A three-pronged bounce-back: Takeaways from the Chicago Bears 31-23 win over the Falcons

The Chicago Bears are a little bit different with Caleb Williams under center. Not that anyone needed a reminder, but Sunday was a good one.

After getting beat up by the Packers, the Bears got Williams and other pieces back that spell a difference in the Bears of today and the Bears of just a week ago. In stifling the Atlanta Falcons, the Bears are back on the right track.

"A total team win," Bears coach Ben Johnson said. "But on a short week, we have to enjoy it on the flight home and quickly turn the page."

Here are our takeaways from the Bears’ 31-23 win over the Falcons.

Iceman is back

It goes without saying that getting Caleb Williams was paramount for the Bears.

Going 2-1 with backup quarterbacks was a boon for the Bears. Last week’s loss in Green Bay was a reminder why Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum were back-ups.

On Sunday, Williams reminded everyone why he’s QB1.

Williams finished the game completing 30 of his 36 passes for 305 yards and a score. That’s a completion percentage of 83.3, well above the 70 percent mark that Johnson set for Williams before the season.

"It's the biggest injury layoff he's ever had," Johnson said. "He came in my office early in the week wanting to push it and see where he was at. He did a great job downloading the game plan, finding open guys, and delivering good football. Super proud of him."

Williams also joined Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson as the only three quarterbacks in NFL history who have throw at least 50 touchdowns while throwing 15 or fewer interceptions.

Tom Brady called it his best game as a pro, which means something coming from a person who Williams talked about with reverence and respect.

You wouldn’t have known it.

"I didn't know I went 30-for-36," Williams said after the game. "I've got to go back and watch the tape. Winning covers up things, and losing shows everything. We'll go back, be true tellers about ourselves, look in the mirror, and figure out what we need to fix and get better at."

Getting Williams back on the field is big, and the results Sunday are why. 

The season-opener against the Panthers isn’t really a fluke. With Williams out there, the Bears are threat to drop 30+ points every game.

With him back at quarterback, the Bears have a chance to win every game from now on.

A big question was how the hamstring would hold up. He looked very, very good. Williams, of course, knew this from the start of the week.

"I walked in his office, dapped him up, and said, 'Let's get this thing going this week,'" Willaims said. "I walked out after that."

What to make of the fourth quarter

Johnson said on ESPN 1000’s postgame show that he took some players out of the game in the fourth quarter to get them some rest.

The Bears are back at it on Thursday against the Patriots. They wanted to get as much rest as possible.

Well, the Falcons saw that, too.

Atlanta scored 16 points in the fourth quarter. They made it an eight-game with just 5:41 left. That felt a little too close for comfort. Jack Sanborn, Skyler Thomas, Elijah Hicks and other second-stringers were in.

They allowed a touchdown. Those second-stringers didn’t force Roschon Johnson to fumble, however. It was a little preemptive, sure. 

Johnson quickly corrected this when Atlanta got the ball back quickly. He wanted to give his starters as much rest as possible. It didn’t work out, but it didn’t cost the Bears the game.

Kyler Gordon ended the game with a strip-sack, and in the end the lead the Bears built was too much for the Falcons to overcome.

It was a testament to how well the Bears respond under Johnson.

"It was one of those crossroads, just because of what happened the week before, but I believe strongly in our coaching staff, our locker room, and everyone in this building," Johnson said. "Am I surprised? No, and yet, you still need to see it happen on the field. That’s a total team win we can build on going forward."

Kyler Gordon makes emphatic return

Welcome back, Kyler Gordon. The Bears’ high-paid nickel cornerback was asked if he ever doubted himself.

"Never," Gordon said.

We can see that. Gordon played 16 defensive snaps. He still recorded three sacks, the most by any player in a game in the past 20 seasons with just 16 snaps.

Gordon is also the first defensive back in the last 40 seasons to record 3 or more sacks sacks and multiple forced fumbles in the same game.

Kyler Gordon had five quick pressures and three sacks on eight pass rush snaps. That’s pretty efficient.

He worked to get back on the field, and talked about thinking positive thoughts as he returned.

"As much as it sucked, it was a nice little check-off for myself to reinforce all the things I believe in, keeping strong mentally, staying positive, and locking in on those small details," Gordon said. "Reinforcing that positive thought regardless of the situation to get back to this point and do what I did today."

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