The Chicago Bears got back on their feet after their toughest loss of the season. With Caleb Williams back on the field, Ben Johnson's offense had a counter for everything the Atlanta Falcons' defense had in store for them.
While the running game has yet to take off in Kyle Monangai's absence, the Bears did everything they wanted in the air on Sunday. Williams completed 30 of 36 passes for 305 yards and a score, completing passes to eight different players.
More notably, Williams and the Bears clearly put an emphasis on getting Colston Loveland involved. The second-year tight end had his best game of the season, turning seven targets into six catches for 65 yards and his first touchdown of the campaign, and this is just the beginning.
Colston Loveland is about to go nuclear for the Bears
It's not a coincidence to see that this was just the second time Loveland topped 50 receiving yards this season. The Bears had to adjust with Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent at quarterback, and he just happened to be the sacrificial lamb. Not anymore.
Fans may have forgotten that Loveland was a non-factor early on as a rookie as well. He looked like a bust at first, only to finish as the team's leader in receiving yards with a strong second half to the campaign. Sound familiar?
Loveland didn't score his first touchdown until he had two in Week 7. That was also the first time he reached more than 40 receiving yards in his rookie season, and he did it in all but three games after that, including two 90+ yard games.
There was a ton of buzz about Loveland being the top dog in Chicago again this season, which clearly hasn't been the case. That said, this has been an atypical campaign, with Williams missing most of the season to date, so it's impossible to make an objective assessment of the passing game.
The Bears have scored 59, 3, and 31 points in the three games Caleb Williams has started. Clearly, that Week 2 dud was an outlier, which is something that can always happen in divisional games. Other than that, this offense has probably been the best in the league by a significant margin.
People underestimated Williams' absence, which is a testament to Ben Johnson's reputation and the Bears' solid quarterback room. However, there's a major difference between having the guy the offense was designed for take the field and having any of his backups, no matter how good they might be.
Loveland had to take a step back and watch everyone else feast in Williams' absence. But now that he's back, the rest of the league should brace themselves for many more strong performances from the second-year tight end.
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