Instant analysis of the Bears' 24-18 win over the Rams in Week 4

With the reality of falling to a discouraging 1-3 record, the Chicago Bears played their most complete game of the season, defeating the Los Angeles Rams, 24-18, Sunday at Soldier Field.

Chicago would eventually turn up the intensity on offense, but they had to overcome the same bad habits that plagued the unit in the first few weeks. It was tough sledding for the Bears early, as the club was forced to punt on their first few drives due to penalties that derailed any traction they were able to get against the Rams. Los Angeles was consistent in moving the chains on their first two drives, with Chicago's defense eventually holding and forcing them to kick two field goals, putting them ahead 6-0 at end of the first quarter.

The Bears needed a spark to ignite the wildfire that would spur the team to life, and deadly quarterback hunter Montez Sweat delivered. The defensive end bulldozed two Rams blockers and swiped the ball away from quarterback Matthew Stafford for the strip sack, which was recovered by the Bears at the Rams' 16 yard-line. A defensive pass interference call on third down set the offense up with a first-and-goal at the one, and fan favorite running back Roschon Johnson punched into the endzone, putting the home team ahead 7-6 with ensuing extra point.

Los Angeles rookie kicker Joshua Karty learned first-hand just how difficult kicking on grass can be the following drive, hooking his field goal kick wide left. The Bears came away with three points of their own as time expired at the half, going to the locker room with a 10-6 lead.

Chicago opened the flood gates in the second half and never looked back. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams answered the field goal the Rams knocked through on their opening second half drive with the offense's best possession of the season, masterfully balancing the run and pass all the way into the endzone, where Williams threw a strike to star wideout DJ Moore in the back of the endzone. The score was 17-9 in the Bears' favor, and the two 1-2 squads would trade blows on the next two possessions.

Stafford drove his offense down the field on the heels of several chunk yardage throws, culminating in a Kyren Williams five-yard touchdown run, cutting the lead to two. Chicago retained their momentum and punched right back: reliable tight end Cole Kmet was on the receiving end of one of Williams' most impressive throws of his short career, as he threw a rope between three Rams defenders for a 22-yard gain, and running back D'Andre Swift exploded from the line of scrimmage and took off for a 36-yard touchdown scamper, cementing Week 4 as his statement game.

With the Bears ahead 24-15 at the start of the fourth, all LA could do was play catch up. The visiting team could only muster three points their last three drives of the game, with both special teams and defense ensuring Chicago's victory. Punter Tory Taylor lived up to his fourth-round draft status, mercilessly pinning the Rams deep on each of their last few possessions. Fittingly, the defense stifled LA's last desperate attempt to lead an unlikely comeback, with safety Jaquan Brisker punctuating his outstanding day with a timely interception of Stafford, putting the Rams away for good.

Just when it seemed like the Bears would never find their way as a team, they overcome adversity coming into Week 4 and push through early struggles to finally discovering their identity as offense. Chicago found immense success with a balanced attack, keeping the defense off-balance with the run and pass, trusting their first-year signal-caller to make the correct read of passing concepts that attack at all depths of the field.

That balance allowed the rushing attack to come alive, with both Swift and Johnson knifing through the heart of their opponent. Playing with lead naturally lends itself to the defense's biggest strength, stopping the pass, and that's all the Rams could do when they were down late.

Don't look now, but defense may not be the only star on campus in Chicago.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Instant analysis of the Bears' 24-18 win over the Rams in Week 4