Bears and Falcons lean on run games but have endured stressful starts to the season at quarterback

ATLANTA (AP) — When Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson said this week that “a lot of things have gone through our minds” about his quarterback depth chart, the Atlanta Falcons could relate.

As the Bears (3-2) prepare to visit the Falcons (2-3) on Sunday, each team already has been through the NFL’s quarterback grinder and has been fortunate to lean on a strong running game.

Chicago’s Caleb Williams and Atlanta’s Michael Penix Jr. appear to be on paths to starting on Sunday after each returned to full participation in practice this week.

Williams is looking to play his first game since he hurt his right hamstring in the fourth quarter of a 9-3 loss to Minnesota on Sept. 20.

Johnson wasn’t ready to name a starter on Wednesday and wasn’t even ready to say who would start if Williams doesn’t play. Tyson Bagent started and threw two interceptions in Sunday’s 31-7 loss at Green Bay. Case Keenum threw an interception and lost a fumble after relieving Bagent in the fourth quarter.

Penix missed the first two games of the season while he continued his rehabilitation from a torn ACL in his left knee that ended his 2025 season.

Only three days after coach Kevin Stefanski announced that Tua Tagovailoa would start the season opener at Pittsburgh, Tagovailoa suffered an oblique injury in practice. That left Cooper Rush as the fill-in starter and the Falcons were 0-2 with Rush before Penix returned to lead back-to-back wins at Green Bay and New Orleans.

Penix suffered a rib injury in the fourth quarter of last week’s 30-23 overtime loss to Baltimore. Tagovailoa threw a game-ending interception in overtime.

The injury left Penix’s status uncertain for this week before he said he “made every throw” in Wednesday’s practice. He is expected to start.

Including undrafted rookie Jack Strand, the Falcons have had a record four quarterbacks throw interceptions in five games.

The quarterback drama for each team provides good reason to shift the focus to the NFL’s top rushing offenses. The Bears, powered by D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, lead the league with 173.2 yards rushing per game. The Falcons, led by Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson, are second with 166.8 yards per game.

Asked Wednesday what is the next step for the Falcons’ offense, Penix said, “Just keep handing it off.”

Bears defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, who played for the Falcons for the first 10 years of his career, will be making his return to Atlanta.

“My time in Atlanta was well served,” Jarrett said. “Ten years, lot of success, some struggles, but I gave it its due time and respect and I think all my focus is here right now doing what I need to do and getting this team back on the right track. But I definitely think it’s special any time getting to go back and play in a stadium like that and around those fans that I’ve been around for so long. I’ve definitely got to acknowledge how special that is to me, and it means a lot.”

Bijan Robinson said he’s looking forward to facing Jarrett.

“It’s gonna be great to go up against him for the first time,” Robinson said. “And I just know what kind of competitor he is on the field and how much he affects an offense.”

The Bears will be without defensive end Montez Sweat, who was suspended for two games on Tuesday for a violation of the league’s performance-enhancing substances policy.

Need to know

Chicago (3-2) at Atlanta (2-3).

When/where to watch: Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox.

Latest odds: Bears by 1 1/2.

Against the spread: Bears 3-2; Falcons 2-3.

Last week: Bears lost at Green Bay 31-17; Falcons lost to Baltimore 30-23 in overtime.

Last meeting: Bears beat Falcons 37-17 on Dec. 31, 2023, in Chicago.

Series record: Bears lead 16-14.

Matchup to watch

Falcons linebackers Divine Deablo and rookie Kendal Daniels against Bears’ run game. Swift has rushed for 354 yards and four touchdowns. Monangai has 324 yards and three touchdowns. When healthy, Williams is also a dangerous runner. He ran for 107 yards and two touchdowns in two games. The Falcons rank fourth in rush defense, allowing 80.4 yards per game, despite giving up 208 yards to Baltimore, including 102 by Derrick Henry.

Stats and stuff

— Jarrett is a native of Conyers, Georgia, near Atlanta, and was a fifth-round pick by Atlanta in the 2015 NFL draft.

— The Bears are tied for third in the league with 21 rushes of at least 10 yards.

— The strong running game has helped Chicago lead the league with an average time of possession of 35 minutes, 12 seconds.

— The Bears rank sixth in total offense at 392.4 yards per game.

— Chicago allows an average of 8.4 points in the second half to rank fifth in the league.

— Falcons quarterbacks have four touchdown passes and seven interceptions. That includes three TD passes and one pick by Penix.

— Falcons defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr., who played his first three seasons with the Bears, shares the team lead with 20 quarterback pressures. Defensive end Brandon Dorlus also has 20 pressures.

— Bijan Robinson leads the NFL with 580 rushing yards.

— Falcons wide receiver Drake London’s 221 yards after the catch leads the league. He has 27 catches for 488 yards.

— The Falcons are 0-2 at home.

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