Bears vs. Falcons Game Balls: Two Massive Returns

I have been writing the game balls column here at Windy City Gridiron for the last three seasons, and these are easily the most obvious selections I have had over the course of that time period.

The Chicago Bears marched into Atlanta, GA on Sunday for a crucial match-up with the Falcons that was going to potentially set the tone for the rest of the season. Lose, and you find yourself at .500 with a tough schedule ahead. Win, and you have some key players back to potentially go on a run.

For the most part, the Bears took control of the game and never looked batck. They never trailed, and the game was seemingly never in doubt, except for a few minutes toward the end of the game when things got a little dicey due to the Bears substituting out their defensive starters a bit (a lot) early. Plus, there was a costly Roschon Johnson fumble.

The return of superstar QB Caleb Williams went about as well as possible, and the defense came alive with the return of an often-injured but game-changing defensive back.

Let’s get to the game balls!

Offense Game Ball: QB Caleb Williams

Duh.

Williams came back with an edge, looking a bit more feisty than we’ve ever seen him.

If it wasn’t made clear enough during his media availability during the week, it was certainly clear during the game on Sunday that Williams took everything that happened in his absence personal. He began his revenge tour at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Caleb was intense and dialed in right from the start. He completed his first 12 passes in a row and ended the game 30 of 36 for 305 yards and a touchdown pass. That was good for a 111.2 passer rating and a 52.2 QBR.

Also of note: Williams’ touchdown pass was the 50th his of NFL career. In doing so, he became just the third QB in NFL history to throw for 50 touchdowns while having 15 or fewer interceptions. The other two? Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson.

Look at these numbers while you’re at it:

As far as game balls go, let’s give an honorable mention to Darnell Wright. He saw his QB take a cheap shot and retaliated with one of the damndest pancakes you will ever see.

Defense Game Ball: DB Kyler Gordon

Once again, duh.

It’s not a secret that Gordon is an impact player whenever he’s on the field. But just seeing him on the field has been a challenge the last couple years.

This week, Gordon made more of an immediate impact in his first game back than he ever has before when returning from injury.

Instead of playing primarily as a defensive back in coverage, Gordon was brought in by D.C. Dennis Allen in spots to rush the quarterback and wreak havoc in the backfield. He recorded three sacks, four tackles, three tackles for loss, two QB hits, and two forced fumbles.

To give some context, Gordon’s three sacks were more than DE Montez Sweat has ever had had in game. The only other Bears defensive back to record three sacks in a game was Todd Bell on October 2, 1983. Gordon is also only the second DB in NFL history to record three sacks and two forced fumbles in a game, the other being Rod Kush who did it for the Houston Oilers on September 15, 1985.

Gordon did all of this playing just 17 snaps on defense (nine on special teams).

Bryan Orenchuk and myself will have plenty to say about this game this week on a new episode of Bears Over Beers on Wednesday evening. It will be available on the 2nd City GridironYouTube channel or via your favorite podcasting platform. Our 2nd City Gridiron Podcast Channel is available on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, Audacy, and other popular podcast platforms.

Who would have received your game balls? Let us know in the comments section below.