Bears receiver Rome Odunze reached another milestone in his rookie season Sunday afternoon against the 49ers as he recorded his first two-touchdown game.
Both of Odunze's scores – along with his 42 yards on four receptions – came in the second half as he and quarterback Caleb Williams continued to showcase their on-field connection.
On the Bears' opening drive of the third quarter, Williams drove the offense down to the 4-yard line before lofting a pass on third-and-goal to Odunze in the back right corner of the end zone. The rookie wideout made the leaping grab and executed a highlight reel toe-tap to stay in bounds for the score.
While Odunze complimented Williams for a "perfect throw in the back of the end zone," the quarterback gave his fellow rookie the credit.
"The first one, the defenders on the motion got confused and they weren't decisive enough," Williams said. "Rome ran a great route, didn't get [a] collision and just gave him an opportunity ball on the back pylon — something we practice all the time. He went up and made a great play, getting both feet down."
Two possessions later, the Bears needed just four plays to reach the red zone, allowing Williams and Odunze to connect for a 14-yard score on second-and-7. Williams launched the ball over the middle of the San Francisco defense into the end zone as Odunze jumped up to make the catch, adding: "Rome ran a great route, made a great catch."
"Second touchdown was perfect play call for the coverage," Odunze said. "I found myself pretty open in the middle of the field. Defense kind of lost track of me, another perfect throw from Caleb and was able to make a play."
Odunze's second score was a similar play to receiver Keenan Allen's touchdown against the Jaguars in London, where Williams hit him with a back shoulder ball in the middle of the endzone. While Odunze agreed with the comparison, he laughed when discussing the difference in difficulty between his and Allen's receptions.
"Mine was a lot easier than his," Odunze joked. "He made a spectacular catch, mine was kind of routine, but yeah, similar."
Odunze added to his spot in the Bears' record books, becoming the first rookie with multiple touchdown receptions in a game since David Terrell in 2001. Just over a month ago against the Cardinals, Odunze became the first Bears pass catcher to record multiple 100-yard receiving games as a rookie since Willie Gault in 1983.
The No. 9 overall draft pick has showcased his talents and connection with Williams throughout the season, totaling 585 yards on 45 receptions — just behind DJ Moore who leads the team with 712 yards on 68 catches.
Interim head coach Thomas Brown, who started this season as the team's offensive passing game coordinator, says Odunze's growth as a rookie starts with his attention to detail.
"Rome has been very consistent from Day 1," Brown said. "Like I've said before, as far as his approach to the game, he's super mature. He does a really good job in meetings of taking notes, being detailed, doing exactly what he's asked to do and I'm glad he showed up for us when he had an opportunity today."
