Bear Digest

Bears offense and Caleb Williams find the starting and finishing touches

Caleb Williams completes over 60% and his two touchdown passes to DJ Moore reflect an ability for the Bears offense to operate early and late for a 31-3 win.
Gene Chamberlain|
Caleb Williams gets a pass off before Mike Hall can arrive for the Browns in Sunday's 31-3 Bears victory.
Caleb Williams gets a pass off before Mike Hall can arrive for the Browns in Sunday's 31-3 Bears victory. | David Banks-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The Bears offense had heard enough during the week about slow starts and about Cleveland’s Myles Garrett.  

They made a statement of their own for everyone to hear, from wide receiver DJ Moore and quarterback Caleb Williams, to the running backs and offensive line, even if Garrett did add 1 ½ sakcs.  The Bears’ 31-3 win over hapless Cleveland said they’re ready for a second crack at the Packers.

“You want to start the game off every week like that, but definitely this week not allowing them to get going, not allowing them to build energy or feel they can  beat us, that was our mindset going into this game,” Bears quarterback Caleb Williams said. “Starting fast and kind of diminishing anything or anything that may pop up of positivity on their side, that’s the mindset going into one of these games.”

Especially important for the offense going forward was Williams finding DJ Moore because it’s uncertain when he’ll even have wide receiver Rome Odunze after their top receiver aggravated his foot injury in pregame warmup.

Williams found Moore four times for 69 yards, including touchdowns of 3 and 22 yards. The 22-yarder was a perfect throw made rolling to his right into the middle of a crowd in the back of the end zone. Somehow, it found a way through the arms and Moore caught it.

Moore wasn’t surprised at all to find the pass catchable. It was the kind of connection that could spark more confidence in making throws Moore's way in the future.

“No, because he can make a lot of throws that other people can’t,” Moore said. “We got to the sidelines he was like, ‘I was just going to give you a chance.’ That’s what he did with that high back-five ball, and the rest is history.”

It let the Bears offense take advantage of an interception by D’Marco Jackson a play earlier and provided a 21-3 lead.  The offense went on to score 17 points after turnovers, lifting their season total to 97 and one point behind league-leading Pittsburgh.

Moore continued to emphasize he wasn’t frustrated by a lack of targets, with just nine catches for 95 yards the previous  five games.

“I just go with the flow of things and when my number is called or if it is called, and I’m on the back side of something, and I’ve got to play, I’m just going to be there.”

Johnson never thought about Moore as being in a slump.

“He’s been playing this way every week,” the Bears’ coach said. “We just haven’t been able to get him the ball or get the ball in his hands.

“So we were able to target him a few more times and he was able to come through with some big plays for us. Sometimes these things come in bunches. You know, you kind of have a dry spell and then all the sudden he could come on hot here over the next three games and just really take off. That’s the way it tends to happen, which would be a good thing for us.”

Another start like Sunday’s would be, as well. Williams even went in at halftime with over 60% completions at 12-of-18 for 190 yards and the 3-yard TD to Moore. He found Luther Burden five times in the first half for 78 yards while Moore and Burden had three catches each then.

Williams eventually finished over 60%—barely—to end a streak of six straight games below that mark, at 17 of 28 for 242 yards, a 112.5 passer rating.

“You want to start the game off every week like that, but definitely this week,” Williams said. “Not allowing them to get going, not allowing them to feel maybe some energy or feel they can—that they can beat us, that's our mindset going into this game, and starting fast and kind of diminishing any thoughts that may pop up of positivity on their side, that's the mindset going into these games.”

A fast start and showing a good killer instinct definitely is progress even if it came against the Browns. It was their biggest margin of victory since they beat the Texans 36-7 on Dec. 13, 2020.

“We've had some ups and downs, but I think we did a solid job with that this week of kind of not letting the other team get into it from all three phases,” Williams said. “I think we need to keep that going. I think that we will, and I'm excited for that, to be able to help lead these guys in these moments.”

It sets them up well to host the Packers Saturday night with first place in the NFC North again on the line, like it was in Green Bay.

Not even an injury slowed Williams on this day. He was hit halfway up his leg and suffered a bruise the last play before halftime but he walked it off after limping initially to the locker room.

“Yeah, I'm excited,” Williams said about the Packers rematch. “Ended up obviously throwing the pick, as everybody knows, in those last moments, and kind of let them off the hook throwing such a bad ball to Cole.

“I'm definitely excited. I'm excited for the moment. They're coming here, and it's another game for us. But I'm excited.”

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.