Bears vs. Jaguars: 4 key matchups to watch in Week 6

The Chicago Bears (3-2) are set to face the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. CT. The two teams will face off overseas in London. This will mark the fourth time that the Bears have traveled to London, and the last time they visited in 2019 they lost to the Las Vegas Raiders.

The last time Chicago and Jacksonville faced off was in 2020, where the Bears beat a 1-13 Jaguars team, 41-17. Both teams have new head coaches and rosters, led by two young quarterbacks in rookie Caleb Williams and 25-year old Trevor Lawrence.

The Bears are riding high after a dominating win over the Carolina Panthers last week. The offense finally clicked and complimented a defense that has been at the top of the league all season long. Without further ado, here are the four key matchups to look out for in Week 6.

1. Bears pass rush vs. Jaguars pass protection

The Bears pass rush has ranked amongst some of the best in the NFL this season. According to Pro Football Focus, Chicago has the 10th best pass rushing grade in the league at 71.2. Montez Sweat may only have two sacks this season, but he still draws enough attention to create opportunities for others like Andrew Billings and Gervon Dexter Sr., who might just be the best interior defensive lineman in the NFL at rushing the quarterback.

The Jaguars pass protection this season ranked 18th in the NFL with a grade of 63.7, according to PFF. Lawrence has been sacked 12 times this season already and takes an average of 2.68 seconds to throw on all dropbacks. When the Jaguars’ offensive line gives Lawrence less than 2.5 seconds to throw, Lawrence completes just 49.4% of his passes — the fourth worst in the NFL. Pressuring Lawrence will be a key in shutting down Jacksonville’s aerial attack.

2. Bears secondary vs. Trevor Lawrence

Not only will the Bears pass rush play a role in shutting Lawrence down but their secondary, as well. The Bears have the second best PFF coverage grade in the NFL at 84, and are fourth in the league in interceptions with six through five games.

Trevor Lawrence hasn’t been amazing to start the season, but he’s certainly been underwhelming. He’s thrown just two picks but is also ranked 30th in the NFL in completion percentage at 59.6%. The Bears could possibly be without cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, and safety Jaquan Brisker didn’t travel to London due to a concussion. But I’m confident that Kevin Byard III can hold his own downfield for the safeties. As for corners, Jaylon Johnson is one of the league's best, and Jaylon Jones has played really well in the reps he’s gotten this season. Jones has only dropped into coverage nine times, but has allowed no catches and has two passes defensed already.

3. Bears run defense vs. Jaguars running backs

The one downside the Bears defense has faced this season is stopping the run game. They’re yet to do so effectively. Even in the dominating win over the Panthers, the Bears allowed Chuba Hubbard to run for 97 yards on just 13 carries. Chicago has allowed its opponents to run for 120.8 yards per game this season.

The Jaguars have two running backs that have been highly productive this season in Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby. Both backs have over 200 yards on the ground this season and Bigsby averaged eight yards per carry, while Etienne averages 4.4 yards per carry. Billings and Dexter have been good at getting to the quarterback but they will need to plug holes quickly with the help of Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards.

4. Caleb Williams vs. Jaguars pass defense

Williams followed his efficiently managed Week 4 performance with the best game of his short career — 304 yards and two touchdowns while completing 69% of his passes against the Carolina Panthers. Now all eyes will be on Williams as the Bears head to London — can he continue his gradual progression and lead this offense like he did in Week 5?

His connection with offensive playmakers is not a question anymore. Williams is learning what his players like and their tendencies, and is becoming more consistent with them. How well Williams performs is going to come down to the Bears’ offensive line and how well he can pick apart the Jaguars’ defense.

The Bears offensive line only allowed Williams to be pressured eight times and sacked once last week. The Jaguars pass rush grade ranks 25th in the NFL with a grade of 62.9 according to PFF. I think the last two weeks have answered a lot of questions about the personnel of the Bears’ offensive line, but possibly missing Teven Jenkins could hurt the interior.

The Jaguars also allow the most passing yards per game at 287.8 and are one of three teams this season that are yet to intercept a pass. Williams needs to stay confident and vocal like he’s been and needs to keep trying to push the ball downfield. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron also needs to continue with the balance and aggressive play calling that he’s showcased the last two weeks.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Jaguars: 4 key matchups to watch in Week 6