6 takeaways from the Bears' pummeling of the Panthers

It turns out the Chicago Bears can dominate the Carolina Panthers on the field, too. For the second time since the blockbuster trade involving the 2023 No. 1 overall pick, the Bears and Panthers squared off on Sunday, and it was a complete victory for Chicago as they won 36-10, improving to a 3-2 record.

After a dicey start where the Panthers went up 7-0, the Bears turned things around quickly thanks to Caleb Williams. The rookie quarterback tossed two touchdowns in the first half and had the offense humming against a putrid Panthers defense. The Bears outscored Carolina 36-3 after their first drive.

Defensively, Chicago got after Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton and put him in unfavorable situations. That led to a few key turnovers in which Chicago capitalized with scoring drives. This one turned into a laugher quickly and was the Bears' largest margin of victory in nearly three years. Here are our takeaways from the win:

1. Caleb Williams has almost arrived

Williams had the best game of his young career on Sunday, completing 20-of-29 passes for 304 yards, two touchdowns, and no turnovers. He continues to get better and better, looking more comfortable running the offense and being decisive with his throws. So after a performance like that, is it fair to say he's arrived? Not yet, but he's close.

It's easy to swoon over what Williams is doing in just his fifth start. He's making good checks at the line of scrimmage, effectively audibling into better plays based on the defense's look, and he's pushing the ball downfield with more accuracy and regularity. It also doesn't hurt that he hasn't thrown an interception in two straight games. He had just a couple bad misses and one of them was on the first play of the game because he wasn't used to Soldier Field's whacky wind conditions.

All of this is great, but he's still learning and growing. It's important to continue to give him time to establish himself. Just like it's not fair to officially call a player a bust after five games, that also goes the other way when anointing a player as the next great thing. Williams hasn't walked through that door yet, but he's stepping out of the car and walking up to the porch.

2. DJ Moore's body language looks pretty good

The narrative surrounding Moore's body language in recent weeks reached a boiling point, with many fans criticizing the star receiver for being a distraction due to sitting by himself on the sidelines and looking defeated at times. He couldn't even joke about the situation without being called into question about his feelings in this offense. Based on his reactions from this week, it's safe to put this ridiculousness to bed.

Moore was all smiles after he lit up his former team. He caught five passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns, showing his ability to get yards after the catch on one score while going up over a defender to snag another. He was fired up, too. Following his second score, Moore screamed at the top of his lungs with excitement and said how fired up he was after the game. "I had a lot of energy," he said. "You know why? Because we were hoping on that play, and we finally connected between me and Caleb."

Perhaps the connection between those two didn't get established as quickly as many had hoped, but it wasn't going to stay like that. Moore knows what Williams is capable of doing, and they're finally getting on the same page. If you're going to study body language, make sure to take note of the giant smile across Moore's face for much of this game.

3. The Bears offensive line is settling in

The offense as a whole is looking better and better, and while that is due to the gelling of Williams as well as offensive coordinator Shane Waldron diversifying the playbook, a lot of credit needs to go to the offensive line. The big boys up front played their best game of the year, allowing just one sack on Williams and continuing to improve with run blocking.

Sure, playing a defense that came into Week 5 with five sacks will greatly help, but you can see (and hear) how much better the communication has been. Even as they continue to deal with injuries.

For the second week in a row, guard Teven Jenkins left the game with an injury and needed to be replaced. This time, Bill Murray came in and did a heck of a job on the left side. Murray fit in seamlessly with Braxton Jones and Coleman Shelton, showing plenty of effort as the Bears controlled the line of scrimmage. There is optimism that Jenkins will be able to go in London, but if he can't, this team has depth to manage without him.

This isn't a great unit, and it will probably be serviceable at best, but things are starting to click up front. Hopefully their strong play continues as they go up against a more talented front when they face the Jaguars.

4. The Bears defensive line is playing like a cohesive unit

The Bears back seven has been the strength of the defense, like many expected, but their front four has been better than anticipated. What was seen as a glaring weakness now looks like a solid group that can effectively complement one another.

The mix of Montez Sweat, Gervon Dexter, Andrew Billings, DeMarcus Walker, and Darrell Taylor looks solid, and it's fun to see how Matt Eberflus and Eric Washington mix and match those players to get the best results.

Take the interior, for example. On Dexter's first of two sacks, Taylor was winning his matchup easily on a passing down, forcing Dalton to step up in the pocket. He landed right in the laps of Dexter and Walker, who have shown to be a force inside on passing downs.

We also saw Andrew Billings get his first sack in two years, a rarity considering he's mostly used to clog up the middle of the line. All in all, the Bears had 27 pressures from their defense on Sunday per PFF via Jacob Infante. They work well off one another and look cohesive, which hasn't always been the case.

5. They have a solid plan to get ready for London

Bears fans enjoyed another victory Monday, but the team is already preparing for their next opponent in more ways than one. The Bears are set to take on the Jaguars in London on Sunday, and general manager Ryan Poles and Eberflus revealed they are getting to their destination early. The team plans to head out beginning Monday night and arrive Tuesday morning.

Eberflus talked about the importance of establishing a routine and getting everyone's body clocks right, which is the main reason for the early departure. "Just to get over there and get our clocks right. That's the big science part of it," he said when asked why the Bears were practicing all week in London. "We'll go there Monday and get there Tuesday morning. The players have their day off that day, which is normal, and then bring them back in on Wednesday, and we'll have a walk-through practice to get their bodies ready to go."

The Bears are doing the right thing, and it could be the difference between a win and a loss. The last time Chicago played overseas in 2019, they arrived late in the week and sleepwalked through the first half against the Raiders. I feel a lot more comfortable with this plan, and the Bears should be ready to face Jacksonville.

6. The Bears won the Bryce Young trade

We knew this already, but this is a friendly reminder in case certain broadcasters still aren't so sure. Oh well, at least Bryce Young got to enter the game for a hot minute.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 6 takeaways from the Bears' pummeling of the Panthers