Caleb Williams, seeing no open receivers, spun around and made a deep pass to Rome Odunze, with the two rookies connecting on a 45-yard throw. This is exactly the kind of play the Chicago Bears are hoping to see regularly.
In his first game at Soldier Field since being drafted first overall, Williams ran for a touchdown and led two scoring drives, helping the Bears defeat the Cincinnati Bengals 27-3 on Saturday.
Williams had a slow start after an impressive brief appearance last week at Buffalo. The Bears went three-and-out on their first three possessions on a rainy day. However, Williams showed his potential by leading the team to a field goal and then running for a touchdown.
He completed 6 of 13 passes for 75 yards against Cincinnati’s backup players, including the 45-yard pass to Odunze, which led to a 7-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter.
“We’re going to be explosive,” Williams said. “We’re two rookies, but we’re trying to catch up with the older guys as quickly as we can. We need to be on the same page and be efficient, so we can win games.
Having a teammate like Odunze, who was drafted with me, will help us grow and build our connection.”
Odunze, the No. 9 overall pick, also had a 16-yard run on an end-around to help set up a field goal. Khalil Herbert rushed five times for 31 yards.
Tyson Bagent played the second half for Chicago and threw two touchdown passes to Dante Pettis. He was 7 of 8 for 87 yards and had a 151.6 rating before Brett Rypien took over midway through the fourth quarter.
Simone Biles, who recently won three more Olympic gold medals in Paris and was wearing a Green Bay Packers jacket, cheered on her husband, safety Jonathan Owens, from the sideline. The jacket had a picture of Owens, who signed with Chicago after spending last year with the Packers.
“She hasn’t been around much, so she doesn’t have a lot of Bears gear and was just supporting me,” Owens said. “We’ll need to get her some more Bears gear.”
Logan Woodside started as the quarterback for Cincinnati since Joe Burrow was rested and backup Jake Browning was out with a rib injury.
Woodside was 17 of 25 for 132 yards and threw two interceptions before Rocky Lombardi came in late in the third quarter.
Evan McPherson, who recently signed a three-year, $16.5 million contract extension, made a 54-yard field goal at the end of the first half.
Second-round draft pick Kris Jenkins Jr. sacked Williams. The Bengals had 11 penalties for 123 yards, which frustrated coach Zac Taylor despite the starters not being on the field.
“There were just some things that should be avoidable,” Taylor said. “It has nothing to do with talent or scheme. We need to handle some of these situations better.”
Williams and the Bears started to make progress early in the second quarter after Amen Ogbongbemiga intercepted a pass deep in Chicago territory. The Bengals were on the 22 when Josh Blackwell hit Woodside as he threw, causing the ball to pop up and get intercepted.
Chicago took over at the 26-yard line. A 43-yard pass interference penalty against Josh Newton, who was defending Tyler Scott, moved the ball to the 15-yard line, setting up a field goal for the Bears.
The Bears extended their lead on their next drive when Williams, while moving, threw a deep pass to Odunze along the left sideline for 45 yards, which was his longest pass of the preseason.
Williams then avoided two defenders on third down to score a 7-yard touchdown, making the score 10-0.
“It’s pretty unreal, honestly,” Odunze said. “I just watched it back. He’s throwing off of one leg, putting it on my outside shoulder. It’s like, oooh! It’s magical what he’s doing back there. He’s special.”
