When the Dallas Cowboys traveled to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Bears in Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season, football fans expected a close game between two teams trying to find their form early in the year. What they got instead was a one-sided show from Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams, who threw four touchdown passes and led his team to a 31-14 win. In this article, we will look at the full player stats from the game, break down what happened on both sides of the ball, and explain why this result mattered for both franchises.
Game Overview
The game took place on September 21, 2025, at Soldier Field in Chicago. The final score was Chicago Bears 31, Dallas Cowboys 14. This win gave head coach Ben Johnson his first victory as an NFL head coach, and it came at a good time. The Bears had just lost badly to the Detroit Lions the week before, so they needed a strong performance to turn things around.
For the Cowboys, this loss was a hard one to take. Dallas had a good passing game on paper, but four turnovers and a defense that could not stop Caleb Williams made the difference. Let’s break down how each part of the game played out, starting with the quarterbacks.
Quarterback Stats: Caleb Williams vs Dak Prescott
The quarterback matchup was the biggest story of the game.
Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears) had the best game of his young career. He completed 19 of 28 passes for 298 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions. His passer rating was 142.6, which was a career high for him at that point. What made this performance even more impressive is that the Chicago offensive line did not allow a single sack all game. Williams had time in the pocket, and he used it well, connecting with several different receivers for big plays down the field.
Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys) had a much tougher day. He completed 31 of 40 passes for 251 yards, but he only threw one touchdown and was intercepted twice. He was also sacked twice. Backup quarterback Joe Milton III came in for a few plays too, going 3 for 5 for 41 yards with one interception. Prescott moved the ball well between the 20-yard lines, but the Cowboys struggled to finish drives, especially in the red zone, and the turnovers hurt them badly at key moments.
This difference in efficiency tells the real story of the game. Williams made almost every big play count, while Prescott and the Cowboys offense kept stalling out or giving the ball away.
Running Back Performances
The running game was fairly even between the two teams, though neither side had a standout day on the ground.
For Dallas, the running back group combined for 20 carries and 121 yards, which comes out to a solid 6.0 yards per carry average. Javonte Williams led the way with 10 carries for 76 yards, showing good burst when he got the ball. Miles Sanders added 9 carries for 41 yards. Neither back found the end zone on the ground, though.
For Chicago, D’Andre Swift was the top rusher, carrying the ball 13 times for 33 yards. The Bears also got some carries from Kyle Monangai. As a team, Chicago rushed for 87 yards on 29 attempts, a lower average of 3.0 yards per carry. Since the Bears passing attack was working so well, they leaned on Caleb Williams’s arm more than the run game that day.
Receiving Stats: Who Made the Big Plays
This is where the Bears really separated themselves from the Cowboys.
Luther Burden III was the top receiver of the game. He caught all three passes thrown his way for 101 yards and a touchdown, including a 65-yard catch that was one of the biggest plays of the day. That is an average of nearly 34 yards per catch, which shows how explosive that play was.
Rome Odunze also had a big impact, catching 3 of 7 targets for 62 yards and a touchdown, including a 35-yard scoring catch in the first quarter. DJ Moore added 4 catches for 21 yards and a touchdown, while tight end Cole Kmet caught a short touchdown pass as well. In total, four different Chicago players caught a touchdown pass from Caleb Williams, which shows how well the offense was spread out.
On the Dallas side, tight end Jake Ferguson was the most targeted player, catching 13 of 14 targets for 82 yards. George Pickens caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Prescott, and the Cowboys even used a trick play, with Pickens later throwing a two-point conversion pass to Jalen Tolbert. KaVontae Turpin had 2 catches for 64 yards, including a long 37-yard gain. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, normally Dallas’s top target, was limited in the game after suffering an injury in the first half, which was a tough blow for the Cowboys offense.
Defense and Turnovers
The turnover battle told a big part of the story in this game. Dallas gave the ball away four times, while Chicago had zero turnovers. This is a huge gap, and in the NFL, teams that win the turnover battle by four almost always win the game.
The Chicago defense, led by coordinator Dennis Allen, forced those four turnovers and also picked up two sacks and seven quarterback hits on Dak Prescott. This was a big improvement from how the Bears defense had played the week before against Detroit. Interestingly, this game also marked the first time Matt Eberflus, Dallas’s defensive coordinator, returned to Soldier Field since Chicago fired him as head coach the previous November. It was not a happy homecoming for him, as his defense could not slow down Caleb Williams.
Team Stats Comparison
Looking at the full team numbers helps explain the final result:
- Total yards: Dallas had 396 yards, Chicago had 385 yards. The Cowboys actually gained more total yards.
- Turnovers: Dallas had 4, Chicago had 0. This was the biggest difference in the game.
- First downs: Dallas had 23, Chicago had 19.
- Third-down efficiency: Dallas converted 3 of 11 (27%), while Chicago converted 8 of 14 (57%). Chicago was far more efficient on third down.
- Red zone efficiency: Dallas scored on just 1 of 4 trips inside the 20-yard line, while Chicago scored on 2 of 3.
- Time of possession: Dallas actually held the ball longer, at 32:58 compared to Chicago’s 27:02.
These numbers show something interesting. Dallas actually moved the ball and controlled the clock better in some ways, but they could not finish drives and kept turning the ball over. Chicago, on the other hand, was efficient with fewer opportunities and made almost every scoring chance count.
Key Moments That Decided the Game
A few plays really stood out and changed the direction of this game.
The first big moment came early, when Caleb Williams found Rome Odunze for a 35-yard touchdown just over four minutes into the game. Dallas answered with a Brandon Aubrey field goal, but then Williams struck again, this time hitting Luther Burden III for a 65-yard score. That gave Chicago a 14-3 lead after the first quarter, and Dallas never fully recovered.
In the second quarter, Dallas showed some fight. Dak Prescott led a scoring drive that ended with a touchdown pass to George Pickens, and the Cowboys converted a two-point try to tie the game at 14-14. It looked like Dallas might have a chance to turn things around. But Chicago answered right back with a field goal and then a touchdown pass to Cole Kmet just before halftime, taking a 24-14 lead into the break.
The third quarter sealed the win for Chicago. Caleb Williams threw his fourth touchdown pass of the day, a short pass to DJ Moore, extending the lead to 31-14. From there, the Chicago defense took over, forcing turnovers and not allowing Dallas back into the game.
What This Game Means Going Forward
For the Chicago Bears, this win was about more than just one game. It gave Ben Johnson his first win as a head coach and showed that the offense he built could produce big plays when the quarterback had time to throw. Caleb Williams’s four-touchdown, zero-interception game was a strong sign of growth for a young quarterback, and it gave Bears fans real hope for the season.
For the Dallas Cowboys, the loss raised some real concerns. A defense that could not stop the Bears passing attack, combined with four turnovers on offense, are two problems that need fixing. CeeDee Lamb’s injury in the first half added to the bad news of the day. Dallas would need to clean up these mistakes quickly if they wanted to compete for a playoff spot later in the season.
Games like this remind us why player stats matter so much in football. It is not just about total yards or time of possession. It is about which team makes the most of its chances and avoids costly mistakes. On this Sunday at Soldier Field, Chicago did both, and Dallas did neither.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the final score of the Dallas Cowboys vs Chicago Bears game?
The Chicago Bears won the game 31-14. The game was played on September 21, 2025, at Soldier Field in Chicago as part of Week 3 of the NFL season.
Who had the best stats in the Cowboys vs Bears game?
Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams had the best individual performance, throwing for 298 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. Wide receiver Luther Burden III was also a standout, catching a 65-yard touchdown pass among his three receptions for 101 yards.
Why did the Dallas Cowboys lose the game even though they had more total yards?
The Cowboys gained more total yards than the Bears, 396 to 385, but they lost the turnover battle badly, giving the ball away four times while Chicago had zero turnovers. Dallas also struggled on third down and in the red zone, converting far fewer chances into points than Chicago did.
