Caleb Williams returned from a three-game absence with a hamstring injury and led the Bears to a 31-23 win over the Falcons on Sunday. ESPN reported he completed his first 12 passes. Sportsnet had him at 305 yards and a touchdown, and D'Andre Swift scored twice. Pro Football Talk and Yahoo Sports, which ran the same recap, said Williams "looked outstanding."
Our box score backs that up. Williams finished 30 of 36 with no interceptions and a 111.2 rating. He was sacked four times for 35 yards. Chicago scored 14 in the first quarter and led 21-7 at halftime, then 28-7 after the third. Per the box score, Swift's two scores came on the ground. Williams' touchdown pass went to tight end Colston Loveland. Luther Burden III led the receivers with eight catches for 95 yards. Roschon Johnson ran for 51 yards and a touchdown.
The game was closer than the first three quarters suggested. Yahoo's game recap noted a late Falcons rally, and the line score shows Atlanta outscoring Chicago 16-3 in the fourth. Yahoo's other piece said only that the Bears "helped make this one interesting." The Bears were flagged 12 times for 133 yards, against four penalties for 31 yards for Atlanta. Chicago also held the ball for 40:08 to Atlanta's 19:52 and converted 9 of 17 third downs.
The Falcons beat themselves, and Yahoo's recap called the effort "catastrophic" and "sloppy." They lost three fumbles, two by Zachariah Branch, and went 0 for 3 on fourth down. Michael Penix Jr. threw for three touchdowns, two to Kyle Pitts Sr. and one to Jahan Dotson. He was sacked five times. Yahoo also reported the Falcons lost Divine Deablo and Kendal Daniels to injuries, and said Daniels' was "very scary." No outlet we have gave a diagnosis or a timeline. Daniels had 22 tackles and a sack in five games this season. Deablo had 26 tackles. Daniels played in this game and had seven tackles.
Williams' return matters for Chicago's season. He started the year with a 269-yard, two-touchdown game at Carolina, then threw for 138 yards and an interception against Minnesota. Over those two starts he threw for 407 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. The Bears have since gone 4-2. They lost 31-7 at Green Bay last week, and Sunday ended that skid. They are second in the NFC North.
Atlanta is 2-4 and has lost two straight, a 30-23 home loss to Baltimore last week and this one. Yahoo said the Falcons had a chance to bounce back from a last-minute overtime loss to the Ravens. Their next game is at home against San Francisco on Sunday, Oct. 25. Chicago has a short week and hosts New England on Thursday, Oct. 22.
Discussion