Bears need to improve offensive line to take pressure off Caleb Williams

CHICAGO (AP) — Caleb Williams had defenders coming at him one after another, constantly in his face whether they were sacking him or forcing him to rush throws.

It added up to another rough outing for the quarterback drafted No. 1 overall. A big reason was the blocking, and the play of the offensive line continued to be a concern for the Chicago Bears following a 19-13 loss at Houston on Sunday night.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily a talent issue necessarily up front,” tight end Cole Kmet said Monday. “I don’t think we were necessarily getting overmatched totally physically up front. But I think us getting on the same page mentally speaking can lead to those adjustments, and we can kind of see those sacks come down a little bit.”

The Texans blitzed heavily and sacked Williams seven times. The former Heisman Trophy winner out of Southern California completed 23 of 37 passes for 174 yards with two interceptions. That followed a shaky debut in Chicago’s season-opening win over Tennessee.

The Bears managed just 205 yards on offense. They got little from their ground game and consistently found themselves in third-and-long situations, which led to more pressure against Williams.

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“When you’re able to run the ball and move the ball and stay ahead of the chains, you don’t get those types of pressures in that where we know you’re all pass protection,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “So we have to do a really good job with that coming forward and not creating those distances for us there that aren’t favorable for us on offense (so) that we can rely more on the quick passing, rely more on to convert third downs — and really getting first downs on first and second down, not even getting to third down. That’s what we’re searching for.”

What’s working

The Bears’ defense has done a good job shutting down opponents in the second half through the first two games, limiting Houston to a field goal after holding Tennessee scoreless over the final two quarters in a season-opening comeback win.

“That’s just adjustments to what we see out there on the field, coming in, making the adjustments we need to make at halftime or on the sideline, and just going back out there trying to make plays and do whatever we can to help our football team,” linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said.

The Bears held Houston to 310 yards and one touchdown on Sunday. C.J. Stroud, the 2023 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, threw for 260 yards and one score, and was sacked three times.

What needs help

The run game. The Bears need to run the ball to take some pressure off Williams, but that’s hard to do when the blocking isn’t there.

Only four teams were averaging fewer yards rushing than the Bears at 77.5 per game through Sunday. Chicago was also 29th at 3.5 yards per carry.

Against Houston, the Bears ran 22 times for 71 yards, with Williams gaining 44 of those.

Stock up

P Tory Taylor. It’s a sign of problems on offense when a punter is the bright spot. But the fourth-round draft pick from Iowa had two more punts inside the 20, giving him five this season — two shy of the league lead.

Stock down

RB D’Andre Swift. The Bears signed Swift to a three-year deal after he made his first Pro Bowl in his lone season with Philadelphia. He ran for a career-high 1,049 yards and five touchdowns with the Eagles. But he’s off to a slow start in Chicago, with 48 yards on 24 attempts. He had 18 yards on 14 carries against Houston after rushing 10 times for 30 yards in the opener.

Injuries

Eberflus had no update on WR Keenan Allen (heel), who missed the game after being held out of practice last week.

Key number

7 — The seven sacks were the most allowed by the Bears since they gave up that many in a 41-10 loss at Detroit in Week 17 of the 2022 season.

Next steps

The Bears visit the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in another game featuring young quarterbacks, with Williams going against Anthony Richardson — the No. 4 pick in 2023.

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