For the second time in his first eight NFL games, Bears rookie receiver Rome Odunze eclipsed 100 receiving yards Sunday against the Cardinals.
Odunze, who previously put up 112 yards on six catches in Indianapolis Sept. 22, tallied 104 yards and caught five of his seven targets from quarterback Caleb Williams in Arizona. Stacking these explosive performances has been validating for Odunze as he continues to navigate his first NFL season.
"It's super important just for my personal development," Odunze told ChicagoBears.com. "I think it's great for my confidence and my ability in this league to be able to have games like that where I have that success. But, at the end of the day, it's a team effort and a team stat. So, I wouldn't be able to do any of those things without the offensive line, the offensive coordinator, coaches, QB doing their thing."
Williams and Odunze connected twice on the Bears' opening drive, first with a 17-yard gain on second-and-10 when Williams scrambled right and hit Odunze on the move near the right sideline. Three plays later, Williams dropped back and found Odunze over the middle of the field to cross into Cardinals' territory.
The pair's second-longest connection of the season — and the Bears' largest gain of the game — came in the second quarter on a crucial third-and-7. With the Cardinals bringing pressure, Williams launched a 44-yard pass to a wide-open Odunze, which led to the Bears' first scoring drive of the day which culminated in a 53-yard field goal by kicker Cairo Santos.
"We had that play lined up," Odunze said. "We thought it was gonna be good for their defense with certain coverages that they play, and I think it was a broken coverage for sure because I was just running free down the field. I think Caleb got a little bit of pressure, so he just lobbed it up and let me go get it. Wish I could have made a move on the last guy to go put it in the end zone, but a 44-yard gain is not bad."
The on-field connection between the No. 1 and No. 9 overall picks has grown through the first nine weeks of the season. Odunze became the first Bears pass-catcher to record multiple 100-yard receiving games as a rookie since Willie Gault in 1983.
Odunze knows he won't always be Williams' top target each game due to the offense's plethora of playmakers like DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Cole Kmet and D'Andre Swift at his disposable, but the Washington product always ready to step up when called upon.
"We're in a good spot," Odunze said. "He has a lot of talented receivers in the room, so he wants to disperse the ball to all of us and let us make plays. I'm a part in that, so I just try and be available as much as I can for him to make plays.
"Last game was one where we put that on display, but it's something that's continuing to develop — something that I believe in future games, future years is gonna be something great."
In recent weeks, Odunze has felt the partnership between him and Williams grow even stronger. The receiver admittedly "struggled a little bit just seeing the ball" in the first few weeks of the season. Instead of becoming frustrated with the NFL learning curve, he and Williams leaned on each other to improve.
"We went out and would catch passes after practice and then do some individual stuff, just me and him," Odunze shared. "Just building that connection and that confidence in one another, which was really important for us. From that point, we continued to build our relationship on the field. There's an unspoken bond there with us both being rookies, both being drafted in the top 10 and coming into this organization, wanting to be great and having a big impact on it."
Odunze believes his unique relationship with Williams will continue to help the Bears offense progress this season. While these 100-yard performances are meaningful in their own right, the Washington product is more focused on translating that success into wins.
"I think it's gonna be pivotal, just my relationship and the wide receivers' relationship with Caleb as a whole," Odunze said. "We're gonna have to be a big component to this team's success going forward. 100-yard games are great, but I'd rather have 75, 75, 75 for all of us in the wide receiver room with a couple touchdowns and a win.
"Those things are gonna have to continue to develop, but I think me and Caleb's relationship definitely plays an important role in all that. So, just continuing to be available for him, doing my best within my job, and hopefully, that individual success will bring the team success."
