CHICAGO (AP) — Caleb Williams has been the most important player for the Chicago Bears since he was selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
Sunday was just another example of that.
Returning from a right hamstring injury, Williams led the Bears to a 31-23 win at Atlanta. The third-year quarterback was 30 of 36 for 305 yards and a touchdown.
“I think he just did a good job of taking what the defense gave,” offensive coordinator Press Taylor said Monday. “It didn’t feel like there were forces. ... You’ve watched him mature and grow in the system and he was seeing things well the other night and it just came together pretty well for him in terms of putting the ball in play and putting the ball where our guys were able to do something with it.”
It was Williams’ first action since he left in the fourth quarter of a 9-3 loss to Minnesota on Sept. 20. Case Keenum led Chicago to a 27-7 victory over Philadelphia and Tyson Bagent helped the Bears to a 23-12 win against the New York Jets in the team’s first two games after Williams got hurt.
But Bagent and Keenum both struggled in last weekend’s 31-7 loss at Green Bay, setting the stage for Williams’ return against the Falcons.
“I felt confident from the jump,” Williams said. “Let it rip ... let these guys go make plays for us. Get first downs, touchdowns, all that.”
He sure looked confident.
Williams completed his first 12 passes. According to Next Gen Stats, he was 24 of 24 for 248 yards from a clean pocket. He has completed 72.5% of his passes in three games this season after that number was 58.1% last year.
“To come back and to be on point, to be on rhythm, to be as accurate as he was in his first outing in a while, credit to him,” Taylor said, “credit to the skill guys to be able to get open, be available, be on time, and really be where they’re supposed to be when they are supposed to be there for him.”
Williams’ return seemed to help Colston Loveland, who had six receptions for 65 yards and a TD in his best game of the season. The tight end had 13 catches for 110 yards over the first five games.
What’s working
Special teams made two huge plays in Sunday’s win. Josh Blackwell recovered a muffed punt by Zachariah Branch at the Atlanta 10 late in the first half, resulting in D’Andre Swift’s 2-yard TD run. Nick McCloud recovered Branch’s fumble on a kickoff in the third quarter, leading to Cairo Santos’ 50-yard field goal.
What needs help
Penalties were an issue once again. The Bears were flagged 12 times for a season-high 133 yards, compared to four for 31 yards by the Falcons.
“We had way too many penalties,” Taylor said. “That’s not something we want to live with.”
The Bears were penalized 20 times for 115 yards in their first two games, but they had been better of late. They were flagged three times for 20 yards in the loss at Green Bay.
Stock up
Kyler Gordon had three sacks and two forced fumbles in his season debut. His late strip-sack on Michael Penix Jr. helped Chicago close out the win.
Gordon opened this season on the physically unable to perform list because of a calf injury. He became the first defensive back to record three sacks in a game for the Bears since Todd Bell on Oct. 2, 1983, against Denver.
“It was exciting to see because I think he did some things that we’ve always felt like that he could do for us,” defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said. “And so, I’ve always thought that there was a way that we could utilize him that he could really help us win games, and he was big in the game this week.”
Stock down
Rome Odunze had another quiet performance, finishing with three receptions for 39 yards. The third-year wide receiver had just one catch in the second half.
The 24-year-old Odunze has 20 receptions for 312 yards in six games this season. He is looking for his first touchdown after catching six TD passes in 12 games last year.
Injuries
The Bears didn’t provide any substantive injury updates on Monday. Right guard Jonah Jackson left Sunday’s win with a hip injury, and his status is particularly noteworthy in the short week before Thursday’s game against New England.
Key number
13 — The Bears have 13 rushing touchdowns, including three against the Falcons. That is their highest total over the first six games of a season since they also had 13 in 1989.
Up next
The Bears play consecutive primetime games against last season’s Super Bowl participants, beginning with the matchup with the Patriots at Soldier Field. They visit Seattle on Nov. 2.
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Jay Cohen, The Associated Press