Of rookie receiver Rome Odunze's six catches during his 112-yard performance Sunday against the Colts, his 1-yard reception stood out among the rest.

Odunze's quick out-route on first-and-goal from the Colts 1 in the fourth quarter resulted in a pair of firsts. Not only was it his first NFL score, but it also marked quarterback Caleb Williams' first career touchdown pass.

"The play we ran, we had schemed up and felt like we could take advantage of and attack them on when we were that close on the goal line," Odunze said. "We got the look that we wanted. Caleb threw a great ball and I was able to make the catch."

Sharing that NFL milestone is fitting for the pair of rookies who were drafted by the Bears close to an hour apart on April 25.

After the touchdown, Odunze and Williams celebrated together by jokingly fighting over the ball, which raised the question: which player gets to keep their first NFL TD football?

"I think he's graciously gonna let me keep it and I appreciate that," Odunze revealed to ESPN 1000 sideline reporter Jason McKie. "He's gonna have a lot more touchdowns than me in his career just because he's a baller like that. So I get to keep the first one."

The rookies' first touchdown cut the Bears' deficit to 14-9 after a missed 2-point conversion with 8:21 left in the game. While the Bears couldn't complete the fourth-quarter comeback and ultimately fell 21-16 at Lucas Oil Stadium, Odunze's impressive outing was a bright spot for the offense.

Odunze caught six of his 11 targets for a game-high 112 yards, becoming the first Bears rookie receiver to record 100-plus receiving yards in a game since Anthony Miller had 122 yards Nov. 11, 2018 against the Lions. Odunze's performance is familiar territory for the No. 9 overall pick – he recorded 10 100-yard games as a senior at Washington in 2023.

Odunze's big day came after he totaled just three receptions for 44 yards in the Bears' first two games, despite playing 77% of the offensive snaps in Week 1 against the Titans and 94% in Week 2 against the Texans.

"I think it did take me a little bit of time [in] the first two games," Odunze said. "First game I felt like I was getting my rhythm, little off. Second game, I was getting more into my rhythm, a little off with my eye placement and my discipline. Today, I feel like I came out there and put some good ball out there and some good tape, but still room to improve, still things to pick up on and continue to learn."

Williams wasn't surprised by his receiver's career day.

"I think watching film, going through practices and things like that, I've told Rome that I'm gonna give him the ball some more," Williams said.

The rookies went on to show off their evolving connection early. Odunze's first catch went for 47 yards with 11:03 left in the second quarter — a play that ended up being the largest gain for either team Sunday.

"We've been working on some of our different routes and things like that throughout these weeks," Williams said. "Every day we get about 10 to 15 passes with each other after practice. So certain passes like that, and a lot of times, the deep downfield balls are the more rhythm routes that you have to try and keep your receiver in stride. He had a great route, made a great catch and gave us a chance."

Odunze went on to record three more big plays in Sunday's game – a 27-yard reception in the second quarter, a 14-yard catch over the middle eight plays before his touchdown and a 17-yard grab on the Bears' second touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.

While both Odunze and Williams wished their performances resulted in a win, the rookies have confidence their connection will continue to grow over the course of the season.

"Some of the practice reps, the after-practice reps that Rome and I have been getting these past couple weeks, I think it pays off," Williams said. "And we're gonna keep doing it because we obviously want to build that connection and have that trust and belief in each other."