The Chicago Bears finally recorded their first win of the 2025 season in a dominating 31-14 win over the Dallas Cowboys. It marked the first victory for Ben Johnson as a head coach, and it had all of the makings of a promising future.

The offense hit its stride and looked like what we expected a Ben Johnson offense to look like, where quarterback Caleb Williams had arguably the best game of his career throwing for nearly 300 yards, four touchdowns and a 142.6 passer rating while looking comfortable and executing the offense flawlessly. Meanwhile, the defense allowed just 14 points to a Cowboys offense averaging 30 points per game, and Chicago shut them out in the second half.

There’s plenty to discuss from this game, where we caught a glimpse of what this offense is supposed to and hopefully will be, the defense’s strong stand, Johnson’s first win and what it means for the future. Our Bears Wire staff is sharing their thoughts on the Bears’ Week 3 win against the Cowboys.

Alyssa Barbieri

I came into this game knowing there was a path to victory for the Bears. But I didn’t expect them to dominate the way that they did. After Russell Wilson carved this Cowboys secondary up the previous week, I felt like Caleb Williams was in for the exact kind of breakout game that he had — posting 298 passing yards, four touchdowns, zero turnovers and a 142.6 passer rating. Rome Odunze continues to prove himself as WR1 while rookie Luther Burden III officially introduced himself to the rest of the NFL as DJ Moore and Cole Kmet also got a piece of the pie.

This was the first time that we saw what this Ben Johnson offense is supposed to look like, what it can look like and what it should look like once the team settles in. It’s a thing of beauty (outside of the lack of a rushing attack, which will continue to be an issue against worthy opponents).

But the biggest surprise to me was the defense. After being humiliated by the Lions last week to the tune of 52 points, the defense shut down the Cowboys’ high-powered offense that was averaging 30 points per game. Holding Dallas to just 14 points is impressive; pitching a shutout in the second half is even more impressive, considering the Cowboys continued to go for it as they looked to trim their deficit.

The Bears defense has its issues — they struggle in run defense and there are some coverage issues — but it was nice to see Tremaine Edmunds and Tyrique Stevenson shine. Stevenson set the tone immediately for this team with an early takeaway while Edmunds recorded his first multi-interception game of his career. The fact that Chicago’s offense did what it did missing three starters (including two of their best in Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon) was impressive to say the least.

The Bears coaches showed out in this one, where Ben Johnson finally got his first win (and led an inspired game for the offense), Dennis Allen had this defense prepared and physical against this Cowboys offense and Richard Hightower’s guys got the most out of the return game and kicking game.

Now, this is just one win against an equally-bad Cowboys team who lost their best player in Micah Parsons (who they traded to Green Bay) and then lost their best offensive player in CeeDee Lamb (who exited early with an injury). But this is the kind of win that a great coach can really build something from. And watching the players’ reaction to Johnson during the post-game locker room, there’s no doubt that these players believe it, too. Now, they need to execute and come out of Sunday’s game against the Raiders sitting at 2-2 heading into the bye week.

Brendan Sugrue

Note to self: When Ben Johnson says the team had a great week of practice, we should actually listen to him. For years, that phrase would be the kiss of death when a Bears team had been preparing for a big game. Not under Johnson, however. The Bears had a long week of practice that resulted in a dominating win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Everything went right for Chicago. The offense was humming with a near-perfect harmony of play calls by Johnson and execution by Caleb Williams. The defense, meanwhile, had their first three-takeaway day in nearly a full year, and special teams did what they needed to do to keep this game out of reach.

Williams, of course, was the star of the day with some of the best throws I’ve ever seen from a Bears quarterback. I can’t think of a better Bears pass that I’ve seen than the flea flicker to Luther Burden for the touchdown. His four touchdowns were awesome, but his zero turnovers and no sacks were the bigger key. And even if defenders were leaving receivers wide open, it’s still the quarterback’s job to be able to find them quickly. His 142.6 passer rating was the highest it’s ever been for his pro career.

Defensively, the Bears set the tone right away with a forced fumble by Tyrique Stevenson, something both he and the team needed. Stevenson and the entire unit were embarrassed last Sunday, so getting a takeaway right off the bat was huge for giving the Bears a lead and playing with confidence. As the game wore on, they found their footing.

Remember though, it’s never as bad as it seems (Week 2) or as good as it seems (Week 3). This was an excellent game, but it’s not necessarily a preview of what’s to come in the immediate future. The Bears can’t let up going to Las Vegas to face a struggling Raiders team. Keep the momentum going and climb back to .500 to put yourself squarely in the hunt for a playoff spot. It’s never too early for hunting season.

Mike Pendleton

Quite ironic that the Chicago Bears had a head coach who delivered a strong message challenging his players, and they answered the call against their former head coach who couldn’t get any message across. This wasn’t a revenge game for Caleb Williams or anyone else who squared off against Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, but felt more like a proving point for what the team could actually be capable of under Ben Johnson. 

It was also quite telling that Caleb Williams played the best game of his professional career while not taking a sack in the game. Having a clean pocket with superior protection and a smooth play calling operation showcased some of Williams’ best talents, and his arm talent is becoming more and more obvious every single day. 

The biggest positive from the victory has to be two of the most criticized players on the Bears roster, left tackle Braxton Jones and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson answering the bell this week. Both Jones and Stevenson stepped up after receiving plenty of criticism early this season, and Stevenson’s play felt the most significant given the injuries on the defensive side of the ball. Not just stepping up in wake of injuries, Stevenson set the tone for the entire game with his strip fumble on Cowboys running back Javonte Williams in the first quarter. 

When a player like Stevenson who has heard plenty of chatter around his name, sets the tone for the entire game, it sends a message that these players are buying in. It’s only one win however, and they’ll have a chance to get to .500 with a matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders next week before they hit their bye week. One win doesn’t turn the entire season around, but there is positive momentum being built. 

Vinnie Parise

The Chicago Bears are one of the teams in the NFL with the most pressure on them. After an 0-2 start, both within the division, they needed to win their Week 3 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys to avoid catastrophe. 

Chicago didn’t just beat Dallas, they hung a multi-touchdown victory on them. The Bears don’t often dominate games like this, but the team looked great in all facets of the game. Whether it was offense, defense, or special teams, they played well. 

Ben Johnson, more than anyone, deserves praise. In getting his first career NFL win, he schemed a great offensive game plan which allowed Caleb Williams to have a four touchdown pass day. Williams was able to spray the ball to all fields, using his complete arsenal of weapons. 

Now, the Bears can quit worrying about possibly going into the bye week 0-4. Instead, the chance to catch a break at 2-2 is firmly on the table with a trip to play the Las Vegas Raiders on the table. This film must be studied and built on going forward. Is this the turning point? We’ll see.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Cowboys: Morning After Chicago’s impressive Week 3 win