Regardless of Cowboys horrible defense ESPN praises Bears 'superstar' Caleb Williams

Was it Caleb Williams' great play or the Cowboys' gruesome defense that led to the Chicago Bears' 31-14 rout Sunday at Soldier Field?

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) celebrates after throwing a TD against the Cowboys | David Banks-Imagn Images

Good Caleb? Or simply Bad Cowboys?

On one of the most significant, pressurized games of his young NFL career, Chicago Bears' quarterback Caleb Williams responded with his best performance in the NFL. In the 31-14 trouncing of the Dallas Cowboys at Soldier Field, he produced four touchdown passes, a career-high rating of 142.6 and didn't take a sack for the first time in 20 NFL game.

The win allowed Ben Johnson's team to avoid the dreaded 0-3 start and Williams to at least temporarily quiet his growing critics.

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But a day after the signature victory, everyone seems to be asking the same question: Was it the coming-out party for Caleb? Or merely just an outlier against one of the NFL's worst defenses?

The Cowboys' defense, led by former Bears' head coach Matt Eberflus, is historically horrible. They have allowed 92 points in three games, and surrendered five touchdowns passes of 25+ yards. As we noted last week, they have no pass rush since the departures of DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons and no speed at safety to cover the back end.

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A sign of how bad the Cowboys are: they coughed up 506 yards and 37 points to a New York Giants offense that has been held without a touchdown in its other two games. On their touchdown catches, Bears' targets Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, Cole Kmet and DJ Moore were all embarrassingly open.

During their epic 19-play drive to start the third quarter, Johnson called an almost unfathomable 11 consecutive running plays.

Granted, the Cowboys are the desired opponent for every team's Homecoming game. But the folks at ESPN seemed impressed by Williams' play nonetheless.

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Said Rex Ryan, "I still stand by it: Caleb's gonna be a superstar in this league."

Co-analyst Dan Orlovsky said it was Williams' best game, and lauded his growth from week to week.

"He had calm feet and an aggressive mind," Orlovsky said. "I loved it. The most professional performance I've seen out of Caleb. He was fantastic."

Bears receiver Rome Odunze (15) makes a touchdown against the Cowboys | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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