Week 3 at Soldier Field, the Chicago Bears and their fans finally got what they’ve been waiting for: a complete game in all three phases. Perhaps most notably, the offense in particular looked like a force to be reckoned with.
First-year head coach Ben Johnson picked up his first win in grand fashion, steamrolling the Dallas Cowboys, 31–14. In his best game as a pro, quarterback Caleb Williams was calm and in command, finishing 19-of-28 for 298 yards and four touchdowns.
The play that set the tone came early: a perfectly timed flea flicker that sent the crowd into a frenzy. Williams handed to D’Andre Swift, who flipped it back, and Williams uncorked a 65-yard bomb to Luther Burden III. Touchdown, Bears. It wasn’t just flashy — it was calculated.
Based on his postgame comments, Johnson knew Dallas would bite, and he punished them.
Ben Johnson Says He Saw Something in Matt Eberflus’s Defense That Made Him Decide to Call Flea Flicker
When asked specifically about the flea flicker in his postgame presser, Johnson revealed he and his coaching staff had seen something on film in Flus’s defense previously that gave them the confidence to call that play specifically.
“We have gadgets up every week,” Johnson said about the flea flicker after the win. “I give the staff a lot of credit. They’re going through, watching the tape and finding out things that may or may not fit, whether it’s Dallas this year, or some of the stuff we’re watching of Chicago’s defense from yesteryear. So that was really a staff find. And we worked it all week and felt comfortable calling it this week.”
“Something we practiced all week,” Williams said about the play. “I told Luther, ‘you won’t outrun me in the game, just run.’ They did a great job, the O line, the flea flicker is a really long play. So, for them to be able to hold up and be able to allow D’Andre to toss the ball back to me, it did a free throw kind of floater thing. After that, just let it rip and let Luther go make a play.”
It wasn’t just one play, though. The Bears stacked explosives all afternoon. Williams found Rome Odunze for a 35-yard TD on the first drive, then hit TE Colston Loveland for another 31-yard chunk over the middle.
Swift ripped off a 41-yard screen on 3rd-and-long, Burden added another 29-yarder before halftime.
Bears’ 3rd Quarter Drive vs. Cowboys Was a Thing of Beauty
GettyHead coach Ben Johnson out-coached Matt Eberflus in the Bears’ Week 3 win over the Cowboys.
There was also the third quarter drive, which pretty much sealed the Cowboys’ fate. Chicago opened with a 19-play, 76-yard march that chewed up nearly 10 minutes of clock. Eleven of those plays were runs. The Bears completely imposed their will, and Williams capped the drive off with a 4th-down TD to DJ Moore.
It was a game that never really felt close. For the first time in his young career, Williams wasn’t sacked. Chicago also converted more than half its third downs (8-of-14), while Dallas went just 3-of-11.
They’ll never admit it fully, but there was an undeniable personal angle to this matchup for both Eberflus and Johnson. Eberflus, fired by Chicago last season, returned as Dallas’ defensive coordinator. Instead of keeping Williams and the offense in check, he watched his former players torch him all afternoon. On the flip side, Johnson is the guy Chicago hired to replace him. Beating Eberflus head-to-head for his very first win? That’s the kind of stuff a new regime can build on.
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