Three Takeaways from Bears' statement win over Cowboys |
Dustin Riese
· · 3 hours ago
The Chicago Bears came into their Week 3 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys not only needing a win, but also looking at this game as a potential must-win to stay alive in the NFC North race. Not only did they accomplish their mission by securing the win, but they also made a statement in the process, taking care of business 34-14.
Caleb Williams played out of his mind, throwing four touchdown passes, while the defense stepped up and made plays, and the Special Teams did what they had to do to secure the win. In other words, this was a complete team effort by the Bears, as they made the Cowboys look silly for most of the game. Here are some takeaways from the Week 3 victory over the Cowboys.
Although it may have taken three weeks, Ben Johnson finally picked up his first NFL victory, and he hopes to be the first of many. Coming off their loss to the Lions in Week 2, Johnson was visibly frustrated, and for good reason, as the Bears were embarrassed in the Motor City. That led to Johnson calling the team out, especially criticizing their practice habits, as he felt they weren't championship-caliber practice habits. No one is going to say that the practice habits completely changed overnight, but the Bears did look like a completely different team this weekend as they dominated the Cowboys from start to finish. This was the team Johnson envisioned when he took the job in the first place, and now that he has seen what they are capable of, this is the standard he will set for the rest of the way. Chicago is hoping to maintain this same intensity week to week for the rest of the way, as the talent is there to make things happen.
While much of the discussion over the first two games centered on the offense and its lack of consistent execution, the defense also received considerable criticism, as the Bears' defense had struggled in the first two weeks. The Detroit game in Week 2 was especially poor, as the Lions ran all over them from start to finish, handing them one of their worst losses in franchise history. The Bears' defense knew coming into Sunday what they were capable of, and led by an adjusted Dennis Allen game plan, the Bears went out and executed, forcing four turnovers from the Dallas Cowboys. Three of those turnovers came off of interceptions, with Tremaine Edmunds picking up two of the three interceptions. If there was a negative to pick out from their defensive performance, it would be their inability to consistently get after the quarterback, although the Bears still came away with two sacks in the game. Lack of quarterback pressure or not, the Bears' defense proved to themselves and the entire NFL that, given the opportunity, they can be an opportunistic defense that can make plays, which is what they did throughout the second half on Sunday. Williams silences his critics It's not like Caleb Williams played badly during the Bears' first two games, but he did miss a lot of throws and left a lot to be desired. As you saw during the scripted plays portion of the offense, when things are clicking for Williams, he has the tools to be an MVP-caliber quarterback, but it's the off-script portion of the game that goes south for him. From a lack of touch to accuracy issues and poor decision-making, Williams continues to make too many mistakes under center, which is why the consistency factor has yet to materialize. Sunday not only proved that Williams has the consistency to win games, but he also showed the NFL that the talent level is there for him to be a franchise quarterback. From the deep ball connections to Rome Odunze and Luther Burden, to spreading the ball around to eight different receivers, Williams completely picked apart the Cowboys defense, as this was arguably the best game of his young career. The next question becomes: can the success he showed in this game be sustainable in the long term? If so, the Bears are positioned to make some noise late in the season.The first of hopefully many
The defense steps up in a big way
