Caleb Williams made rare history in Week 9 that highlights Ben Johnson’s brilliance and he wasn’t the only one with a historic game
What a historic win it was for the Chicago Bears offense in Week 9.
What a weekend it was for the Chicago Bears offense that literally fired on all cylinders to come out with a win in a 47-42 shootout against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Head coach Ben Johnson’s unit had to pull out all the tricks and lean heavily into the run game, even without starting running back D’Andre Swift. By the end of the game, Chicago ran 76 offensive plays on Sunday totaling 576 yards of offense with 30 first downs and six touchdowns.
That’s the kind of offensive brilliance many expected when the Bears went out to hire Johnson as the head coach and it was another gritty fourth quarter win this team is starting to become known for. There also was a little bit of history made looking closer at some of the numbers from Sunday’s win.
Caleb Williams makes odd history, two rookies join exclusive club among Bears legends
Let’s start with quarterback Caleb Williams, who finished the game 20/34 for 280 passing yards with three passing touchdowns and zero interceptions. On the ground, Williams added another 53 yards on five carries. Oh yeah, and he also caught two passes for 22 yards and another touchdown.
Williams’ two receptions came on two trick plays. One we’ve seen before in an all-time NFL moment and another that involved backup quarterback Tyson Bagent seeing some action to fool the defense.
How rare is that? Williams joined Nick Foles (from Super Bowl LII) as the only players to have 250+ passing yards, 3+ pass TD, and 1+ receiving TD in a game, via NFL Research.
Fittingly, Williams’ receiving touchdown came on the same exact play design famously known as the Philly Special the Eagles used when Foles scored his receiving touchdown in the Super Bowl.
Now, let’s take a look at the two rookies who stood out for the Bears offense, starting with seventh-round running back Kyle Monangai in his first NFL start. Monangai carried the ball 26 times for 176 rushing yards with a 6.8 average. With 26 carries and 175+ rushing yards in a game, Monangai becomes the second player in Bears history to reach those numbers, joining Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton. That’s pretty good company.
“I have high expectations for myself,” Monangai said after the game. “I put a lot of pressure on myself. The work I put in, I expect the results I get, but it doesn’t mean I’m satisfied or anything like that. I just have to keep going. This is more of just letting myself know I’m on the right track. Now it’s time to keep going, put the foot on the gas and continue to keep this trend going.”
And how about first-round tight end Colston Loveland? Loveland’s game-winning touchdown put him up to six receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns on the night. He’s the first Bears rookie tight end to have 100+ receiving yards in a game since Hall of Fame legend Mike Ditka, via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. It was the breakout everyone was waiting on from the 10th overall pick.
“That touchdown Colston scored, I’m glad I wasn’t mic’d up. I probably sounded like a little girl running down the field,” Monangai added. “I was screaming. There was a lot of emotion, but games like that … That’s what you play at this level for, is moments like that.”
It’s a game and moment these young players will remember forever, but the job’s not finished. Chicago improved to 5-3 with the win but still have plenty to clean up going into Week 10 and a schedule that only gets harder the further down you look. But, morale continues to grow in Chicago.
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