Quarterback Caleb Williams achieved a first on Sunday at Soldier Field — leading the Chicago Bears to a blowout victory.
The Bears jumped to a 20-point halftime lead and cruised to a 36-10 rout of the Carolina Panthers, improving to 3-2 as they head to London this week for the Oct. 13 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Williams threw for 304 yards — including 200 in the first half — on 20-for-29 passing.
After their slow start together was a storyline all week leading up to the game, Williams and wide receiver DJ Moore connected for first-half touchdown passes of 34 and 30 yards. Moore, playing against the team that traded him away in the 2023 offseason, had five catches for 105 yards.
Running back D’Andre Swift had 73 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, and Roschon Johnson scored two rushing touchdowns.
The Bears defense totaled three takeaways. Jaquan Brisker forced a fumble that Gervon Dexter recovered in the first half. Kevin Byard intercepted Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton’s deep shot intended for Jonathan Mingo early in the third quarter. And Tremaine Edmunds forced a fumble that nickel Kyler Gordon recovered in the fourth.
Dalton, making his third start in place of benched starter Bryce Young, completed 18 of 28 passes for 136 yards in the game before the Panthers gave Young time late in the fourth quarter. The Panthers entered the game with multiple key players out with injury and lost four starters during the game.
The Bears followed Byard’s pick with Cairo Santos’ 33-yard field goal. They had second-and-goal at the 1-yard line, but a clipping penalty on Doug Kramer negated a Williams touchdown run. Williams threw two incompletions, and the Bears settled for the field goal.
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They capitalized on Gordon’s fumble recovery when Roschon Johnson scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. They failed on a two-point conversion attempt to take a 36-10 lead. A fight broke out after the touchdown, and Bears guard Matt Pryor and Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn were disqualified.
The Panthers’ only points in the second and third quarters came on Eddy Pineiro’s 27-yard field goal.
Bears left guard Teven Jenkins suffered an ankle injury late in the first half and didn’t return. The Bears had Bill Murray replace him rather than bringing in Nate Davis. But Davis replaced Pryor upon the ejection.
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Here’s how the game unfolded
Inactives: Teven Jenkins, DeAndre Carter are active
Bears left guard Teven Jenkins and wide receiver DeAndre Carter are active Sunday against the Panthers at Soldier Field.
Jenkins and Carter were listed as questionable Friday as they recovered from ribs injuries.
The Bears previously declared out defensive tackle Zacch Pickens and cornerback Terell Smith.
Also inactive are wide receiver/running back Velus Jones Jr., defensive end Dominique Robinson and fullback Khari Blasingame.
The Panthers previously declared out linebacker Shaq Thompson, who was put on injured reserve, linebacker Josey Jewell and center Andrew Raym.
Panthers safety Russ Yeast, running back Mike Boone, guard Jarrett Kingston and defensive end Jayden Peevy are inactive.
Halftime: Bears lead Panthers 27-7
The Caleb Williams-DJ Moore connection arrived for the Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field.
Williams hit Moore for touchdown passes of 34 and 30 yards in the first half, and the Bears used a balanced offensive attack to take a convincing 27-7 halftime lead against the Panthers.
Williams completed 11 of 15 passes for 200 yards and the two touchdowns. Running back D’Andre Swift added 15 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown, and Roschon Johnson also scored a touchdown in the half.
Meanwhile, the Panthers offense netted 139 yards — including 64 net passing yards — and had one turnover.
The Panthers scored first when Chuba Hubbard broke free for a 38-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter. One player earlier, the Panthers kept the drive alive with Diontae Johnson’s 4-yard gain on fourth-and-1.
But on the next drive, Williams tied it by hitting Moore with the 34-yard scoring strike, the longest touchdown pass of his career, with 5:44 to play in the first quarter. Williams and Moore had connected for their first touchdown in Week 4, a 9-yarder.
Swift gained 22 yards on four carries on the drive.
The Bears marched 80 yards on their next drive, which was capped by Johnson’s 1-yard touchdown run. Williams threw a 23-yard pass to Moore to get the drive moving. Williams also scrambled for 6 and 5 yards for first downs, and Swift broke off an 18-yard run on the drive.
On their fourth drive, the Bears went for it on fourth-and-1 at the Panthers 39-yard line, but the Panthers stopped Johnson for no gain.
The Bears defense got the ball back two plays later. Safety Jaquan Brisker knocked the ball loose from Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble, and defensive tackle Gervon Dexter recovered it, giving the Bears the ball at the Panthers 44-yard line.
The Bears capitalized. Swift took a short Williams pass 42 yards to the 2, and two plays later, he scored on a 1-yard touchdown run for a 21-7 lead.
The Bears scored their last touchdown of the half with 30 seconds to play. Williams found Cole Kmet for a 25-yard pass and two plays later sent a dart toward Moore, who made a beautiful falling catch. Cairo Santos’ extra-point attempt was no good.
Panthers kicker Eddy Pineiro missed a 45-yard field-goal attempt in the final seconds of the half.
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Catch up on the rest of our coverage
5 things to watch for — plus our Week 5 picks
The Bears continue their run of playing against some of the league’s worst defensive teams, this time facing an injury-plagued Panthers unit that gives up 358 yards per game (27th) and 5.77 yards per play (26th).
Like in Week 4, the Bears again could rely on running back D’Andre Swift, who had 93 rushing yards against the Rams. But everyone is watching to see when Williams’ connection with wide receiver DJ Moore will break open. Moore, who signed a $110 million extension, is averaging 47.3 receiving yards per game.
Williams and Moore connected for a 9-yard touchdown pass against the Rams. But there also have been notable plays when Moore and Williams haven’t been on the same page, including what should have been a second-quarter touchdown Sunday. Read more here.
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Dexter a new player for the Bears
The Bears didn’t have a long to-do list for Gervon Dexter Sr. during his exit interview after his rookie season, but one thing they recommended was that he dedicate himself to making the most of his athletic ability.
He returned at about 309 pounds, the weight he says he’s at now, and while that’s down only 10 from 2023, he looks completely different. He didn’t just lose weight, he redistributed it in his frame, adding lean muscle. He enters Week 5 with three sacks, tied for second in the league among interior linemen with four others.
“I had to do it the right way,” Dexter, 22, said. “And really for me it was the late eating. I had bad habits of eating late-night snacks and too much sugar. I ate more protein with less carbs — heavy protein and less carbs to lean out.” Read more here.
‘Shoutout to Ryan Poles. And sorry to the Panthers.’
March 10, 2023. Remember that?
Remember that fateful Friday afternoon when Bears general manager Ryan Poles pulled the trigger on a landmark trade, sending the No. 1 pick in that spring’s NFL draft to the Panthers in exchange for a world of opportunity?
“I know about it a little bit,” Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams said Wednesday at Halas Hall. “But not too much. I’m obviously grateful it happened and to be a Chicago Bear. But I’m not too deep into the history of what happened.”
Grab a seat then, young man. Read more here.
Ope
Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady revealed that he seriously considered joining the Bears in the 2020 offseason before ultimately picking the Buccaneers.
“Ultimately Chicago was a team, and I never told that story before, they were very stealth in their recruitment, and I was seriously considering them,” Brady said.
The Bears instead acquired Nick Foles from the Jaguars to compete with Mitch Trubisky. A year later, they parted with Trubisky and drafted Justin Fields. Two years later, they fired GM Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy. Read more here.
London Calling
Grab your passports, the Bears are heading abroad.
They’ll be the host team at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next Sunday against the Jaguars (8:30 a.m., NFL Network). It will be the first of back-to-back London games for the Jaguars, who will play the Patriots the following week at Wembley Stadium.
The Bears haven’t played an international game since a group led by Khalil Mack and Chase Daniel lost 24-21 to the Raiders on Oct. 6, 2019, also at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Bears also played a regular-season game in London in 2011 and a preseason game there in 1986.
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About Week 4
The hole opened toward the Soldier Field end zone in front of Bears running back D’Andre Swift, but first he had an obstacle to clear.
“I saw somebody on the ground, and then I kind of lifted my leg up,” he said. “And after that, it was just: Run.”
After Swift hurdled Rams outside linebacker Michael Hoecht, he cut away from diving Rams safety Kamren Kinchens and raced the final 20 yards into the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown. The score with 12 minutes and 26 seconds to play turned out to be the winner in a 24-18 victory that broke a two-game losing streak. Read more here.
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- Column: With heightened urgency and an aggressive mindset, the Bears find needed relief with a win
- Undefeated Vikings dominate the first half and hang on to beat the Packers 31-29
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