ATLANTA — Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson pulled his defensive starters early in the fourth quarter Sunday and then watched the Atlanta Falcons score 16 straight points to pull within one score.
The Falcons got the ball back with 3 minutes, 34 seconds on the clock, at which point Johnson needed a big play from his defense.
He got one in the form of cornerback Kyler Gordon’s strip-sack of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. on third-and-long. Seeing his first game action since the Bears’ playoff run ended in January, Gordon recorded three sacks despite playing limited snaps on defense.
His third one sank any last hopes the Falcons had of a comeback. The Bears recovered the fumble and held on for a 31-23 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
It was a long, winding journey for Gordon even to be on the field. He missed nearly the entire offseason program and all of training camp as he recovered from a calf injury. At one point in September he spent some time away from the team to rehab with his own trainers.
But Gordon returned to practice Sept. 30, and in his first game back he was a clear difference maker for coordinator Dennis Allen’s defense.
The Falcons made the game interesting in the fourth quarter, but the Bears dominated in all three phases through the first three while building a 31-7 lead early in the fourth.
Quarterback Caleb Williams, making his return after a three-game absence due to a hamstring injury, completed his first 12 passes and helped the Bears jump out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead. He threw a touchdown pass to tight end Colston Loveland on the opening possession, and the Bears never trailed.
Defensively, the Bears stifled Penix through three quarters, while running back Bijan Robinson was largely a nonfactor.
The Bears special teams even joined in on the fun. Two special teams miscues by the Falcons led to points for the Bears offense.
In the first half, special teams ace Josh Blackwell recovered a muffed punt by Falcons returner Zachariah Branch at the 10-yard line, which set up a D’Andre Swift touchdown run.
In the third quarter, Zavier Scott forced a Branch fumble on a kickoff return, and Nick McCloud recovered. That takeaway led to a Cairo Santos field goal.
Williams threw for 305 yards on 30-of-36 passing with one touchdown. Swift scored two rushing touchdowns, while backup running back Roschon Johnson scored one. Luther Burden III led all pass catchers with eight receptions for 95 yards, while Loveland finished with six catches for 65 yards and a touchdown.
But after Ben Johnson pulled his defensive starters in the fourth quarter, the Falcons took advantage with a 91-yard touchdown drive and a 2-point conversion.
On the next Bears possession, Roschon Johnson coughed up the football. Atlanta moved quickly to score again with Penix throwing a touchdown pass to Kyle Pitts and a 2-point conversion to Drake London. That made it a one-possession game at 31-23 with 5:41 to go.
Gordon’s third sack came moments later to seal the win. The Bears improved to 4-2 and will play the New England Patriots on Thursday night at Soldier Field.
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