The Chicago Bears didn’t just beat the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3. They stomped them out, 31-14, in a win that screamed: yeah, this team is for real. Soldier Field turned into a showcase of everything Bears fans have been waiting years to see — a franchise quarterback putting on a show, a defense that takes the ball away like it’s personal, and a coach who calls a game with the guts of a street fighter, not a scared coordinator.
This wasn’t a fluke. It was domination. And it happened for three clear reasons.
Reason #1: Caleb Williams Roared
Let’s not overcomplicate this: Caleb Williams had his breakout game. The rookie delivered 19-of-28 for 298 yards, 4 touchdowns, zero picks, and a 142.6 passer rating. That’s surgical. That’s what you draft a No. 1 overall pick for. The kid wasn’t even sacked — Dallas’s supposedly ferocious pass rush never touched him.
Ben Johnson deserves as much credit here. His first NFL head coaching win came with the kind of offensive creativity Bears fans didn’t know they were allowed to have. He opened the playbook and dropped a 65-yard flea-flicker bomb to Luther Burden III. That wasn’t just a touchdown; it was a statement. Eight different receivers caught passes, and four different guys scored. That’s distribution you usually only see in video games.
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The first half was Williams’ coming-out party: 239 yards before the break, and Chicago scored on four of its first five possessions. By halftime, it was 24-14 and the game already felt like Dallas was just hanging on. The offensive line kept Williams clean, Johnson schemed open shots, and the Cowboys’ defense never adjusted. It was as complete as it gets.
Reason #2: Defense Made It Count
For all the hype about Caleb, the Bears’ defense might’ve been the nastiest unit on the field. They forced four turnovers and gave up none. Ballgame.
Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds looked like a man possessed: 15 tackles and two fourth-quarter picks, including one in the red zone on fourth-and-goal that killed a 15-play Dallas drive. That’s how you end a game — not just by playing defense, but by ripping out your opponent’s heart.
Then there was Tyrique Stevenson. The same guy who’d been roasted in previous weeks? He forced and recovered a fumble on Javonte Williams in the first quarter, setting up Chicago’s first TD. He broke up passes, he tackled, and he basically redeemed himself in one afternoon.
And here’s the kicker: after letting Dallas tie it 14-14 in the second quarter, the Bears’ defense completely shut the Cowboys down. Second half? Dallas gained 17 yards. Total. That’s not a typo. That’s a full-on defensive chokehold from Dennis Allen’s unit.
Oh, and Chicago did this without Jaylon Johnson and T.J. Edwards. Depth, resilience, swagger. Call it whatever you want — the Cowboys had no answers.
Reason #3: Time of Possession, Game Management, & Sustained Drives
The drive of the game wasn’t one of the explosive plays. It was the 19-play, 76-yard drive in the third quarter that chewed up 9:54 of clock and ended in a TD to DJ Moore. That was the longest Bears scoring drive this century, and it broke Dallas’ will. You could see their defense sucking air by the end of it.
Chicago’s third-down offense? 57.1%. Dallas? 27.3%. That stat alone tells the story: the Bears stayed on the field, the Cowboys couldn’t.
Johnson didn’t just call plays to protect a lead — he went for the throat. Fourth-and-goal late in the third, instead of a field goal, he had Williams fire it to Moore. Boom, 31-14. Ballsy. That’s the kind of call that tells your team: I believe in you more than I fear them.
Meanwhile, Dallas’ defense, now run by ex-Bears coach Matt Eberflus, looked completely lost. They gave up five plays of 25+ yards, their secondary got burned repeatedly, and with Kenny Clark getting injured and no longer having Micah Parsons, the pass rush evaporated. The Bears took advantage of every crack and widened it into a canyon.
Final Verdict
This was no smoke-and-mirrors win. This was a franchise quarterback, an aggressive coach, and a hungry defense putting it all together in front of a home crowd that hasn’t seen football this competent in years. Williams finally looked like the guy. Johnson showed why he was the hottest coaching hire of the offseason. The defense reminded everyone what Monsters of the Midway football is supposed to look like.
Chicago’s now 1-2, with a chance to climb to .500 against Vegas before the bye. But if this is the version of the Bears we’re going to see more often? They’re not just playoff contenders. They’re the team no one wants to play come December.
