The Chicago Bears were clinging to a 24-18 lead Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams when Tory Taylor’s punt hit the Soldier Field grass just outside the number 10 and took a beautifully wicked bounce to the right and out of bounds.
Taylor ran across the field, pumping his arms and yelling. The crowd shots on the Fox broadcast caught fans shaking their heads and pumping their fists in appreciation of the Bears punter. Teammates swarmed Taylor, slapping his helmet.
“I really only go out there a few times a game, so I try to make the most of it,” Taylor said Wednesday. “Just go out there and dominate field position. But you don’t obviously always kick a 66-yarder inside the 10, so I was pretty happy.”
The 66-yard punt was one of two in the final 6 minutes, 33 seconds that forced the Rams to start drives at their 8-yard line. The second, a 35-yarder with 1:13 to play, was downed by safety Jonathan Owens.
Taylor had a gross average of 55.6 yards, landing three inside the 20. That stat line helped him to be named NFC special teams player of the week, the first Bears rookie to earn the honor since returner Johnny Knox in 2009.
The punts, which helped the Bears shut out the Rams over the final eight minutes, showed just what kind of a weapon general manager Ryan Poles was after when he drafted the Australian who played at Iowa in the fourth round in April.
“When my career is done, I want HT (special teams coordinator Richard Hightower) and Poles to look like absolute geniuses,” Taylor said.
Quarterback Caleb Williams said with a smile Wednesday that he watched a punter’s highlight tape for the first time the night the Bears drafted Taylor. It was revealed that week that Williams joked with Taylor he wouldn’t be punting much.
But Williams has been “super happy” to see what Taylor can do.
“I’m obviously grateful to have him, for what he does for this team, how he helps out this team,” Williams said. “He’s such a great human, let alone an outstanding punter. To be able to do some of the things he does, he’s unbelievable.”
Beyond making Bears decision makers look good, Taylor noted that for now he just wants to be consistent week to week and narrow the gap between the good and bad games.
He graded his performance in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts with a “D” and called it “one of my worst career games.” He averaged 42.3 yards per punt and had one land inside the 20.
Taylor said he took comfort in hearing from veteran teammates last week about how he needed to move on from that performance.
“At the end of the day, who’s to say that, had I not had that game, I may not have performed as well this past weekend,” Taylor said. “Everything is really just a learning opportunity. There are so many ups and downs. It’s the NFL. It’s football. There’s going to be a lot more challenges along the way. It’s really all about how you deal with them.”
Taylor said the key to being consistent is “probably more so just being myself.”
“I like to see myself as someone that’s pretty aggressive when they’ve got the ball in their hand,” he said. “I’m just going to continue to do that, and I’m fortunate enough that guys on the punt team do a great job as well.”
Injury report
The Bears practiced without left guard Teven Jenkins and wide receiver DeAndre Carter, both dealing with rib injuries. Coach Matt Eberflus said Monday that Jenkins is day to day with bruised ribs.
Defensive tackle Zacch Pickens (groin) and cornerback Terell Smith (hip) continue to be out after missing the Rams game.
Defensive end Montez Sweat (ankle) and tight end Cole Kmet (knee) were limited.
