CHICAGO — Caleb Williams threw for over 300 yards as the Chicago Bears crushed the Carolina Panthers 36-10.
It's the first matchup for Williams against the Panthers (1-4) since Chicago (3-2) drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick in April -- a pick that was given to the Bears from the Panthers in exchange for last year's No. 1 pick. Carolina used that No. 1 pick on quarterback Bryce Young, who was benched 18 starts into his career.
Young did see some action in the fourth quarter when the Panthers were down by four scores, though. Young finished 4 of 7 with 58 yards passing. Williams, meanwhile, finished 20 of 29 for 304 yards passing and two touchdowns. Both of his touchdown passes went to receiver D.J. Moore, who was also sent to Chicago in the trade for the Young draft pick.
Three turnovers and a failed fourth down attempt by the Panthers led to 24 Chicago points in the lopsided game.
Andy Dalton, getting his third start in replacement of Young, had his sloppiest day in Carolina so far -- he finished with 136 yards passing and one interception. Chuba Hubbard just missed his third straight 100-yard performance, ending the day with 97 yards rushing and a touchdown.
Each team scored a touchdown on their second possession. Carolina struck first with a 38-yard run from Hubbard. Williams hit Moore for a 34-yard score to tie the game on the next drive.
Running back Roschon Johnson scored on a short plunge to give the Bears the lead in the second quarter. The 14-7 lead proved to be all that was necessary for the Bears.
Hubbard and tight end Tommy Tremble both lost fumbles later in the game for the Panthers, both of which led to touchdowns. Dalton threw an interception deep in Carolina territory that led to a Chicago field goal.
The Panthers' defense allowed the Bears to pick up 424 yards of offense on Sunday. Carolina has allowed 165 points so far this year, which is last in the league and the most points given up in franchise history after five games.
Part of Carolina's defensive missteps can be attributed to surmounting injuries. The team is already without captains Derrick Brown and Shaq Thompson, who are both on injured reserve. Linebacker Jadeveon Clowney was hurt during the game and linebacker Josey Jewell was ruled out before the game. Center Austin Corbett, receiver Xavier Legette, and tackle Taylor Moton were hurt in the game on the offensive side of the ball.
Those injuries, particularly on the offensive line, led to head coach Dave Canales pulling Dalton in favor of Young late in the game.
"I saw an opportunity there -- we had a couple of injuries on the offensive line and I wanted to get [Young] in there to get some live reps," Canales said. "It's a hard situation... I wanted to get Andy out of there."
Canales pointed to the turnovers and third-down issues as the contributing factors to Sunday's loss. The Panthers converted just 3 of 12 third downs against the Bears. He committed to sticking with Dalton for next week's game against the Atlanta Falcons.