The Chicago Bears already felt like they had won their blockbuster trade with the Carolina Panthers. But Sunday was some serious reaffirmation in that regard.
At Solider Field, the Bears curb-stomped the hapless Panthers to improve to 3-0 at home this season. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams played the best game of his young career, leading his team to a dominant 36-10 decision.
On Mar. 10, 2023, the Bears sent the number-one pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to Carolina, which they used to select quarterback Bryce Young. In exchange, the Bears got wide receiver D.J. Moore, draft picks that became Williams, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, tackle Darnell Wright, punter Tory Taylor, and a 2025 second-round pick still yet to be spent.
That Carolina selected Young, who was benched two games into his sophomore season, adds salt in the wound for the Panthers. But the Bears don't care whether or not Young succeeds. The success of the trade comes down to the success of the players Chicago brought back, and Sunday was the best showing from that group yet.
Williams was 20-of-29 passing for 304 yards and two touchdowns. Both scores went to Moore, who also racked up five catches for 105 yards. Williams only took one sack behind Wright and the offensive line, and Stevenson contributed two pass breakups to a dominant defensive performance.
After the win, Williams and Moore took to the podium to heap praise on the Bears organization, specifically general manager Ryan Poles, for making the trade that brought them to Chicago.
"Yeah, I know about it a little bit, not too much," Williams said after the game. "Obviously grateful that it happened, being a Chicago Bear. Not too deep into the history of kinda what happened, but I do know it got a bunch of different things that got us DJ and picks, myself included. It's a good collection of players that we have here."
"I haven't really sat down and looked at all the pieces we got, I mean, you can see it but not to really go and think about it 'Dang we really made an impact' but we really did," Moore said. "Shoutout to Poles for that. It was a good trade."
The NFL is all about windows, and the Bears' window now appears wide-open thanks to Poles' foresight. But it's now time for Chicago to put the Panthers in their rearview mirror and make the most of their shot at the playoffs this season.
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