johnson. Austin Booker is making plays in place of defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo. Slot cornerback Kyler Gordon’s injury triggered the signing of C.J. Gardner-Johnson. When D’Andre Swift missed the Bengals game with a groin injury, rookie Kyle Monangai rushed for 176 yards in a 47-42 victory.

The Bears have been healthy where they need it the most under Ben Johnson — at quarterback and the offensive line. After a little musical chairs early at left and right tackle, the starting offensive line combination of Theo Benedet, Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, Jonah Jackson and Darnell Wright is slated to start its sixth consecutive game together Sunday — the most for a Bears offensive line since 2021.

That group, in fact, has played the last 344 consecutive snaps — avoiding the in-game changes that further stunted continuity in recent years. That already is more than double the longest streak in the Matt Eberflus era — 163 snaps last year, and not their strongest unit: Larry Borom, Jake Curhan, Coleman Shelton, Matt Pryor and Wright. In three seasons under Eberflus, the Bears never had an offensive line combination play more than two full games together. This group already has five in a row.

The Bears still have a left tackle issue, but the continuity is giving Johnson a chance to do what he was mostly hired to do — build an offense. Meanwhile, the Packers, who were 5-1-1 with a nearly full complement of offensive weapons, have lost back-to-back home games to the Panthers and Eagles since tight end Tucker Kraft suffered a torn ACL against the Panthers. They finished their loss to the Eagles on Monday night without Kraft, wide receiver Romeo Doubs and center Elgton Jenkins.

The Packers have a history of figuring these things out — probably just in time for the Dec. 7 game against the Bears at Lambeau Field. But the way things are going at this time of the NFL season, the healthier team will win.

Besting the bottom dwellers

2. Williams continues to raise his game in crunch time, but against defenses the Bears should be torching from the start. All four of Williams’ best games have come against defenses ranked in the bottom six in points allowed — the Giants (27th), Commanders (29th), Cowboys (31st) and Bengals (32nd).

The Vikings are 18th in points, but 24th in opponent’s passer rating (102.7). The last six quarterbacks they’ve faced have a 115.1 passer rating against them (68.6% completions, 12 touchdowns, one interception) — Lamar Jackson, Jared Goff, Justin Herbert, Jalen Hurts, Dillon Gabriel and Aaron Rodgers.

A Giant help

3. That said, Williams’ “it” factor credentials got a boost against the Giants: 1) Made the most of a disappointing day on offense against a vulnerable defense with two late touchdown drives; 2) didn't let six drops by his receivers throw him off his game or make him do too much; 3) confounded the Giants' defense with his escapability; 4) avoided interceptions on three deflected passes; 5) finished the game — in his his 26th consecutive start — which Dart could not do; 6) made his opponent play stupid: Dart's late fumble, Giants coach Brian Daboll kicking a field goal at the half-yard line; Jamie Gillan's shanked punt.

Keeping it clean

4. Ultimately the Bears will have to beat a contender, but winning these games is a step up for them. Though they had to rally to beat the Giants, playing a virtually clean game gave them the chance to win — no giveaways, no sacks and a season-low three penalties for 25 yards.

It was the first time the Bears have had no giveaways, no sacks allowed and three penalties or fewer since 1991 — a 10-6 victory over the Vikings in the season opener at Soldier Field.

Early results

5. Cornerback C.J Gardner-Johnson has a history of disruptive behavior, but also a history of playing on winning teams. With victories in his first two games with the Bears, Gardner is 70-22 in games he has played in during his NFL career, including 9-4 in the playoffs with two Super Bowl appearances and a championship last season with the Eagles.

Gardner-Johnson had a team-high nine tackles against the Giants, with the game-turning forced fumble and two sacks.

Wrong division

6. The Bears are closer to taking the East and never giving it back than they are the North. They’re 3-0 against the NFC East with victories over the Cowboys, Commanders and Giants. They’re 0-2 against the NFC North heading into Sunday’s game against the Vikings — and 3-17 in the division in Ryan Poles’ four seasons as general manager.

Not so tough?

7. The Bears still have the lowest strength-of-victory among the 16 teams in the NFL with winning records (.272, 15-41-1). In fact, the Cowboys (3-5-1), Raiders (2-7), Commanders (3-7), Saints (2-8), Bengals (3-6) and Giants (2-8) are 5-21 since Week 6.

Still, you can’t underestimate the mediocrity of the NFL. Bears fans have been bracing for the upcoming gantlet after seven consecutive games against sub-.500 teams. But the Bears’ final eight games are against teams with a rather undaunting 36-26-2 record — the Vikings (4-5), Steelers (5-4), Eagles (7-2), Packers (5-3-1), Browns (2-7), Packers (5-3-1), 49ers (6-4) and Lions (6-3). Only the Eagles have a better record than the Bears.

This and that

8. Quick Hits: The Bears ran a season-low one play with 11 or more yards to go against the Giants (a second-and-13 in the second quarter). They averaged 11 per game in the first four games of the season. … The Vikings had six false starts — at home — and 13 penalties for 102 yards overall in a 27-19 loss to the Ravens on Sunday.

Return of Mack

9. Josh McCown Ex-Bears Player of the Week: Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack sacked Aaron Rodgers for a safety to spark a 25-0 run in a 25-10 come-from-behind victory over the Steelers. It was Mack’s first sack since 2020 with the Bears — against Deshaun Watson in a 36-7 rout of the Texans.

Pick ‘em

10. Bear-ometer — 9-8: at Vikings (L); vs. Steelers (W); at Eagles (L); at Packers (L); vs. Browns (W); vs. Packers (W); at 49ers (L); vs. Lions (L).