Caleb Williams, DJ Moore keep building their connection – it led to 2 touchdowns Sunday

CHICAGO – Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams recorded the second 300-yard passing game of his young career. The No. 1 overall draft pick totaled 304 passing yards and two touchdowns, while completing 20 of 29 attempts, in a 36-10 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Star receiver DJ Moore was on the receiving end of both touchdown passes. Williams didn’t turn the ball over at all and allowed just one sack in the game.

Here are the three most important Williams plays from Sunday’s game.

1. The first touchdown

On the Bears’ first touchdown-scoring drive of the day, the offense saw something it liked. Carolina was in its base defense with three inside linebackers on the field. The Bears went to a no huddle look, which kept the Panthers from substituting a quicker defensive back in for a linebacker.

On second-and-6 from the Panthers’ 34-yard line, Williams faked a handoff toward the running back, which forced the linebackers to think for a second before Williams pulled the ball back and lofted a pass to a wide open Moore. From there, it was an easy lane to the end zone.

“We were going fast paced so, that’s something we’re going to have to take advantage of,” Moore said. “We had the defense in base when we had that drive. Stuff like that we can capitalize on.”

This talented group of Bears playmakers can take advantage when teams have the wrong personnel on the field. The Bears did the same thing a week ago against the Rams. That’s what good football teams do.

The touchdown toss was a relatively easy throw for Williams, but the coaching staff’s recognition of an advantage made it possible.

2. Williams to Moore, again

Late in the second quarter, the Bears took over with 55 seconds to go before halftime. They held a two-possession lead already, but they were seeking more points before halftime.

Williams connected with a wide open Cole Kmet on a third-down play to pull the Bears to the Panthers’ 32-yard line. That’s when Williams dropped back to pass with great protection ahead of him.

To his left, Moore had a one-on-one matchup against Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson. Williams saw a single high safety and began the play by looking to his right. His eyes caused the safety to move in that direction. Then Williams flipped to his left and saw Moore with a step on Jackson.

His pass hit Moore perfectly in stride. It wasn’t an easy catch for Moore, who had to leap for the football and hold on through the landing, but it was good for six points.

Williams and Moore have now combined for three touchdowns in the past two games.

“[It’s] just us getting comfortable, us seeing what we can do, what type of pass you can throw to him, he made a couple awesome catches this week in practice,” Williams said. “Just building confidence and trust between each other and trusting this offense between everybody.”

3. Rushing touchdown erased

Williams appeared to have his first NFL rushing touchdown midway through the third quarter. On a second-and-goal from the 1-yard line, Williams dropped back to pass, bounced around in the pocket, then took off running. He ran to his left and crossed the goal line for a touchdown.

The play, however, didn’t stand. The refs called a clipping penalty on lineman Doug Kramer. Kramer was in the game as a sixth offensive lineman.

“They said it was clipping,” head coach Matt Eberflus said. “I mean that’s what they said. I’ve got to take a look at it. I don’t know that much about it right now.”

Williams, who scored 27 rushing touchdowns over three college seasons, is still looking for his first rushing touchdown in the pros.

Despite losing the touchdown, Williams found some success scrambling on Sunday. He rushed for 34 yards on five carries. His mobility keeps plays alive and he is a better runner than he gets credit for.