The Chicago Bears prepare to face the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday.
No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams completed 20 of 29 passes for 304 yards with two touchdowns to DJ Moore and zero interceptions, leading Chicago to a 36-10 victory. His 126.2 passer rating was the best by a Bears rookie since the AFL-NFL merger. The previous high was Jim McMahon’s 121.1 against the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 26, 1982.
Williams has another big opportunity facing a struggling defense for the second week in a row. Jacksonville (1-4) ranks 31st overall and last in the NFL against the pass.
The Bears (3-2) are coming off their most lopsided victory since they pounded the New York Giants 29-3 in Week 17 of the 2021 season. A win would give them three straight for the first time since a three-game run late in the 2020 season. That streak was capped by a victory over Jacksonville.
Beating the Jaguars this time would make Chicago 4-2 at its bye. For a franchise trying to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2018, that is no small feat.
The Jaguars look to make it two straight wins after losing their first four games. They beat Indianapolis 37-34 last week.
The Bears have held opponents to 21 points or less in 11 straight games, the longest active streak in the NFL. It doesn't hurt to have a top-10 defense.
The Bears rank seventh overall and sixth against the pass. They had three takeaways last week and are third in the NFL with 11 this season. Only Green Bay (14) and Minnesota (13) have more.
D'Andre Swift had a combined 285 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns against the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina. He ran for 73 yards and a touchdown and added 47 yards receiving in the win over the Panthers after picking up 165 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown the previous week. It's a big jump after he had 68 yards rushing and 46 yards receiving through the first three games.
Swift had 1,049 yards rushing and 214 receiving with Philadelphia last season and made his first Pro Bowl. He signed a three-year contract in March.
While Chicago opted to fly out Monday night in order to have more time to shake off the jet lag, Jacksonville planned to leave Thursday, as it regularly does when it plays there. Then again, the Jaguars won't be heading home after the game.
Game time is 8:30 am Sunday morning.
