admin
The Chicago Bears took down the Dallas Cowboys, 31-14, on Sunday in an impressive showing. It was fair to wonder how they’d hold up after grabbing the early lead, especially when the Cowboys eventually tied it at 14-14 in the first half.
Once Ben Johnson’s offense pulled away, however, the defense really stepped up big and found a way to hang onto the big win with a second-half shutout. Now, after all of that, Johnson has his first career NFL win as a head coach, and the Bears are on the board in the win column.
This was a season-saving win for Chicago. If they were 0-3 going to Las Vegas, they could be 0-4 going into the bye week. Instead, they have some confidence going into the road game. A win over the Las Vegas Raiders now could instead have them at 2-2 going into the bye week, which could be what they need to eventually have a solid season.
Quarterback Caleb Williams was sensational in the win. He completed 19-of-28 passes for 298 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions and a 142.6 passer rating. The Bears didn’t establish the run game the way that they would have liked (totaling just 87 yards), but they still found their way into the end zone on four separate occasions.
Spreading the ball around was big for Williams in the win. He continued to build chemistry with wide receiver Rome Odunze, who caught his fourth touchdown pass of the season (the most in the NFL). To say that his breakout season is loading would be an understatement.
Rookie tight end Colston Loveland only had one catch, but it was for a big 31-yard gain. But Loveland exited Sunday’s game with a hip injury and didn’t return. But Cole Kmet stepped up in his absence with a 10-yard touchdown reception. If these two can continue to be impactful weapons for Williams, their offense will benefit.
Receiver DJ Moore also caught his first touchdown pass of the season, but nobody on the offensive side of the ball dominated more than rookie wideout Luther Burden III. He had his first career touchdown reception while leading the team with 101 yards on three receptions. The Bears need him to be a great receiver in their offense, and this was his first big game.
The offensive line, which has had its struggles with all of its new names, played well. Outside of a few early false starts by right tackle Darnell Wright, they did everything they needed to do to keep Williams on his feet. They didn’t allow a single sack to Dallas’ pass rush, who clearly misses Micah Parsons.
After giving up 52 points to the Detroit Lions a week ago, the Bears managed to keep Dallas to 14 (all in the first half). It was a great effort to keep quarterback Dak Prescott and all of his weapons at bay. The Cowboys had 396 yards total, but they weren’t able to get in the end zone with enough efficiency and committed four turnovers (three interceptions and one fumble).
Defensive end Montez Sweat finally recorded his first sack of the season, but the star of this defensive unit in the win was linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who led the team with 15 tackles and two interceptions, all of which played a key role in the victory.
All of these emotions after the win come for a team that hasn’t won a meaningful game in over a year. Last year, Chicago beat the Green Bay Packers in Week 18 to snap a 10-game losing streak, but that was a mostly meaningless game.
This one is far from meaningless. This momentum, if carried, can help the Bears move forward with a defensive identity that they haven’t had in decades. Their defense has question marks, even after a good performance, but as long as they can support the offense, just enough, they can win games.
This was Chicago’s chance to save the season, and they did. They can celebrate for a day, but their next game is just as important. It’s one at a time from this moment forward.
#Instant #analysis #Chicagos #Week #win
