RECAP – Week 3: Caleb Williams and Bears Celebrate Victory Monday, DOMINATE Dallas Cowboys, 31-14
“Good, better, best.
Never let it rest.
Until your good is better.
And your better is best.”
That’s the chant Ben Johnson led in the locker room after securing his first-ever win as an NFL head coach with a 31-14 victory over the Dallas Cowboys at Soldier Field.
Caleb Williams was fantastic, finishing 19/28 for 298 yards, 4 TD, and a passer rating of 142.6. Rome Odunze found the endzone once again, tied for the NFL lead in touchdowns with 4.
Luther Burden was on the receiving end of a 65-yard flea-flicker for his first career touchdown.
Bears left tackle Braxton Jones, who was challenged by the coaching staff this past week after giving up a team-high 12 pressures through the first two games of the season, became just the fourth left tackle this season to not give up a single pressure in a game.
This matchup was expected to be a shoot-out, and with a score of 24-14 in the first half, it was certainly heading in that direction. Everyone knows the Bears’ defense is depleted by injuries (Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, TJ Edwards), and the Cowboys’ defense gave up 37 points last week to a New York Giants team led by Russell Wilson that is simply abysmal. However, the Bears’ defense stepped up in the second half, shutting out the Cowboys and producing a total of four turnovers in the game. Tremaine Edmunds had two interceptions, Kevin Byard had an interception, and Tyrique Stevenson just straight up took the ball out of Javonte Williams’ hands. Stopping the Dallas run game was definitely shaky at times. Still, the Bears’ offense scoring and managing the time of possession basically forced the Cowboys into abandoning it in the second half. Javonte Williams finished with 10 carries for 76 yards, averaging 7.6 yards per carry, and Miles Sanders added 9 carries for 41 yards, averaging 4.6 yards per carry.
Of course, not everything was perfect. The run game, featuring D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, is still experiencing some glaring issues. Swift finished with 13 carries for 33 yards, averaging just 2.5 yards per carry; Monangai with 6 carries for 16 yards, averaging 2.7 yards per carry; and wide receivers Olamide Zaccheaus, Luther Burden, and DJ Moore tacked on a few carries themselves. This run game, despite having an offensive line that leads the NFL in rushing yards before contact (1.9 yards), is simply not effective. The Bears have an early bye week in Week 5 after the Raiders matchup this coming Sunday – don’t be surprised if Ben Johnson looks to add something to the RB room during the bye.
The Bears organization, from top to bottom, needed a game like this badly – and it makes it that much sweeter that Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams were so successful against a Matt Eberflus-led Cowboys defense.
Happy first victory Monday of 2025, folks.
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