CHICAGO (AP) — Ben Johnson had just presented game balls to Caleb Williams and Tremaine Edmunds in a raucous locker room. There was one more to give.
Williams tossed the ball to Johnson and the players mobbed their coach.
After two brutal losses to start the season, the Bears sure felt better after this.
Williams tied a career high with four touchdown passes and Chicago gave Johnson his first win as an NFL head coach by beating the Dallas Cowboys 31-14 on Sunday.
“It’s awesome,” Williams said. “The trust and belief and hard work and just all of it together, to be able to have that hard work for him and his family and the organization, this historic organization, it’s just a constant growth and mindset that we’re on. To have this moment for him and for us, it’s really important.”
The Bears (1-2) got a win they sorely needed coming off a 52-21 blowout loss at Detroit. Johnson called out his team’s practice habits during the week, saying they weren’t “championship-caliber.” But he had to like what he saw against the Cowboys (1-2).
Johnson’s offense broke off several big plays while racking up 385 yards. It added up to a rough day for Dallas defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus in his first appearance at Soldier Field since the Bears fired him as head coach last November.
“It will be fun for tonight and then we’ll be on to the next one,” Johnson said. “We’re behind the 8-ball here. We’re 1-2 and we’ve got to get back to .500.”
Williams looked more like the quarterback the Bears need him to become than the one who faded after strong starts the first two weeks. The No. 1 overall draft pick last year, he completed 19 of 28 passes for 298 yards and a 142.6 rating.
Rookie Luther Burden caught his first career touchdown when he hauled in a 65-yarder on a flea-flicker in the first quarter. The second-round pick from Missouri finished with 101 yards on three receptions.
Rome Odunze had 62 yards and a touchdown catch, giving him four this season.
Cole Kmet caught a 10-yard touchdown pass near the end of the first half. DJ Moore made it 31-14 with a 4-yard TD reception on a fourth down in the third quarter, capping 19-play drive that ate up 9:54.
“A 19-play drive, that’s going to bring the dog out of everybody, you know what I mean?” Odunze said. “So for us to be able to put those 19 plays out there and then touch the paint, that tells me we’ve got the right guys in here and we’ve got that dog mentality. We’ll continue to put that forward.”
Tremaine Edmunds had two of Chicago’s three interceptions, and the Bears came away with their 799th regular-season victory. The Green Bay Packers have 812.
“Humbling” for Cowboys
The Cowboys never really got their offense in gear and couldn’t make the stops they needed after squeezing out a thrilling overtime win over the New York Giants. It won’t get any easier this week with Micah Parsons and the Green Bay Packers visiting Dallas — their first meeting since a contract standoff ended with a blockbuster trade before the opener.
“This can be a humbling business,” coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “If you don’t take care of business, you don’t play well, then you’re not going to win. We’ve got to stop giving up big plays on defense, and we got to stop turning the ball over on offense. It’s a bad formula.”
Owner Jerry Jones said he understands fans’ frustration with the defense and Eberflus. He also preached patience.
“If you’re not making positive steps, then you’re losing ground,” he said. “Everybody starts off, they’ve got to make adjustments along the way for injuries and for depreciation in talent that they’ve counted on. But there’s a constant adjustment going on right now, and this is what we’re seeing right here.
“Teams have lost their third game in the NFL and they’ve gone on to participate really well in the playoffs.”
Dak Prescott completed 31 of 40 passes, but had just 251 yards. He threw a touchdown to George Pickens in the second quarter, but was intercepted twice and sat out Dallas’ final series.
Star receiver CeeDee Lamb left with a sprained ankle. The four-time Pro Bowler headed to the sideline early in the first quarter after he was hurt on a run when he took a handoff and twisted his ankle as he was tackled by Noah Sewell. He returned on the first play of the second quarter before being ruled out to start the second half.
Brandon Aubrey made two field goals, including a 53-yarder. He broke Dan Bailey’s franchise record with 28 field goals of at least 50 yards.
Injuries
Cowboys: Schottenheimer said Lamb wanted to try to play through his injury. He was to have more imaging. … CB Trevon Diggs (shoulder) and DT Kenny Clark (ankle) got banged up.
Bears: TE Colston Loveland (hip) was hurt in the first half. … CB Kyler Gordon (hamstring) missed his third game. … LB T.J. Edwards (hamstring) was inactive.
Up next
Cowboys: Host Green Bay next Sunday.
Bears: Visit Las Vegas next Sunday.
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