NFL · Reports
Bears overcome 133 penalty yards to control Falcons in 31–23 win
Chicago held the ball for 40:08, converted nine third downs and recovered three Atlanta fumbles to withstand a late Falcons rally in Atlanta.
Result
Chicago Bears beat the Atlanta Falcons 31–23 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on 18 October, opening a 14–0 first-quarter lead and never trailing in the finished Week 6 game. Source
Colston Loveland’s 14-yard touchdown reception from Caleb Williams and D’Andre Swift’s four-yard rushing score put Chicago ahead 14–0, before Atlanta answered through Jahan Dotson in the second quarter. Source
Swift’s second rushing touchdown restored a two-score cushion before half-time, and Roschon Johnson’s four-yard touchdown early in the third quarter made it 28–7. Source
Cairo Santos then converted from 50 yards at the start of the fourth quarter for a 31–7 advantage, which proved decisive as Atlanta scored two Kyle Pitts touchdown receptions and added two two-point conversions in a late 16-point response. Source
Stat story
Chicago controlled the game’s volume, running 73 plays to Atlanta’s 50 and holding possession for 40:08 compared with 19:52. Source
That control showed most clearly on third down, where the Bears converted nine of 17 attempts while the Falcons made three of 12; Chicago also recorded 20 first downs to Atlanta’s 13. Source
The Bears finished with 368 total yards, against 257 for the Falcons, and went four-for-five in the red zone. Source
The victory came despite 12 Chicago penalties for 133 yards, while Atlanta were penalised four times for 31 yards. Source
Turnovers tilted the balance further: Atlanta lost three fumbles and Chicago recovered three fumbles, whereas the Bears lost one fumble. Source
Stars and struggles
Williams completed 30 of 36 passes, with Loveland producing six receptions for 65 yards and the opening touchdown. Source Source
Swift supplied two rushing touchdowns on 16 carries, while Johnson added 51 rushing yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts. Source Source
Chicago’s defensive pressure was led by Kyler Gordon, who registered three sacks and two forced fumbles. Source
For Atlanta, Michael Penix Jr. completed 19 of 33 passes for 225 yards and three touchdown passes, with Pitts catching five passes for 60 yards and two touchdowns. Source
Atlanta’s fumbles were charged as two lost by Zachariah Branch and one by Penix Jr., leaving the Falcons with too little margin for error despite their fourth-quarter scoring. Source Source
Standings impact
Per HFC records, Chicago stood third in the NFC North at 4–2, behind Minnesota and Green Bay, with a 2–1 road record. Source
Per HFC records, Atlanta stood second in the NFC South at 2–4 and remained winless in three home games. Source
Temporal Read
This was a completed 18 October result: Chicago’s decisive work was done before Atlanta’s late rally, with possession, third-down execution and fumble recoveries underpinning the road win. Source Source Source
Key facts
7 data pointsSources used in this piece
5 sources01HFC Data
DataFinal score, venue, date and quarter-by-quarter scoring
02HFC Data
DataTeam possession, penalties, turnovers, third downs, plays and yardage
04HFC Data
DataIndividual passing, rushing, receiving, fumble and defensive statistics
05HFC Data
DataNFC divisional standings following Week 6
What do these badges mean?
- Cross-checked
- Hangout FC data and an independent source agree on this figure.
- Single source
- One source backs this figure; no second source was available to check it.
- Partial coverage
- Our data covers this only partly, for example a table not yet updated with today's results. Treat it as context.
- Unverified source
- We could not resolve a source for this claim.
- Sources disagree
- Hangout FC data and another source give different figures. Both are listed.
