The Chicago Bears lost their fifth straight game Sunday, but there is at least some reason for optimism coming out of the most recent setback.
Chicago slipped to 4-7 on the season with a 30-27 overtime loss to the Vikings. The Bears trailed by 11 with 1:56 to play, but managed to erase the deficit and force overtime with a Keenan Allen touchdown before a Cairo Santos field goal as time expired. The end result was the same as it's been of late, but the Bears came out of Sunday’s showing with a lot more to feel good about than recent games.
A big part of that is because of the increased life the offense showed. Things began trending in the right direction in last week’s loss to the Packers, and they continued to progress against Minnesota. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was 32-for-47 in the air for 340 yards and a pair of touchdowns with no interceptions, with six different players posting at least one reception. Allen, D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze and Cole Kmet all had at least five receptions each.
It was an encouraging display from Williams, in particular. He kept the mistakes to a minimum and was able to get a variety of receivers going. Even when things were dicey in the fourth quarter as the Bears tried to cut into the two-possession lead, he was poised.
His recent play has been impressing teammates, including Moore.
"He's been playing with a lot of confidence,” Moore said Monday in his weekly appearance on Mully & Haugh. “Getting the ball out fast, just taking what the defense gives him and not really having to be Superman until it's necessary."