Caleb Williams looks forward to the rematch against the Packers after the Bears rout the Browns
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears had just wiped out the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Caleb Williams wasted no time turning his attention toward the next game.
Chicago and Green Bay will meet for the second time in three weeks when the Packers visit Soldier Field on Saturday night. And Williams is ready for the rematch.
“I’m definitely excited,” he said after beating Cleveland. “I’m excited for the moment. They’re coming here, and it’s another game for us. But I’m excited.”
The NFC North-leading Bears (10-4) won five straight games and nine of 10 before losing 28-21 at Lambeau Field two weeks ago, when Williams underthrew Cole Kmet on an interception in the end zone in the closing minute. Chicago fell behind the Packers in the division and dropped from first to seventh in the conference.
The Bears bounced back in a big way against the struggling Browns, winning 31-3 in one of the coldest games ever at Soldier Field. With the Packers (9-4-1) losing at Denver, Chicago regained the division lead.
The schedule is about to take another tough turn, with Green Bay visiting and a trip to San Francisco before Chicago hosts Detroit in the finale. The Bears at least won’t have to deal with Micah Parsons after the Packers’ superstar pass rusher tore his left ACL in the third quarter at Denver.
Even so, a win over Green Bay is hardly a sure thing for Chicago. The Packers have dominated the NFL’s longest-running rivalry the past few decades. And if Williams wants some payback for the most recent meeting, that’s fine with coach Ben Johnson.
“I’m glad Caleb didn’t like how the last one ended,” he said Monday. “None of us should. No one likes to lose. And so the only way you can shake that feeling is to look to stack more victories. And so that’s our intent.”
What’s working
The defense. Chicago held Cleveland to 192 yards and sacked Shedeur Sanders five times in his fourth start. The Bears also had three interceptions, leading to two touchdowns and a field goal, and extended their league-leading totals in INTs (21), takeaways (30) and turnover differential (plus-20).
What needs help
The way the Bears dominated, it was hard to find fault with their performance.
Stock up
WR DJ Moore. If Moore seemed like a forgotten man the previous week, well, consider this quite a reintroduction.
He went from being targeted just three times and catching one pass for a 4-yard loss to contributing 69 yards and two touchdowns with leading receiver Rome Odunze missing his second straight game because of a lingering foot injury. That included a highlight-reel grab on a 22-yarder in the third quarter. Williams rolled toward the right sideline and Moore went up in a crowd in the back of the end zone to haul in the pass.
Moore, who is second on the team with 43 receptions and 567 yards, is on pace to finish with 689 yards. His career low is 788 yards in 2018 as a rookie with Carolina.
Stock down
K Cairo Santos. In seven seasons with the Bears, Santos had never missed a field goal of 39 yards or less. He was 84 for 84 before a 35-yarder nicked the right upright in the second quarter, a bad miss even with the Browns’ Myles Garrett coming in off the edge. Santos is 21 of 26 on field goals this season.
Injuries
Johnson said “all options are on the table” with Odunze after he aggravated his foot injury in warmups and was a late scratch. It’s been bothering him since October, and the team had been managing the situation by having him sit out some practices. “There may be a case where we have to protect him from himself a little bit and just make sure we get him right and he’ll be able to help us down the road,” Johnson said. … The Bears opened a 21-day practice window on LB Tremaine Edmunds (groin), who has missed the past four games. He was hurt in Chicago’s Week 11 win at Minnesota. … WR Luther Burden (ankle) is day to day after he was hurt on Sunday.
Key number
3 — The three points were the fewest allowed by Chicago since a 29-3 victory over the New York Giants in Week 17 of the 2021 season. The previous low this year was 14 in wins over Dallas in Week 3 and New Orleans in Week 7.
Next steps
The Bears will try to beat the Packers for the second time in three meetings and get some payback for the loss in Week 14. Chicago won at Lambeau Field in last year’s finale, ending an 11-game losing streak against Green Bay.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl