Bears quarterback Caleb Williams played today for the first time since injuring his hamstring in Week 2, and he was everything the Bears could have hoped for.
Williams was nearly perfect early on as the Bears jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead on the Falcons, and by the time the Bears took a 31-7 lead into the fourth quarter, it looked like garbage time.
Falcons quarterback Michael Penix, however, tried to come back in the fourth quarter, and with two passes to Kyle Pitts followed by two two-point conversions, it was 31-23 and a one-possession game. However, there was no scoring after that and the score 31-23 was the final margin of victory for the Bears.
Bears wide receiver Luther Burden had a particularly big game, catching all eight passes thrown his way for 95 yards. And while running back D’Andre Swift was bottled up for most of the game, he had two short touchdown runs. Roschon Johnson also ran for a touchdown, and late in the game he wisely avoided a touchdown and just went down after picking up a first down so the Bears could run out the clock.
Falcons running back Bijan Robinson played well when he got the ball, with nine carries for 61 yards, but the Falcons were running behind so much that they largely abandoned the running game. Falcons wide receiver Zachariah Branch had a disastrous game, missing two tackles.
The win improves the Bears’ record to 4-2, and as long as Williams stays healthy, they are NFC North contenders. The Falcons fall to 2-4.