Making their preseason debut Sunday night against the Bills, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and the No. 1 offense didn't waste any time getting in the end zone.
Williams opened the game by engineering a sparkling 7-play, 92-yard drive capped by a 36-yard touchdown pass to receiver Olamide Zaccheaus, giving the Bears a 7-0 lead en route to a dominant 38-0 victory at Soldier Field.
Williams completed three straight passes to start the possession, connecting with tight end Colston Loveland for 8 yards in the right flat, 29 yards to tight end Cole Kmet over the middle and 6 yards to receiver DJ Moore in the left flat.
After a holding penalty, Williams hit Loveland for 18 yards and then rifled a slant pass to Zaccheaus, who caught the ball at the 29 before eluding a diving tackle attempt by safety Damar Hamlin and outracing two defenders to the end zone.
"We didn't have the best field position to get started there," said coach Ben Johnson. "So I thought those guys did a really nice job of marching it down the field. Caleb made a couple big-time throws to keep that drive going and some explosive plays there. It was good to see."
The long touchdown drive was exactly how Williams wanted to start the game.
"It sets the tone for us as a team," he said. "It sets a tone for how we expect ourselves to play and go out and perform. It was extremely important."
Williams exited in favor of Tyson Bagent after playing two series and completing 6 of 10 passes for 130 yards with 1 TD and a 130.0 passer rating.
Johnson lauded Williams for how he performed in recent practices—including Friday's joint workout with the Bills—as well as in Sunday night's game.
"He's really been locked in," Johnson said. "Anytime you're a young player, there's usually a couple steps forward and one step back and that's really been the story of his training camp. He and I have been really open and honest about that as we've gone through. He's had some really good practices, and he's had a couple where it's like, 'That isn't good enough bud.' I thought really the three days of practice we had this week and this game were the most he's stacked up good days in a row right now. The challenge is going to be to keep pushing in that direction."
The Bears' No. 1 defense was on the field for just one possession, forcing a three-and-out while holding the Bills to just one yard. The reserves were just as stingy as the Bears yielded only 180 total yards and did not permit the Bills to reach the red zone.
"It's what [defensive coordinator] Dennis [Allen] has been preaching to those guys from Day 1," Johnson said. "It's not what we call, it's how we play, and I think those guys have really bought into that mantra. There's an aggression with which we want to play, not just schematically …"
The Bears' No. 2 offense picked up where the starters left off, scoring touchdowns on three straight possessions to increase the lead to 28-0 at halftime.
The Bears extended their lead to 14-0 on running back Brittain Brown's 1-yard TD run early in the second quarter. Brown, who signed with the Bears only six days ago, rushed for 39 yards on seven carries on the drive.
Bagent and receiver Tyler Scott then teamed up for a 35-yard pass and an 11-yard TD, widening the margin to 21-0. The TD came when Bagent rolled to his right and rifled the ball to Scott, who was racing across the back of the end zone.
The Bears followed with their fourth TD on their first five drives, taking a 28-0 lead on running back Ian Wheeler's 1-yard run on fourth-and-goal with 1:50 left in the half.
Cairo Santos' 40-yard field goal made it 31-0 midway through the third quarter.
The Bills' best chance to score was thwarted by linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga, who generated the game's first takeaway by stripping running back Frank Gore Jr. after an 11-yard catch. Defensive end Xavier Carlton recovered the fumble at the Bears' 14.
Bagent was replaced by Austin Reed late in the third period after completing 13 of 22 passes for 196 yards with 1 TD and a 103.6 passer rating.
Wheeler scored his second touchdown of the game on a 10-yard run, extending the Bears' lead to 38-0 with 9:35 remaining in the fourth quarter.
"All night tonight it had nothing to do with scheme," Johnson said. "It was all about our guys and how they wanted to play the game. We asked them to play clean football. That's what I was most proud of. I thought our operation, from breaking the huddle to the snap of the ball on offense and our communication on defense, was really good."
Injury news
Bears running back Deion Hankins (knee), cornerback Terell Smith (knee), defensive ends Dominique Robinson (ankle) and Austin Booker (knee) and receiver JP Richardson (ankle) exited Sunday night's game with injuries.
In the trenches
The Bears' starting offensive line included Braxton Jones at left tackle and rookie Luke Newman at left guard in place of veteran Joe Thuney. The second unit featured Theo Benedet at left tackle and rookie Ozzy Trapilo at right tackle.
Special opportunity
Johnson said that he handled over play-calling duties in the second half to offensive coordinator Declan Doyle on offense and defensive backs coach Al Harris on defense.
"I thought they both did a great job, first time in that setting," Johnson said. "A lot of thoughts going through their heads. Wish we could get more coaches over the course of training camp and the preseason to get that exposure and experience. But Year 1 that's probably all we'll do there. I thought those guys did a really good job as well and wanted to give them a shout out."
