LONDON — The Bears are looking to start 4-2 for the first time since 2020, when they opened 5-1 before plunging to 8-8, when they face the Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday morning.
It will be a fairly normal game day schedule for the players if they have adjusted to the six-hour time difference between Chicago and London with kickoff at 2:30 p.m. local time (8:30 a.m. Central). The team left Halas Hall on Monday and arrived in England on Tuesday morning.
As the Bears look to maintain momentum and grab their first three-game winning streak since late in the 2020 season, here are three keys to beating the Jaguars:
1. Keep firing
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams needs to take another step forward and light up a Jaguars defense that has been terrible against the pass this season. They’ve yielded a 111.7 opponent passer rating (30th in the NFL), gotten 11 sacks (19th), allowed a 69.5 completion percentage (25th) and are one of just three teams that has yet to get an interception.
Everyone wants to see Williams pass a test against a strong defense, but this is the one he’s playing. For now, he needs to keep doing exactly what a good quarterback would do against a struggling opponent.
2. Activate Allen
It was more than merely a bonus when the Bears dealt a fourth-round pick to the Chargers for wide receiver Keenan Allen and picked up his $23 million salary for this season. He’s integral to their plan.
Allen got off to a rough start because of a heel injury and has yet to make the impact the Bears hoped he’d provide. After being one of Williams’ favorite targets in training camp, he has just 10 catches for 81 yards and no touchdowns in three games. If Allen is clicking, he’s a reliable third-down option and will open up more space for DJ Moore and Rome Odunze.
3. Fluster Lawrence
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is struggling, but they signed him to a $275 million contract extension for a reason. He can still be very dangerous, and the Bears have had some curious lapses in the secondary at times this season. He has nine career 300-yard games, including a career-high 371 last week against the Colts, getting there by completing 82.4% of his passes.
The Bears need to get an early lead, shut down the Jaguars’ running game and put Lawrence in must-pass situations so they can ignite their pass rush.