Bears vs Rams: Everything we know about Bears' Week 4 win

The Chicago Bears got back on track and in the win column on Sunday afternoon with a 24-18 win over the Los Angeles Rams. Both of the Bears' wins have come at Soldier Field, and now 2-2 on the season, there was plenty of positive signs in the win.

After a horrendous week on the road against the Indianapolis Colts, there was plenty of criticism towards offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, the team's offense as a whole, and just as they did in Week 1, the Bears scored 24 points in their winning effort.

Here is everything we learned after the Week 4 win over the Rams, which saw a much improved running offense but still had some reason for concern with an undisciplined offensive line.

Final Score: Bears 24, Rams 18

Keys to the game

The running game came alive: Two people who received the most criticism this week were offensive coordinator and running back D'Andre Swift. Both men showed major improvement, and Swift may have felt some pressure with Roschon Johnson behind him. On the game, Swift carried the ball 16 times for 93 yards and one touchdown. It was the best game of the season for Swift, and the first three don't compare to the production he had against Los Angeles.

Swift also added 7 catches for 72 yards, while backup running back Roschon Johnson added a one-yard touchdown run, with 7 carries and 26 yards. Not only the two running backs, but it was also Caleb Williams on option runs where he read the Rams defense very well and picked up good yardage, it wasn't much, but 12 yards on five carries helped the offense stay on the field. There is no doubt about it, if Swift, Johnson, and the offensive line can get the running game involved, it will lead to a much smoother and effective offense altogether.

Undisciplined offensive line: At first it was the performance of the offensive line, allowing multiple sacks, not opening holes in the run game, and just overall sloppiness that was holding the Bears offense back. This week, it was that unit's undisciplined play that hurt the offense. With five pre-snap penalties, the offensive line stalled multiple drives and could be blamed for not even more points being scored in the game. There was a big pre-snap penalty in the fourth quarter that would take a third-and-2, to third-and-7 and then a sack would follow, ending the drive.

Discipline boils down to coaching performances, and while there weren't many head-scratching plays, there was a ton of frustration with the offensive line penalties. Left guard Tevin Jenkins did go down in the game and missed the second half due to a ribs injury, which saw Matt Pryor fill in for him and Nate Davis go back to the right guard position. The line did give up three sacks, bringing the season total to 16 sacks allowed on Caleb Williams, but it felt as if the unit as a whole played better. Coaching will have to crank down on the penalties, and there's no telling what the offense could be capable of.

Defense shines once again: Taking on a depleted Rams offense, without star wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, the Bears defense knew the focus would be on slowing down running back Kyren Williams, and limiting Matthew Stafford. The defense was able to hold Williams under 100 yards, although he did score a touchdown, his sixth of the season, but Stafford did not find the endzone through the air in this game.

Picking up three sacks on the day, the Bears defense forced two turnovers on Stafford and made continuous stops when called upon. Each and every week it feels as if there is another player on defense stepping up and this week it was safety Jaquan Brisker who came up big in the game. The physicality of the Bears defense, especially the secondary was on display throughout.

It was over when...

...Jaquan Brisker sealed the game with an interception, adding to his big performance against Los Angeles. Late in the fourth quarter, down by six, the Rams had one drive to tie or take the lead, but after pressure from Darrell Taylor forced a bad throw, it was Brisker who called game with the interception.

4 stars of the game

*Jaquan Brisker: Brisker, defensively, carried this team to victory doing it all on the field. Compiling 12 tackles, two of which were for losses, one sack, one quarterback hit, and the aforementioned game-sealing interception, Brisker was the best player on Sunday. Brisker has 35 tackles on the season after Week 4 and is showing to be an absolute game-changer when playing as he did against the Rams.

**D'Andre Swift: Not enough can be said about the great performance for Swift in the win against Los Angeles. For the first time since 2015, the Bears had a running back go for 70+ rushing and 70+ receiving yards in a single game thanks to Swift, who was the first to do it since Jeremy Langford. Swift totaled 165 yards from scrimmage on the day, and even more importantly, averaged 5.8 yards per carry on the ground, after he averaged less than two yards per rush in the first three weeks.

***Gervon Dexter Sr: Grading a defensive tackle at times may be tough, but there may not be a tougher challenge for opponents right now than stopping Dexter. Looking on paper, Dexter recorded two tackles, two quarterback hits, one tackle for loss, and a sack, but it felt like he lived in the Rams' backfield the entire game. Dexter has been a disruptor every game this season and his growth will be crucial week-to-week for this strong and growing Bears' defense.

****Tory Taylor: Never mind the draft day text from Caleb Williams saying Taylor wouldn't be needed much this season. He was needed on Sunday and his impact was massive. Punting the ball five times, Taylor averaged 55.4 yards per punt, he had one touchback in those five punts, and three of them were inside the 20. Taylor also flipped the field completely with a fourth-quarter 66-yard punt that pinned the Rams deep into their own territory. He's been needed much more than Williams would've liked to begin the season, but in Week 4 his efforts in the punting game helped the Bears' defense find opportunities.

What's next

The Bears (2-2) can look to build a win streak with their second straight home game next week, this one against the Carolina Panthers (1-3). When the season started it looked as if it would be Caleb Williams vs. Bryce Young in this matchup, but Young has been benched in favor of veteran Andy Dalton, who led the Panthers' to their first victory of the season in Week 3 over the Las Vegas Raiders. Not only can the Bears get a second consecutive victory, but will also look to remain undefeated at home at Soldier Field.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs Rams: Everything we know about Bears' Week 4 win