Behind QB Caleb Williams, Bears lead Falcons at halftime

ATLANTA — Caleb Williams gave the Bears an opening drive that was worth waiting three weeks for, and the Bears went into halftime with a 21-7 lead against the Falcons.

Williams went 19-for-22 with 197 yards, one touchdown and a 119.1 passer rating in his first action since tearing his hamstring in Week 2 against the Vikings.

The quarterback marched his team to a touchdown in his first drive. His hamstring looked fine, too, as evidenced on his 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Colston Loveland. Williams stepped up in the pocket, rolled right and threw across his body to Loveland, who survived a hit at the goal line for the score.

Williams finished the first drive a perfect 6-for-6 for 64 yards. Loveland had three catches for 36 yards on the first possession alone.

He led the Bears to a touchdown on their second drive, too, which ended with a four-yard D’Andre Swift run. Williams started the game 12-for-12 for 142 yards and a 143.8 passer rating before throwing his first incompletion of the game — on third down during the Bears’ third possession.

The Falcons countered with a 13-yard Jahan Dotson touchdown catch on a fade route over Malik Muhammad in the second quarter. The Falcons had a short field after Bears kicker Cairo Santos missed a 56-yard field goal to the left.

The Bears scored their third touchdown after the Falcons’ Zachariah Branch muffed a punt at the 10 with 1:52 to play in the half. Swift ran a third-down handoff in for two yards to go up 21-7.

Williams returned to game action Sunday after the Bears played coy about his participation all week. Coach Ben Johnson didn’t even tip his hand about whom he’d make the second-stringer. The Bears named Tyson Bagent the backup 90 minutes before kickoff, with Case Keenum serving as the emergency quarterback.