Takeaways from the Chicago Bears win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 5
CHICAGO - The Chicago Bears' offense has come to life.
Against a Carolina Panthers team that came into Soldier Field 1-3, the Bears diced up the Panthers' short-handed defense and attacked them relentlessly.
It helps when the Bears defense forces three turnovers on the day.
The Bears won handily behind an active offense. Here's what we took away from the big win at Solider Field.
D'Andre Swift has found his footing
After three games where D'Andre Swift struggled to find success in any phase of the Bears' offense, he's gotten on to something.
Against the Rams, Swift had 165 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on a 36-yard scamper.
Against the Panthers, Swift kept his success going with over 100 yards from scrimmage yet again. He was successful on the ground going off tackle and slicing through Panthers' defensive backs and in the screen game where he took a screen pass 42 yards down inside the Panthers' five-yard line.
Pundits and analysts were about to deem Swift a bust of a free agent signing through three games.
Swift, to his credit, stayed the course. He worked with the offense and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron to find out what works.
They've found it.
Bears have something with the Doug Kramer package
As the Bears try to keep establishing their identity, they have found an identity when they get to the goal line.
Center Doug Kramer came in against the Rams and paved the way for Roschon Johnson's touchdown. He did the same again on Sunday, clearing a hole for Johnson again.
In fact, when Kramer is in the game on the goal line, the Bears are pretty productive. The Bears scored two touchdowns on Sunday when Kramer was in the game as a blocker.
Aside from the clipping foul Kramer committed, the Bears were productive with the Kramer package.
In the four completed plays the Bears ran with Kramer on the field this season, the Bears have scored touchdowns on three of those four plays. The clipping foul negated a Williams' scramble for a score.
The Bears' defense got a lead. They went aggressive
The Bears' offense went from a 7-0 hole to a 21-7 lead really quick. When that happened, it was going to be interesting to see what the Bears' defense was going to do.
Do they play their game? Or would the Bears opt for a more aggressive approach?
The Bears, to their credit, went aggressive. They sent Kyler Gordon on blitzes. They trusted their defensive backs with one-on-one and man-coverage.
The Bears' defensive backs responded in kind. Kevin Byard came down with an interception on a heave by Andy Dalton where Byard went and got the 50-50 ball. Tyrique Stevenson had two pass break ups. Jaquan Brisker got in on the action, too.
It ended with the Bears getting multiple turnovers and winning the turnover battle.
Jaquan Brisker stays hot
After telling our own Cassie Carlson that he'll have a forced fumble and an interception, Jaquan Brisker got his forced fumble in the first half.
Brisker popped Panthers' tight end Tommy Tremble and Tremble coughed it up. Gervon Dexter Sr. recovered.
It's one thing to call your shot. It's another to follow through. Brisker has a chance to be one of the best defenders on a stacked Bears' defense this season.
Williams to Moore is great
Still worried about the Caleb Williams-to-DJ Moore connection after today? We're not sure what to tell you.
Moore went over 100 yards and was Williams' go to receiver when he needed a big play. Save for a few drops, the Bears' connection with his No. 1 receiver looked like a connection with a No. 1 receiver.
Moore finished the day with 105 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
That's what the Bears and their fans were looking for. They have it now.