Caleb Williams provides another
reminder of his importance to the Chicago Bears
[October 20, 2026]
By JAY COHEN
CHICAGO (AP) — Caleb Williams has been the most important player for
the Chicago Bears since he was selected with the No. 1 pick in the
2024 NFL draft.
Sunday was just another example of that.
Returning from a right hamstring injury, Williams led the Bears to a
31-23 win at Atlanta. The third-year quarterback was 30 of 36 for
305 yards and a touchdown.
“I think he just did a good job of taking what the defense gave,”
offensive coordinator Press Taylor said Monday. “It didn’t feel like
there were forces. ... You’ve watched him mature and grow in the
system and he was seeing things well the other night and it just
came together pretty well for him in terms of putting the ball in
play and putting the ball where our guys were able to do something
with it.”
It was Williams' first action since he left in the fourth quarter of
a 9-3 loss to Minnesota on Sept. 20. Case Keenum led Chicago to a
27-7 victory over Philadelphia and Tyson Bagent helped the Bears to
a 23-12 win against the New York Jets in the team's first two games
after Williams got hurt.
But Bagent and Keenum both struggled in last weekend's 31-7 loss at
Green Bay, setting the stage for Williams' return against the
Falcons.
“I felt confident from the jump,” Williams said. “Let it rip ... let
these guys go make plays for us. Get first downs, touchdowns, all
that.”
He sure looked confident.
Williams completed his first 12 passes. According to Next Gen Stats,
he was 24 of 24 for 248 yards from a clean pocket. He has completed
72.5% of his passes in three games this season after that number was
58.1% last year.
“To come back and to be on point, to be on rhythm, to be as accurate
as he was in his first outing in a while, credit to him,” Taylor
said, “credit to the skill guys to be able to get open, be
available, be on time, and really be where they’re supposed to be
when they are supposed to be there for him.”
Williams' return seemed to help Colston Loveland, who had six
receptions for 65 yards and a TD in his best game of the season. The
tight end had 13 catches for 110 yards over the first five games.
What's working
Special teams made two huge plays in Sunday's win. Josh Blackwell
recovered a muffed punt by Zachariah Branch at the Atlanta 10 late
in the first half, resulting in D’Andre Swift's 2-yard TD run. Nick
McCloud recovered Branch's fumble on a kickoff in the third quarter,
leading to Cairo Santos' 50-yard field goal.
What needs help
Penalties were an issue once again. The Bears were flagged 12 times
for a season-high 133 yards, compared to four for 31 yards by the
Falcons.
“We had way too many penalties,” Taylor said. “That’s not something
we want to live with.”
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Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams passes against the Atlanta
Falcons during the first half of an NFL football game in Atlanta,
Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
The Bears were penalized 20 times for 115 yards in
their first two games, but they had been better of late. They were
flagged three times for 20 yards in the loss at Green Bay.
Stock up
Kyler Gordon had three sacks and two forced fumbles in his season
debut. His late strip-sack on Michael Penix Jr. helped Chicago close
out the win.
Gordon opened this season on the physically unable to perform list
because of a calf injury. He became the first defensive back to
record three sacks in a game for the Bears since Todd Bell on Oct.
2, 1983, against Denver.
“It was exciting to see because I think he did some things that
we’ve always felt like that he could do for us,” defensive
coordinator Dennis Allen said. “And so, I’ve always thought that
there was a way that we could utilize him that he could really help
us win games, and he was big in the game this week.”
Stock down
Rome Odunze had another quiet performance, finishing with three
receptions for 39 yards. The third-year wide receiver had just one
catch in the second half.
The 24-year-old Odunze has 20 receptions for 312 yards in six games
this season. He is looking for his first touchdown after catching
six TD passes in 12 games last year.
Injuries
The Bears didn't provide any substantive injury updates on Monday.
Right guard Jonah Jackson left Sunday's win with a hip injury, and
his status is particularly noteworthy in the short week before
Thursday's game against New England.
Key number
13 — The Bears have 13 rushing touchdowns, including three against
the Falcons. That is their highest total over the first six games of
a season since they also had 13 in 1989.
Up next
The Bears play consecutive primetime games against last season's
Super Bowl participants, beginning with the matchup with the
Patriots at Soldier Field. They visit Seattle on Nov. 2.
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