One week after being humiliated 52-21 by the Detroit Lions, the Chicago Bears responded with fire and focus, dismantling the Dallas Cowboys 31-14 on a national stage.
It was not only Ben Johnson’s first win as the head coach, but it came at the expense of former Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, who is now the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, only to watch his unit get picked apart by Johnson from start to finish.
Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, who had his worst game last week against Detroit, made a game-changing play when he stripped the ball out of Cowboys running back Javonte Williams after he gained 22 yards and recovered the ball in bounds on their first possession. The Cowboys could have scored a touchdown, and the outcome would have been completely different.
After going three-and-out on their opening drive, quarterback Caleb Williams took over. On their second possession, he hit a wide-open Rome Odunze for the first touchdown of the game and his fourth of the season. Then, Johnson unleashed his trick play out of his bag with a flea flicker from D'Andre Swift to Williams, who threw a deep bomb to the rookie Luther Burden III for another touchdown. And this all happened in the first quarter!
Bears' win comes at the expense of Matt Eberflus' defense
The Bears started the second half with an efficient 19-play, 76-yard drive, where they ran the ball eleven straight times. They went for it on fourth down and finished it with a four-yard touchdown to wide-open DJ Moore with 9 seconds left in the third quarter. That put the game out of reach for the Cowboys.
The offense racked up 385 total yards and scored on four of its first six possessions. Eberflus’ defense was repeatedly gashed by explosive plays and failed to contain Williams, who completed 19-of-28 for 298 yards and 4 touchdown passes, and a career-high 142.6 passer rating.
Bears responded in a big way after being called out by Ben Johnson
Johnson called out the entire team last week when he criticized their practice habits following their disastrous loss to Detroit. The defensive players, led by Grady Jarrett, Jaquan Brikser, and Kevin Byard III, had a players-only meeting following the Lions' loss. They took his message and put in a much-improved performance. Even the much-maligned offensive line, which has shot itself in the foot too many times, did not give up a single sack and only committed three penalties.
There are still issues that need to be cleaned up. The run game needs to step up more and keep the opposing defense honest. Once again, D'Andre Swift was not good when running between the tackles. Rookie Kyle Monangai got more touches and needs to keep producing. Although the defense showed up, the run defense was subpar, and to make matters worse, tackling was atrocious.
Read more: Bears rubbed salt in the wound after Matt Eberflus' rough game with Cowboys
But this game reaffirmed what a colossal failure Eberflus was as a head coach, while Johnson is already a significant upgrade for Williams and the Bears after three games. More importantly, the Bears showed they could respond to adversity—and to their head coach’s challenge—with poise and purpose.