Spokesman-Review
National Football League
Chicago 37, Atlanta 17
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 31, 2023
Where: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Temperature: 32°
Head Official: Adrian Hill
Attendance: 61752

Justin Fields passed for 268 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 45 yards and a score to lift the host Chicago Bears to a 37-17 victory against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

Chicago (7-9) relied on a balanced attack that outgained Atlanta 432-307 to win for the fourth time in the past five games. Khalil Herbert led the ground game, running 18 times for 124 yards and a touchdown.

The Falcons (7-9) lost for the third time in four games as their dim NFC playoff hopes took a hit.

Dealing with steady snowfall at the start of the game, the Falcons gained 43 yards on their first two plays to move comfortably into Chicago territory. Younghoe Koo's 50-yard field-goal attempt fell short, however, and the Bears took over.

Fields wasted little time guiding the Bears to the end zone, punctuating a nine-play, 65-yard scoring drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore. Moore snagged a 32-yard reception on Chicago's first play from scrimmage, setting the tone for a big afternoon -- nine catches for 159 yards and a touchdown.

Atlanta moved the ball on its next possession but experienced a familiarly frustrating result, as Koo clanked a 42-yard field-goal attempt off the left upright.

Chicago capitalized again, covering 68 yards in eight plays and 4:03, culminating with a 9-yard touchdown run by Fields.

Atlanta responded just 14 seconds later, as Tyler Allgeier took Taylor Heinicke's screen pass and scampered down the sideline for a 75-yard score for the Falcons' longest offensive touchdown of the season.

The Bears took a 21-7 lead into the half behind Roschon Johnson's 2-yard touchdown run with 4:02 left in the second quarter.

Cairo Santos connected on second-half field goals of 22, 42 and 42 yards to outpace the Falcons, who got a 38-yarder from Koo and a 24-yard scoring run from Heinicke after halftime.

Herbert's 1-yard touchdown run with 3:39 sealed Chicago's fifth straight win at Soldier Field.

Heinicke finished 10-for-29 passing for 163 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions before Desmond Ridder entered in relief late in the fourth quarter. Tyrique Stevenson picked Ridder for his second interception of the afternoon.

Bijan Robinson gained 75 yards on 15 carries for Atlanta.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
Rushing
Atlanta   Chicago
Bijan Robinson Player Khalil Herbert
15 Attempts 18
75 Yards 124
5.0 Avg Yards 6.9
0 Touchdowns 1
21 Long 38
Receiving
Atlanta   Chicago
Tyler Allgeier Player DJ Moore
1 Receptions 9
75 Yards 159
75.0 Avg Yards 17.7
1 Touchdowns 1
75 Long 32
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Atlanta 307 134 173 2 1 0 3.0 1
Chicago 432 192 240 4 3 4 2.0 0
Upcoming Games
  • Chicago will play their next game on the road against Green Bay. The Bears have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Atlanta will play their next game on the road against New Orleans. The Falcons have a W/L % of .286 after a win and .556 after a loss.