Bears’ success on third down leads to 6-2 start
CHICAGO (AP) – Offensively and defensively, the Chicago Bears are quite good on third down.
Chicago is off to a 6-2 start, and third down efficiency is a major reason for its success. The Bears converted 7 of 15 third downs during Monday night’s 34-17 win at Seattle, and the Seahawks went 1 for 11 in those same situations.
“We believe in each other,” quarterback Caleb Williams said. “It’s not just offense. We wouldn’t have this belief without the defense. We wouldn’t have this belief without the special teams. We know we have each other’s back. We work our tail off as a team. The details, how detailed we are. It’s really cool see those things come to life in big moments and just throughout the game, so that’s who we are.”
Chicago has allowed an NFL-low 19 third down conversions in 80 attempts this season. The opponent third down conversion rate of 23.8% also is the lowest in the league.
Of course, most of those numbers were compiled before the Bears acquired All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons in a blockbuster trade with Tennessee on Thursday. He had a sack in the victory over the Seahawks.
The addition of Simmons could help the team sustain the success it has enjoyed on third down.
“It’s definitely what you want as an edge rusher, having a great interior,” defensive lineman Austin Booker said. “With Jeff, it’s opened things up. We’re getting to the quarterback and we’re winning, so you can’t ask for anything more than that.”
Chicago also leads the NFL with 51 third down conversions on offense. It went 3 for 4 on third down on its first possession against Seattle, part of a 17-play drive that Williams finished with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Luther Burden.
“Yeah, that’s us reverting back to our training,” Williams said. “We do these long drive drills that in training camp and OTAs that you hate, that you dread at the end of practice. It’s hot, all of that. They show up in big moments for us like today.”
D’Andre Swift rushed for three touchdowns to give him 10 on the season. He became the first player to rush for 10 or more TDs for the Bears in the first eight games of a season since Rick Casares in 1956.
The 27-year-old Swift finished with 27 carries for 69 yards in the road win.
“Swifty ran super hard,” coach Ben Johnson said. “I know he didn’t have a ton of yards, but 27 attempts and three touchdowns, every single yard was earned by him. Those are hard yards to come by.”