Caleb Williams connected with DJ Moore on a wide-open crossing route for a 34-yard touchdown early in the game, setting a positive tone for the Chicago Bears.
Williams threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns in his best game so far, while Moore caught both touchdown passes and had 105 receiving yards against his former team. The Bears defeated the Carolina Panthers 36-10 on Sunday.
With this win, the Bears (3-2) secured their second consecutive victory after losing two straight games. The success came from the key players they got in a major trade with Carolina in 2023.
D’Andre Swift also had a standout game for the second week in a row, totaling 120 yards from scrimmage and scoring a touchdown.
“That’s definitely how we want to play,” Williams said. “Definitely what we envisioned as an offense and as a team. We’ve got to keep doing it.”
Williams excelled against a struggling defense that is one of the worst in the NFL. The No. 1 overall draft pick completed 20 of 29 passes without throwing any interceptions, earning a 126.2 rating, his best yet.
“He’s just learning and growing, and you can see that in these games that we’ve had,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “He knows that. So he’s just got to level up, keep leveling up, and every time we’ve challenged him, he’s done that ever since the summer.”
Panthers coach Dave Canales was impressed with Williams’ performance.
“I just thought he did a fantastic job extending plays,” he said. “We had him dead to rights a couple times. He wiggled out of great rushes, great pressure on him. We had things covered, live looking at it, and he extended the play and found completions.”
Williams could have been playing for the Panthers if not for the 2023 trade. Carolina sent Moore and the No. 9 overall pick to Chicago for the top pick in that draft. The Bears also received the Panthers’ 2024 first-round pick, which ended up being the first overall pick, allowing them to select the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner from Southern California.
