The Bears dominated all three phases of Sunday’s 31-14 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. True story. This was a complete reversal following a Week 2 disaster in Detroit and proof that the Bears can be competitive as heck when quarterback Caleb Williams is a positive influence and the Bears pass rush gets going.

Those things happened in a key Week 3 win, but we can’t go too far in the positive direction after one win. Tight end Cole Kmet understands how the Bears fan base can swing emotionally, especially after growing up in the area and starring in Chicago for so long.

“They’re very bipolar here, so I’m sure they’re very happy and on the higher end of things than maybe they should be,” Kmet said. “We’re going to stay right here (even keeled). That’s where I’m going to stay all year long. That’s what I’m going to do my best to do.”

As Kmet says, staying even-keeled doesn’t sound like a thing Bears fans will do after that Week 3 win. Let’s bring some perspective to the positivity coming out of that big win against Dallas:

Caleb Williams has Ben Johnson’s offense figured out

Overreaction?: Yes

Make no mistake about it. Quarterback Caleb Williams was awesome in this Week 3 win. He made big-time throws. He played well within structure and also found ways to buy time and make plays off schedule.

As important as anything: the Bears didn’t have a pre-snap penalty. Williams was good at the line of scrimmage and found ways to get the offense into the right spots. The second-year pro has made strides in each game to this point, but it’s unfair to assume that the Bears have it all figured out.

The Cowboys defense isn’t very good, and runs a scheme orchestrated by coordinator and former Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, which Williams knows well. Dallas was down several good players, but the Bears got after it with one explosive play after another.

We still need more evidence of Williams performing well before we make a proclamation that Williams and Johnson have found great sync. If they can rinse and repeat, this might be the key origin story of a good working partnership. It’s just too early to say Williams is now locked in for good.

This is the Bears defense we saw all camp

Overreaction: No

The Bears defense was solid all summer. It flew to the ball. It was impactful in the pass rush and took the ball away on a regular basis in joint practices and the preseason. That doesn’t guarantee regular-season success, but the talent and ability were evident, even with cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon and linebacker T.J. Edwards unavailable due to injury.

It’s a good group overall, one that rallies to the ball and creates turnovers. That’s what happened against the Cowboys, with four takeaways. Many of those were made with athleticism, including two Tremaine Edmunds interceptions made with quick reactions and Tyrique Stevenson legit ripping the ball from an opponent’s hands.

This performance comes after giving up 52 points on the road to Detroit, so we can’t freak out over one positive outcome. A bigger sample size is required, but this defense clearly showed potential on Sunday. The secondary will suffer with Jaylon Johnson out for a significant stretch, but getting Gordon back at some point will help. There’s potential here under coordinator Dennis Allen and they must show it in consecutive weeks. There should be confidence that can happen.

Rome Odunze has taken over as Bears No. 1 receiver

Overreaction: No

This is a tough one. DJ Moore has four 1,000-yard seasons in the past six years. He should have had another one last season, too. The Bears are paying Moore a ton to lead this offense through the 2029 campaign, though it seems like Odunze is emerging as the team’s top target. With how much Ben Johnson spreads the ball around, a “No. 1” is mostly semantics.

I think that’s why Ben Johnson is using Moore as a running back and a versatile skill player and is scheming ways to get him the ball. Odunze has become a top threat outside the numbers, making one big play after another. I think there’s a way to feature Moore and Odunze, even with so many skill players worthy of targets.

I think it’s okay for Odunze to have the No. 1 title, though Moore will be a major factor in this Bears offense moving forward. Go back and watch Odunze smack Trevon Diggs on the first touchdown pass of Sunday’s victory. Such a good release. That’s a play worthy of a true No. 1. Odunze is working towards that status.

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