The Bears got their quarterback back, rediscovered a defensive difference-maker and left Atlanta with their fourth win of the season. They also turned a 31-7 fourth-quarter lead into a game that required a late takeaway to secure.

Sunday’s 31-23 victory offered plenty of reasons for optimism after the previous week’s embarrassment in Green Bay. Caleb Williams immediately restored rhythm to the offense, Kyler Gordon disrupted Atlanta’s protection, and several less celebrated contributors delivered important plays.

But Chicago gave itself considerably more work than necessary. Here are the winners and losers from the Bears’ Week 6 victory.

Winner: Caleb Williams

Williams needed little time to remind everyone what Chicago had been missing.

After sitting out three games with a hamstring injury, he completed his first 12 passes and finished 30-of-36 for 305 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Chicago scored touchdowns on its first two possessions, establishing control before Atlanta could settle into the game.

His accuracy stood out as much as the production. Williams consistently delivered catchable passes and distributed the ball to eight receivers, giving Ben Johnson access to an offense that had struggled to sustain drives against Green Bay.

He also trusted his movement when necessary. On the opening touchdown, Williams escaped pressure to his right and found Colston Loveland between defenders.

“Colston and I locked eyes and I just gave my guy a shot,” Williams said.

Chicago’s most encouraging development was how comfortable its quarterback looked directing the game after a month away.

Winner: Kyler Gordon

Gordon turned a carefully managed return into the most productive game of his career. In just 16 defensive snaps, he recorded three sacks, three tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. His final strip-sack gave Devin Bush a recovery that ended Atlanta’s last realistic chance to complete its comeback.

The sequence leading to that takeaway showed Gordon’s value beyond the sack total. First, his pressure drew a holding penalty on Bijan Robinson that erased an apparent first down. On the next snap, Gordon reached Michael Penix Jr. and knocked the ball loose. With Montez Sweat suspended and Dayo Odeyingbo injured, Chicago needed another source of pressure. Gordon supplied it immediately.

“He’s very hard to block as a blitzer,” Johnson said.

Keeping Gordon available remains essential. Sunday demonstrated how much more dangerous Allen’s defense can become with him involved.

Winners: Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III

Williams’ return brought two young pass catchers to the forefront.

Burden led Chicago with eight receptions for 95 yards, giving the offense a reliable target throughout the afternoon. Loveland added six catches for 65 yards and his first touchdown of the season. For Loveland, it was a substantial jump after entering the game with 13 receptions for 110 yards through five weeks. His opening-drive touchdown required concentration and toughness, as he secured the pass through contact from safety Jesse Bates III.

Their combined production gave Chicago more ways to move the ball.

Winner: Richard Hightower’s takeaway creators

Chicago’s special teams directly contributed to 10 points in an eight-point victory.

Josh Blackwell recovered Zachariah Branch’s muffed punt at Atlanta’s 10-yard line, setting up D’Andre Swift’s second touchdown. Later, Zavier Scott stripped Branch on a kickoff return, and Nick McCloud recovered to give the offense another short field.

That possession ended with Cairo Santos’ 50-yard field goal.

Those plays changed the game’s arithmetic. They also showed why players whose primary responsibilities come on special teams can have an outsized influence on the result.

Winner: The defensive reserves who answered the call

Chicago entered without four defensive starters, putting substantial responsibility on players further down the roster. Several delivered.

Daniel Hardy recorded his first career sack. James Lynch knocked down a fourth-down pass. Bush helped Gordon stop Brian Robinson Jr. behind the line and recovered the late fumble that secured the victory.

Allen deserves credit for preparing a depleted unit, but the players still had to execute. For most of the afternoon, they gave Chicago enough stops to build a commanding lead.

Loser: The fourth-quarter management

Johnson had a reasonable objective: protect an already depleted defense before Thursday’s game against New England. The timing created a problem.

Chicago removed most of its starting defense with more than 12 minutes remaining, and Atlanta promptly drove 91 yards for a touchdown and two-point conversion. The starters returned, but Roschon Johnson’s subsequent fumble helped the Falcons cut the margin to eight.

“If we didn’t have the Thursday night game, I don’t know that we’d do things like we did,” Johnson noted.

The turnover was a separate mistake, but resting players that early reduced Chicago’s room for one. Gordon ultimately rescued a decision that became much riskier than Johnson intended.

Loser: Chicago’s discipline

Twelve penalties for 133 yards kept interrupting an otherwise productive afternoon.

The opening touchdown drive alone had to overcome 20 penalty yards. Later, Jahdae Walker’s roughing-the-punter penalty gave Atlanta another opportunity after Dillon Thieneman had produced a third-down sack. Walker was also ejected later in the game.

Chicago repeatedly forced itself to overcome setbacks it had created.

Against Atlanta, Williams and the defense provided enough answers. Giving away that much ground leaves considerably less room for error against the next opponent.

Loser: Roschon Johnson’s ball security

Johnson contributed 51 rushing yards and a touchdown, and his late decision to go down rather than pursue another score helped Chicago finish the game.

His fourth-quarter fumble still carried an enormous cost. With Atlanta already showing signs of life, the turnover handed the Falcons another possession and a chance to make the finish uncomfortable. They converted it into eight points.

Johnson made useful contributions before and after the mistake. But when Chicago needed a possession that drained the clock and settled the game, losing the football did precisely the opposite. That won’t help him get more playing time when D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai are both available.