Bears vs. Jaguars: 3 reasons for optimism in Week 6 matchup

The Chicago Bears (3-2) are back in London for the first time in five years, where they'll take on the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) who are in London for the 11th time in franchise history.

Winning their last two home games, the Bears will be the home team on Sunday and looking to extend their home winning streak to nine consecutive games. They'll also be looking to extend their streak of holding opponents to 21 points or less to 12 games in a row.

Unfortunately, they'll likely be without starting cornerback Tyrique Stevenson while safety Jaquan Brisker has already been ruled out with a concussion. Even with the secondary being banged up, there's plenty of reasons for optimism as the team looks to get their third straight win on the season and improve to 4-2.

1. Caleb Williams' growth is leading to a much better offense

There were many calls after the first three games for Shane Waldron to lose his job because there was no offensive production or consistency. Caleb Williams was being mocked as the top pick over Jayden Daniels, and many fans were claiming "same old Bears" as it looked like another young quarterback was going to flop.

How quickly things have changed for the offense, with running back D'Andre Swift being a big reason why. After rushing for a total of 68 yards in the first three games, Swift has rushed for a combined 166 yards in the past two games. In total, Swift has been a weapon for Williams as a receiver and has compiled 285 yards from scrimmage in the last two victories.

Williams has done what he's needed to do to beat the Rams and Panthers the lsat two weeks, and he'll look to keep that flow going against the Jaguars. It's showing more and more that the receivers are finding comfort with Williams, and he's escaping the pocket looking to make plays to the best of his abilities. The offensive chemistry is growing, which is leading to much better production, and more wins.

2. Jacksonville's struggling defense

With the aforementioned Williams doing what he has to do to get the win, the Jaguars present a real opportunity for him to have plenty of big play possibilities. Ranking 32nd in pass coverage in the NFL, Jacksonville is susceptible to giving up big moments in the passing game, and the Bears have plenty of opportunities to take advantage.

Whether it's with their trio of top wide receivers, tight end Cole Kmet, or continuing to lean on Swift out of the backfield, this could be a show out game for Caleb Williams and the offense. The offense will need to continue to build off of each week they're finding success as they prepare for a tough second half of the season schedule, which will see them place all of their divisional opponents in the back half of the season.

Jacksonville's defense ranks 31st in total defense, giving up nearly 400 yards per game, while their passing defense ranks dead last, and their rush defense ranks a surprising ninth in the league. The passing game will be open and there for the taking for Williams and Co. now it will just be about executing.

3. Jacksonville's travel decisions

It's worth noting that the Bears left on Monday to get to London to get acclimated with the time change and playing overseas. In the past, the Bears would travel later in the week and looked flat as a team in their few London appearances, and there's no doubt that their travel plans may have had something to do with that.

While the Bears have been there since Monday, Jacksonville decided not to arrive in London until Thursday, meaning they'll have just about three days to get in a routine and caught up to the time difference. It may be a game-changer or it may not mean nothing at all.

Either way, the Jacksonville Jaguars just got their first win of the season last week over the Indianapolis Colts, their first win in 315 days. There has been plenty of scrutiny, criticism, and plenty of questions around the Jaguars, while the Bears are seemingly trending upwards, their opponents appear to be going in the opposite direction.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Jaguars: 3 reasons for optimism in Week 6 matchup