The Bears have had plenty of slogans over the years. “Never Apologize for a Win” is the title of this year’s highlight film.

Now with the team in playoff position, the next question is: How far can the Bears go when their greatest asset is Caleb Williams’ ability to escape the pass rush.

The Giants could easily have collected five sacks on Sunday, but they finished with zero. For the most part, Williams didn’t produce major gains after avoiding sacks, but turning potential minus-8s into incomplete passes adds up.

The clip where right tackle Darnell Wright knocked down Kayvon Thibodeaux twice on the same play got plenty of social media traction. But Wright was also beaten off the snap a few times, and the only reason he didn’t give up three sacks was Williams making quick spins and getting away from trouble.

At the same time, the Bears defense struggled to contain a mobile quarterback in the Giants’ Jaxson Dart. In the passing plus rushing yards category, Dart edged Williams 308-283.

Of course, Dart was on his way to driving the Giants into a 24-7 lead when he kept the ball on a 7-yard run, was hit hard by C.J. Gardner-Johnson, then driven into the turf by Austin Booker and lost a fumble that was the turning point of the game.

Dart came back for two more plays, then was replaced by Russell Wilson during the break between the third and fourth quarters with concussion symptoms.

So how do the Bears avoid the same fate? One could say the Giants were flirting with danger by running Dart so often.

Williams seemed to avoid big hits in this game. One reason was he was never sacked. The other was most of his rushing yardage came off scrambles, where it’s a little easier for the ball carrier to find a soft landing spot.

It feels like Ben Johnson and the offensive coaching staff are doing a nice job of playing to Williams’ strengths. He’s at his best when making simple throws and quick decisions. Most of Sunday’s completions came on crossing patterns straight over the middle or simple two-man routes on the outside.

Beyond that, there’s no reason to complain about Williams leaving the pocket too early. His instincts to avoid trouble saved the Bears in this game.

The little things

The Bears continue to benefit from unforced good fortune. Now-dismissed Giants coach Brian Daboll made two bad decisions to go for it on fourth down, and the Bears got breaks with the injuries to both Dart and receiver Darius Slayton.

But when opportunity knocks, it’s the Bears’ job to burst through the door. One small detail that paid dividends happened when the Giants made the initial decision to go for it on fourth-and-2 near midfield in the first quarter.

Linebacker Noah Sewell read the play quickly. The Giants were trying to roll out Dart for a pass-run option. Sewell sprinted to the outside to keep Dart in the pocket and he had nowhere to go. With New York trying to block Montez Sweat with running back Devin Singletary, the play was doomed, and it gave the Bears a short field to score their first touchdown.

There was also winning execution on the go-ahead TD run. When Williams rolled out on the bootleg, tight end Cole Kmet was running a pass route. Once Williams decided to run, Kmet pivoted, blocked the man trying to cover him and ended up taking out multiple defenders as Williams ran untouched into the end zone.

Strangest play

In the second quarter, the Bears went for it on fourth-and-2 near midfield, then lined up in an unusual formation with the linemen spread out. There were huge gaps between the right guard and center, then another between the left guard and left tackle. Theo Benedet was out on an island.

But it seemed to work, as Benedet crashed down on edge Abdul Carter, probably could have been called for holding, but effectively cleared that side of the field.

D’Andre Swift followed and was alone against two tacklers but managed to smash through for 9 yards because linebacker Demetrius Flanigan-Fowles just threw a shoulder and never tried to wrap up. The Bears failed on the next fourth down four plays later.

Quick hitters

One cause for concern: Defensive line depth. Booker played a whopping 84% of the defensive snaps, while Sweat logged 71%. Tackles Grady Jarrett, Gervon Dexter and Andrew Billings were all above 50%. …

This was another game when the Bears struggled to contain the opposing defensive tackles (see Baltimore). Giants nose guard Dexter Lawrence was a major problem and there were other guys who made plays. There’s a reason most of the Bears’ rushing yards came on the outside.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20251111/chicago-bears/bears-film-study-this-team-is-all-about-great-escapes/