Introduction to the Bears’ New Era
Oh, the irony. The Bears responded for coach Ben Johnson the way they never did for Matt Eberflus on Sunday — in part by torching Eberflus’ defense in a 31-14 victory over the Cowboys at Soldier Field.
A Year of Difference
A year after the Bears defined their season, the coach and their locker room by imploding game after game following the Fail Mary against the Commanders, Johnson faced a similar challenge after back-to-back losses that eerily looked more like a continuation of the Eberflus era than the dawn of a new one — and had Johnson criticizing and challenging his team publicly for sub-par practice habits.
Johnson’s Impact
Johnson’s Bears responded in convincing fashion. And while the encouraging performance by Caleb Williams and the offense against a weak Cowboys defense seemed reminiscent of previous false positives against bad defenses — Mitch Trubisky’s six touchdowns against the Buccaneers in 2018; Justin Fields’ four touchdowns against the Broncos in 2023; and even Williams’ four touchdowns against the Jaguars last season — the Bears clearly responded to their coach’s ire.
Comparison to Eberflus’ Era
Last year, Eberflus’ teams had two chances to respond against middling or struggling teams after the stunning loss to the Commanders — the 4-4 Cardinals at State Farm Stadium and the 2-6 Patriots at Soldier Field — and crapped out both times, greasing the skids for his departure three weeks later.
The Game Against the Cowboys
It was much different against a Cowboys team that appears to be in transition toward a rebuild. (And it could be an unfair comparison. The Bears were in their third season with Eberflus, when fatigue was setting in; Johnson is still the fresh, new coach. The Bears responded similarly to Matt Nagy in 2018 and that effect fizzled quickly the following season.)
The Future of the Bears
But until proven otherwise, the result was a re-affirmation of Johnson’s status as the majordomo at Halas Hall. The Bears still have roster issues and a long way to go developmentally. But the Bears’ best tack at this point is for everybody at Halas Hall to get out of the way and let Ben Johnson Do. His. Job.
Caleb Williams’ Performance
- Caleb Williams’ 142.6 passer rating against the Cowboys was the seventh highest for a Bears quarterback since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger (minimum 20 attempts). Williams threw four touchdowns passes without an interception and was not sacked. And his 10.6 yards per attempt was the highest for a Bears quarterback without an interception since 2018, when Mitch Trubisky threw for 355 yards (11.8 yards per attempt) in a 34-22 victory over the Lions at Soldier Field.
Williams’ Career Highlights
Williams also is the first Bears quarterback to throw four touchdown passes with no interceptions or sacks since Rex Grossman in a 34-7 victory over the Lions in 2006 (20 of 27, 289 yards, 148.0 rating). That’s also the last season when the Bears played in the Super Bowl, for whatever that’s worth.
Challenges Ahead
- Then again, playing the Cowboys without Micah Parsons is like having the wind at your back. When Williams has the same command of the huddle, the same confidence, the same protection and similar success when he and the offense have the fear of a Parsons — or a similar pass rusher — coming at him on every down, Williams’ watershed moment will have arrived.
The Giants’ Russell Wilson
The Giants’ Russell Wilson threw for 450 yards and three touchdowns against the Cowboys in Week 2. On Sunday, Wilson was back to being over-the-hill — 17 of 37 for 168 yards, no touchdowns or interceptions and a 59.3 passer rating against the Commanders. Wilson’s passer rating was 123.0 vs. the Cowboys. It’s 52.1 in the Giants’ other two games this season.
Top Bears Single-Game Quarterback Ratings
- That list of top Bears single-game quarterback ratings is almost exclusively against bottom-feeder defenses. The Bears’ best passer rating against a team that finished in the top 10 in scoring defense? Jay Cutler’s 128.1 rating on Oct. 6, 2013, against the Saints, who finished fourth in points allowed and fourth in yards allowed that season. Cutler completed 24-of-33 passes for 358 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 26-18 loss.
Caleb Williams’ Long-Term Prospectus
- Caleb Williams’ long-term prospectus hasn’t changed. He has a higher floor than Trubisky or Fields. He can be a disappointment and still be successful — reaching the playoffs, even winning playoff games. But he can also be that quarterback who gets paid and still leaves fans wondering if there’s a better option every time he has a bad game (see Tagovailoa, Tua).
Key Games Ahead
The key games for him — and Johnson’s offense — won’t come until later in the season: the rematch against Brian Flores and the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 11; and back-to-back road games against the Eagles and Packers in Weeks 13-14.
The Flea-Flicker Play
6a. The flea-flicker that turned into a 65-yard touchdown pass from Williams to rookie Luther Burden was the state of the Bears in a nutshell: It featured the inventiveness that Johnson is known for, Williams’ impressive arm strength and a touted rookie making a big play. But it also was dangerously executed by D’Andre Swift, who lobbed the ball back to Williams — and worked against a bad Cowboys defense that still almost got to Williams.
Johnson’s Play Calling
6b. Johnson’s equally promising play call was the end around to Olamide Zaccheaus for a 12-yard gain after Swift’s 41-yard gain on a screen pass on third-and-nine in the second quarter. Johnson knew he had the Cowboys’ defense on tilt after that play and threw them another curve. If you’re looking for something the Bears did against the Cowboys that will be effective against even good defenses, that kind of m.o. is it.
The Ben Johnson Effect
- The Ben Johnson Effect: With two first-quarter touchdowns, the Bears have scored more points in the first quarter through three games this season (28) than they did in 17 games last season (17).
Improvement in First-Quarter Scoring
It’s early but … The Bears are tied with the Seahawks for the most points in the first quarter this season. They were last in first-quarter scoring last season.
Ex-Bears Players’ Performance
- Did you know? With 2.5 sacks against the Ravens on Monday night, Lions defensive end Al-Qadin Muhammad has more sacks in 12 games with the Lions (6.5) than he had in 17 with the Bears in 2023 (1.0). In fact, Muhammad has more sacks in three games against the Bears (3.0) than he did in 17 games with the Bears.
Keenan Allen’s Performance
Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen, who had a career-low 49.6 receiving yards per game with the Bears last season (70 receptions, 744 yards, seven touchdowns), is averaging 64.7 yards per game with the Chargers after catching seven passes for 65 yards and a game-tying touchdown with 2:37 left in the fourth quarter in a 23-20 victory over the Broncos.
Josh McCown Ex-Bears Player of the Week
- Josh McCown Ex-Bears Player of the Week: Lions running back David Montgomery had 12 carries for 151 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-30 victory over the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium — including a 72-yard run and a game-clinching 31-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
David Montgomery’s Performance
Montgomery, a Bears’ third-round draft pick (No. 73) in 2019, leads the NFL with 6.9 yards per carry (34 carries, 233 yards, three touchdowns). He has scored 28 touchdowns in 31 regular-season games with the Lions. He scored 26 touchdowns in 60 games with the Bears (2019-22).
Bear-ometer
- Bear-ometer — 8-9: at Raiders (W); at Commanders (L); vs. Saints (W); at Ravens (L); at Bengals (W); vs. Giants (W); at Vikings (L); vs. Steelers (W); at Eagles (L); at Packers (L); vs. Browns (W); vs. Packers (L); at 49ers (L); vs. Lions (W).
<img class="Image" alt="Bears quarterback Caleb Williams scans the field during the first quarter of the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Soldier Field, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025." srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/044d3e5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000×2000+0+0/resize/840×560!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ff6%2Fac%2F4b811ef040dcb86c2ff708b471a3%2Fwilliams-99.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/79e428e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/300
