Caleb Williams passed for 298 yards and four touchdowns and the defense generated four takeaways while allowing only one TD in leading the Bears to an impressive 31-14 win over the Cowboys Sunday at Soldier Field.
The Bears improved to 1-2 by scoring the game’s final 17 points after Dallas had tied the contest 14-14 midway through the second quarter.
“Our points of emphasis going into the week were [about] playing great situational football,” said coach Ben Johnson. “I’m talking about third down, red zone and two minute and I thought they really answered that bell. We were statistically better than [the Cowboys] in all three of those areas and that was a good formula for us to come out on top.”
The Bears held a 57.1% to 27.3% edge in third-down efficiency, scored touchdowns on 2 of 3 red zone possessions while holding Dallas to one TD on four trips inside-the-20 and capped a two-minute drill with a touchdown at the end of the first half.
Williams posted a career-high 142.6 passer rating and matched a career high with four TD passes, including a 65-yarder on a flea flicker to rookie receiver Luther Burden III, who had three catches for a game-high 101 yards.
“I thought [Williams] was really good,” Johnson said. “And the thing that you don’t see on the stat sheet is he’s getting a lot more comfortable calling those plays in the huddle. We’re able to get out of the huddle a little bit faster and we’re able to get on the line and operate a little bit cleaner as well. I was proud of him for that.”
Tremaine Edmunds led the defense, intercepting Dak Prescott on back-to-back fourth-quarter possessions deep in Bears territory. The first came when the veteran linebacker dove to catch a pass that had deflected off receiver George Pickens. Edmunds also compiled a team-leading 15 tackles.
“He was all over the field,” Johnson said. “He really came through for us in a big way.”
Johnson presented game balls to Williams and Edmunds. Williams countered by giving Johnson a game ball to commemorate his first win as an NFL head coach.
“How strong of a coach he is, how mentally tough that he is, it feeds into all of us,” Williams told ChicagoBears.com. “To be able to have this win, it’s important to have this moment with his family, with us as players, but also for this organization and the momentum that we’re trying to catch. The train is going. It’s starting. We’ve just got to keep going and be consistent and stay on the rails.”
