Caleb Williams shines in return as Bears knock off Falcons

ATLANTA - Caleb Williams returned from a three-game absence to complete 30 of 36 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown to help the visiting Chicago Bears stave off the Atlanta Falcons for a 31-23 victory on Sunday. Williams showed little rust after suffering a hamstring tear on Sept. 20, connecting with eight different receivers for the Bears (4-2), who won their third game in four tries. D'Andre Swift rushed for two touchdowns for Chicago, which saw its 24-point fourth-quarter lead dwindle to eight before holding on. Michael Penix Jr. completed 19 of 33 passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns for Atlanta (2-4), which dropped its second straight. Holding a 14-point halftime advantage, Chicago tacked on with Roschon Johnson's 4-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 28-7 with 1:48 left in the third quarter. Atlanta rookie Zachariah Branch then lost his second fumble of the game on the ensuing kickoff return, leading to Cairo Santos' 50-yard field goal to make it 31-7. Penix threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Pitts Sr. with 9:34 remaining in the fourth, before hitting Branch for a two-point conversion to cut the deficit to 31-15. Johnson lost a fumble on the next Chicago drive and Atlanta scored on Penix's 5-yard touchdown pass to Pitts with 5:41 left. Penix then found Drake London for another two-point conversion, slicing the Bears' lead to eight. After a Chicago punt, Kyler Gordon forced Penix's fumble for his third sack of the game. The ball was recovered at Atlanta's 28-yard line by Devin Bush with 3:07 left. The Bears then picked up two first downs to ice the win. Williams fired a 14-yard touchdown strike to Colston Loveland to give the Bears an early 7-0 lead. On its second possession, Chicago doubled its lead on Swift's 4-yard rushing score. After Santos missed a 56-yard field goal with 7:19 left in the first half, Penix connected with London for a 39-yard pass to Chicago's 15-yard line. Penix then found Jahan Dotson for a 13-yard touchdown to pull the Falcons within seven. Atlanta forced a Chicago punt with 1:52 remaining, but Branch muffed a punt and Josh Blackwell recovered the ball on the Falcons' 10-yard line. Three plays later, Swift went 2 yards for a touchdown to extend the lead to 21-7. Falcons rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels left the field on a stretcher in the third quarter. According to the Falcons, Daniels was conscious and had full movement of all extremities. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta for further evaluation.