There are winners and losers for each team in every game, yet Sunday the Jacksonville Jaguars looked like double losers.
Not only did the Bears trample the Jaguars 35-16 but now Jacksonville plans to stay in London for a full week before next week's game there. A full week of fish and chips, blood sausage, bread pudding, fish head pie and haggis.
Enjoy.
The Bears spent most of the week there as it was, and believe they benefited from it.
"We were out there, you know, in the countryside a little bit and, but it was good," coach Matt Eberflus said of their British training facilities. "It was more like a training camp feel for us."
They were better able to adjust to the time change over the course of a week while keeping their practice routine intact, although as memory has it, they came out of training camp and committed seven penalties for 55 yards in their opener, which was 9 yards less than their entire net passing yardage total for that day.
But on this day they efficiently committed only two penalties for 10 yards. One of those two flags actually was a good thing, too, because the illegal motion penalty on a third-down completion short of the goal line to Keenan Allen gave them another chance at the touchdown and it resulted in a 9-yard back-shoulder TD play.
The Jaguars, though, couldn't get enough of the stuff, with eight flags for 43 yards and a few more that the lenient refs could have called for facemasking and holding but spared them the embarrassment.
So maybe it was more Jaguars than a week of in-season training camp in the quaint English countryside that helped the Bears with their efficiency.
Either way, they do have the passing game going now and the running game often works when Shane Waldron calls it.
They'll get a week to get over all that great British food now with a bye before facing Washington in the showdown of rookie quarterbacks.
Here are the Bears winners and lowers from Sunday's 35-16 victory over the Jaguars.
BEARS FORCED TO CALL OUT THE RESERVES AND LOVE THEIR RESULTS
BEARS WAKE UP AND GET KEEANAN ALLEN INVOLVED IN THE ATTACK
CALEB WILLIAMS AND BEARS FINISH UP IN LONDON WITH A FURY
Bears Winners
WR Caleb Williams
He's a winner this day because he discovered the virtue of Keenan Allen on third down, as sure a bet as there is in the NFL. With DJ Moore downfield, Rome Odunze downfield and Allen and Cole Kmet underneath, Williams now has his a full complement of targets.
WR Keenan Allen
If you want another contract, it usually helps to score touchdowns. Two is twice as nice.
RB D'Andre Swift
The lean is to put him in with the losers for failing again to get 100 yards but he had 91, which is close enough, and keeps getting more and more dangerous in the screen game.
TE Cole Kmet
The lean here is also toward losers because he just got a new contract to play tight end and who knows what he could have asked for had he known he'd be a long snapper. But two TD catches will always land you in the winners category. And besides, when you run 31 yards and knock over two DBs in the process it's especially gratifying.
RB Roschon Johnson
Big catches of 17 and 8 yards again reconfirmed his value to the offense.
G Teven Jenkins
He was able to play and that's good because at the rate Bears back guards Matt Pryor and Bill Murray are going, there's no telling who else's job they might take besides Nate Davis.
CB Josh Blackwell
He's been a suitable backup for a few years and last time he was going to get the chance to play because of a Kyler Gordon injury, he also was injured. So playing and intercepting Trevor Lawrence is a twin
S Elijah Hicks
Most people thought the loss of Jaquan Brisker meant Jonathan Owens starting. Hicks got the nod and a critical fumble recovery caused by T.J. Edwards. Neither Hicks nor Blackwell scored long-term victories but being able to contribute to the defense is what backups hope to do.
Coach Matt Eberflus
Three straight wins for the first time. Four straight might really get people to take notice, since it won't be against Carolina, Jacksonville or the Rams. Or even Tennessee.
Bears Losers
LB Tremaine Edmunds
Not a loser overall, but definitely ripped off by the officials on one play when it was ruled his forced fumble and recovery were interceptions. Edmunds had an outstanding game otherwise, but the officiating error turns him into a loser.
LS Patrick Scales
First, after an injury resulted in them bringing in another long snapper, and now he has to worry about job competition from Kmet, too.
K Cairo Santos
He'll get his shortest missed field goal as a Bears kicker but it didn't seem like it was his fault as the operation was off due to Kmet's high snap.
United or American
Or British Airways or whatever airline flew the Bears back. Considering three straight wins for the first time under Eberflus, four TD passes and a bye week coming, it figured to be the kind of party ride no one wants to clean up after.
G Nate Davis
Welcome to the Dominique Robinson and Velus Jones Jr. honorary inactive list.
