Hey, look: The Bears discover blocking and a running game in a much-needed win over the Rams.

It wasn't magic, but it was close.

The Bears didn't create something out of nothing on Sunday. They've essentially created something out of nothing – D'Andre Swift averaged 1.8 yards per carry in the first three games this season. Somehow, in Week 4, he and his team discovered a running game.

(Quick refresher lesson: Running is the act of a running back moving his legs while holding the ball. This is said to lead to the football redundancy of “forward progression.”)

Swift rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown in a 24-18 victory over the Rams, giving the Bears a shot of confidence. If they had been honest with themselves before kickoff, they would have admitted that their belief in their running game was dangerously low.

It's difficult to average 1.8 yards per carry in the NFL. You have to have a struggling or bad offensive line, which is what the Bears did (are doing?). They must have a foggy offensive coordinator. In a loss last week, Bears OC Shane Waldron had a crazy option pitch called at the Colts' 1-yard line. You have to have a running back who prefers east-west expeditions to north-south expeditions.

The bears had been feeding on a poisonous stew of all these bad things. Until Sunday.

Then they found religion, that is, they found reason.

This time, Waldron brought in 300-pound offensive lineman Doug Kramer to block at fullback. Twice. One resulted in a touchdown from the Rams' 1-yard line. Imagine that. A round hill of pound-the-ball.

This time, Waldron didn't let rookie quarterback Caleb Williams throw 52 passes like he did the week before in a loss to the Colts.

This time, Swift ran with purpose and determination straight ahead, not sideways, and had reasonable doubt that he would gain a yard.

See? It's really not that hard.

Williams said the positive change has to do with an open line of communication with Waldron. The offensive coordinator listened to his players' message about keeping the game flowing on the field.

“When we get drives going with the passing game, throw in some runs,” Williams said. “If we get the running game going with a few runs, sprinkle in a pass and then keep running the ball. “That was the main focus all week.”

In the five-game series that ended with Swift's 36-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, he caught a 5-yard pass and had a 5-yard run. You know, flow.

Let's not exaggerate here: The Bears should have done a lot of this in their first three games. What happened on Sunday was nice to see, but it made the events of the past few weeks all the more confusing. Watching them do it a few weeks in a row in the future could revive a bit of the public excitement that existed before the season began.

If the Bears don't solve their penalty problem – they had seven for 70 yards in the first half alone – they won't win many games like this. Or gain new fans. Nothing is as startling and difficult to understand as a false start. Viewers got a lot of that on Sunday.

But there was progress. That's not the highest bar in the world, but it's the most important thing for a team that's 2-2 instead of 1-3. Swift even caught seven passes for 72 yards. The best way for Williams to get through this season unscathed is to get the running backs positively involved. He finished 17 of 23 for 157 yards and a touchdown. Several of his passes fell so far to the ground that no one in either uniform could catch them. Maybe not even the Bears' mascot. That was a trend in the first four games.

I'm still worried that Williams' future mode of transportation will be a stretcher. He was often under pressure in the first half. He didn't help himself by occasionally holding on to the ball. He was fired three times.

On Sunday, Waldron tried to get revenge for calling that option pitch on fourth-and-1 against the Colts, which ended in a 12-yard loss for Swift. This time he ordered a strong formation for the Rams, using Kramer as an overfed fullback. Kramer paved the way for Roschon Johnson, whose touchdown helped give the Bears a 7-6 lead in the second quarter.

Swift acknowledged the work of the offensive line on Sunday. Eberflus praised everyone, as is his custom. One compliment stood out.

“My hat’s off to the offensive staff for taking advantage of people and using the scheme to accomplish that,” he said.

That might be a nice way of saying that the Bears don't have a good offensive line and need all the help they can get, be it from a huge fullback or a level-headed playmaker. Or both.

Carolina QB Andy Dalton threw for 220 yards with two touchdowns and one interception against his former team.

From AP

Williams played his sharpest all-around game, making big plays when the Bears needed it most.

From Jason Lieser

Jenkins left the game in the second quarter.

From Patrick Finley