The Chicago Bears face a nearly must-win situation against the Cowboys in Week 3. Maybe better practice habits would help it happen. And here is the Bears’ X-factor for their Week 3 clash versus the Cowboys.
It’s not a shocking revelation because he’s already put together two good weeks. But if the Bears are going to have a shot against the Cowboys, wide receiver Rome Odunze will have to come up big.
And the opportunity appears to be there after the Giants thrashed the Cowboys’ secondary with multiple big plays in Week 2.
Bears WR Rome Odunze looking to soar
Against the Lions in Week 2, Odunze totaled 128 yards receiving with two touchdowns. It’s tough in the NFL to repeat that kind of performance. But it’s not out of the question that Odunze could have another big game, getting near or past the 100-yard mark again.
Odunze said his big game against the Lions was a product of teamwork, according to chicagobears.com.
“Just kudos to everybody around, everybody doing their job,” Odunze said. “I've been able to make a few plays here and there, so, obviously, just trusting in the offense and trusting in the game plan and going out there and executing it. So, just honestly following that guideline has got me the stat line that I've had.”
Odunze, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, has captured the confidence of his teammates. He’s still listed as WR2 on the Bears’ depth chart, but there is a growing belief that he’s already WR1.
“You can tell he's playing with a lot of confidence,” running back D’Andre Swift said. “Playing fast. Knows his assignments. Type of guy you want in your offensive playmakers, as well as everybody else in that room.”
Rome Odunze needs QB Caleb Williams to find his way
The good news is the players seem to have developed that connection between quarterback and wide receiver that turns into big seasons.
“We can kind of erase mistakes in a sense — with a broken play, make a positive out of what would be a negative play,” Odunze shared. “So, those are obviously great things to be able to have in our back pocket, but at the end of the day, we want to run the offense clean and precisely. And if we do that, we'll have success on offense, so that's our main priority.”
And Odunze said he sees improvement in Williams.
“He's had steady improvement,” Odunze said. “And the O-line has done a great job of with their role as well, holding up front and doing a great job with keeping him in the pocket and giving him that space to make plays.”
Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said he sees Williams moving forward as well, according to chicagobears.com.
“You saw a guy [in Week 2] who has improved,” Doyle said. “Since we got here, he's improved a little bit at a time. We expect him to continue to progress. We expect next week to be better than this week. His focus is in the right place. He's coming to work every day and trying to match his habits with his expectations, and that's really where we're at right now.
“He did a better job of playing through with his eyes and some of the concepts. Just his general process that was cleaner. Getting up to the line of scrimmage and going a little bit. We utilized more tempo in that game because it fit … Our operation was a little bit better and a little bit cleaner.”
What does Caleb Williams need to do?
Footwork has been an area of focus for Williams, according to chicagobears.com.
“Just being able to get comfortable with my footwork, that [was] my focus from Week 1 to Week 2, and I think why some of those passes from Week 1 to Week 2 looked a little different,” Williams said. “I mean, [footwork] is up there with the top list of things to be able to be accurate, and that's huge for me.
“From there, I think I have all the talent in the world to be able to deliver a good ball to my guys and let them go and make plays for us as an offense.”
And Johnson said Williams is doing better connecting with Odunze and other receivers.
“The trust with those pass catchers is really good,” Johnson said. “He's got a natural connection here with Rome that you see all the time. I think he feels that with the tight end group, too, even though we need to get that going a little bit more in games. We've seen that in practice quite a bit. The trust level there with those pass catchers is right where it needs to be, and it's going to continue to ascend with the passing game as we go.”
So it’s the combination of Odunze and Williams that has to work against the Cowboys. It’s a game where the Bears will likely have to outscore Dallas because neither defense has shown great stuff so far.
