Caleb Williams told a story about practice during his press conference following the Chicago Bears’ 36-10 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Unlike the days under coach Marc Trestman, when every practice was considered good, the Bears’ offense had a bad day last week at Halas Hall. Williams and the other leaders on offense didn’t like it.

“The next day the leaders on the offensive side met a little off the field and said we have to be better tomorrow,” Williams said. “The next day we came back focused and focused and obviously we understood the situation and pushed each other for the next day and that led to the game.”

It led to the Panthers’ loss, a breakout game for receiver DJ Moore and more signs of progress for Williams in his rookie season.

This week’s takeaway column begins here.

1. The Bears beat a bad Panthers team…but now what?

By outclassing Carolina, the Bears did what all good teams should do against an inferior opponent. This doesn’t mean the Bears are going to the Super Bowl or that Williams is now an MVP candidate.

That means the Bears and Williams are improving. That means the Bears didn’t downplay their competition. The Bears had no trouble gaining yards and first downs. Instead, Williams and Co. moved the ball at will.

The Bears looked and played like the better team. That’s something to appreciate, especially early in the season when there’s a rookie quarterback starting. It’s a good thing Williams didn’t have any problems against the Panthers’ defense, one of the worst in the league. His success should be applauded.

An ugly win – or worse, a loss – would have led to other storylines and issues to analyze this week. Just look at the NFL. The San Francisco 49ers were seven point favorites at home against the Arizona Cardinals – and lost 24-23. The Seattle Seahawks were also seven point favorites at home against the New York Giants – and lost 29:20.

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How the Bears defense responded to the early touchdown with a dominant performance against the Panthers

2. The Bears’ plan for Caleb Williams is starting to bear fruit against the Lightning.

On July 29, during training camp, Williams was asked what aspect of his game was furthest from what he wanted to accomplish in Week 1. He paused to consider his answer.

“I would say I’m working on my lightning look,” Williams replied. “My blitz and coverage see and feel the screen of the defense and feel it to adjust the defense, to adjust if it’s a run, turn the run, turn the run in, turn the defense, come You come to a quick game, you get a Cover 0 check. However the structure works, it just moves forward.”

The Bears defense attacked Williams aggressively throughout camp. That was intentional. It was purposeful. The Bears correctly predicted that their opponents would do the same. Every newcomer is attacked like this.

But Williams is now hitting the lightning bolts. He sees her and takes out the ball. According to Pro Football Focus, Williams is 17-of-19 with 200 pass yards and two touchdowns against the Lightning in the last two games against the Los Angeles Rams and Panthers.

That is growth. His teammates know it. And you can see it live when he takes charge at the line of scrimmage before the snap.

“He’s done a good job of being patient with himself in some ways, but also taking the fire where he’s feeling the heat a little bit and knowing he needs to get better at certain things,” said Tight end Cole Kmet after the game in the Bears’ locker room. “And there were things (against the Panthers) that we could all be better at together. But his offensive control is improving week by week, much faster than I previously expected.”

The partnership between Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and quarterback Caleb Williams is still developing, but recent results are promising. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

3. If you blame Shane Waldron for his poor play decisions in the first four games, then he deserves praise when his offense totals 424 yards.

Sunday was Waldron’s best game as Williams’ play caller this season. Facing a struggling Panthers defense helped. But week after week, Waldron makes corrections that can be considered improvements, from Kmet’s playing time to getting center Doug Kramer involved on the goal line to building a functioning running game with D’Andre Swift.

Against the Panthers, Moore got going and produced explosive plays. Moore had five catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns. And he would have had more yards had he not dropped a third-down throw from Williams in the fourth quarter.

“Man, I’m an idiot for this,” Moore said, smiling. “Big bummer for that. I had some pretty good stats, but it could have been even better if I hadn’t dropped the ball. I think I’ve outdone myself. … That’s why I dropped it.”

Williams’ progress coincided with Waldron’s as a play caller. He will never be perfect. No play caller is. His fourth-and-short play call with Roschon Johnson at fullback for a carry was a dud. But Waldron’s critics should also acknowledge the Bears’ recent success. The offense was better because Waldron was better.

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The connection between Caleb Williams and DJ Moore is clicking and showing what the Bears offense can be

4. Caleb Williams passed his first windy test at Soldier Field.

He said he realized the wind would play a role on his first throw of the game: a speedout to wide receiver Keenan Allen that was nearly intercepted.

“Keenan did a good job of getting his hand in the way and knocking it down because it was behind him at the end,” Williams said.

He then praised Kmet for adjusting on a throw that resulted in a 25-yard gain down the right sideline in the final minute of the first half. A better throw could have resulted in more yards and possibly a touchdown. But the wind changed the ball’s trajectory.

“He made a great catch,” Williams said. “The wind somehow caught the back end and it shook on it. Great concentration from him. The corner or nickel piece on the route we took to the apartment. I saw it happen and tried to juice it up a little bit there because the throw was a little longer, especially on that side. I guess the wind dies down and just blows the ball away, and Cole did a great job catching it.”

However, his next throw was perfect.

With the wind at his back, Williams hit Moore in the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown.

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And in their fifth game, Caleb Williams and the Bears offense showed up

5. The best thing about the Bears defense’s early success is that seemingly every week there is a new player who makes a game-changing play.

This week it was safety Kevin Byard and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. Byard made a diving interception on an overthrown deep ball from quarterback Andy Dalton, while Edmunds forced his first fumble of the season.

“Guys have sacks and turnovers of all kinds,” Byard said. “The only thing missing was the sack fumble. It was an exciting day. But that’s how it should look. That’s the standard we play with and that’s how we want to play every single game.”

The Bears will need a big game from Byard against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. Safety Jaquan Brisker did not travel overseas after being diagnosed with a concussion. He said he had symptoms after Sunday’s win. Brisker can rejoin the team if he meets the protocols.

Byard immediately integrated himself into the Bears defense. It’s still early, but he appears to be another solid free agent addition from general manager Ryan Poles on defense, joining Edmunds, linebacker TJ Edwards and nose tackle Andrew Billings.

(Top photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)