Bears receiver Rome Odunze on Wednesday reflected on the cohesiveness he displayed with quarterback Caleb Williams in Monday night's season opener.
The two 2024 top-10 picks teamed up for two of the Bears' top plays against the Vikings—a 17-yard completion that set up their first touchdown and a 1-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter.
The 17-yarder came on third-and-2 on the Bears' first possession of the game, sustaining a drive that resulted in Williams' 9-yard TD scramble. Williams escaped the pocket, sprinted to his right and fired the ball to Odunze, who made a sliding catch just inside the right sideline.
"It was a bit of a broken play," Odunze said. "Look back at the quarterback, seeing him scrambling. We just made a play on the DB that was defending me. I was trying to get some open space in the direction that he was rolling out in. It was kind of a piercing throw. He threw it on the money, right on the laser, so I was able to reel it in on the sideline and get two feet in."
Since being selected by the Bears with the No. 1 pick in last year's draft, Williams has excelled at scrambling—picking up yards with his legs or buying time to complete off-schedule throws downfield.
"He's just super talented with it," Odunze said. "There are not too many arm angles he can't throw from, body positions. Whether he's rolling left [or] rolling right, whether he's going backwards [or] going forward, he always generates the power to be able to get the ball where it needs to be. You always have to be ready in those scenarios. I don't see anyone doing it like him."
Williams' 1-yard TD pass came on a well-designed play by coach Ben Johnson. Odunze initially acted as if he was going to block a defender before slipping past him and settling into an open spot in the back of the end zone.
"It was awesome," Odunze said. "We practiced it throughout the week. It was a look we were really confident in. The timing wasn't exactly where it needed to be in practice, and that was the only rep we had gotten with it. So me and 'CWill' (Williams) got a couple reps after practice just to get that timing right.
"It was just selling like I was going for the block and then just kind of shedding and getting loose. It was just being on a certain chemistry, certain aspect so when Caleb was done with his fake, I was open for him."
Odunze believes that he showed some of the growth he's made as a second-year pro, leading the Bears with six receptions for 37 yards versus Minnesota.
"I feel like I put it on display a good bit," he said. "I definitely felt a little more comfortable out there and I think the film proved that as well. I flashed some playmaking ability … From my first game last year to my first game this year, definitely a big improvement. But this is really just the baseline. I can do bigger and better things."
Johnson lauded Odunze and the rest of the Bears' receiving crew for their willingness to block on running plays.
"All those receivers, they all had to get their hands dirty in the run game," Johnson said. "They were very willing to do that. The run game didn't take off to the effect that we wanted to, but [Odunze] had a number of jobs there from blocking DBs to linebackers to cutting off defensive ends in the running game. That was the first thing that popped off the tape.
"He was very detailed in his route running as well. He created some separation when it was close, so there's a lot of things to build on."
