Caleb Williams can make history in Atlanta as the Chicago Bears look to snap a one-game skid.
The Chicago Bears (3-2, L1) travel to Mercedes-Benz Stadium to face the Atlanta Falcons (2-3, L1) on Sunday, October 18, 2026, with kickoff set for 1:00 PM ET on Fox.
Both teams are coming off losses, with Chicago falling 7-31 to the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta falling 23-30 to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5.
Game details
| When | Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET |
| Where | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
| TV | Fox |
| Line | Chicago Bears -1 | O/U 52.5 (market view) |
| Chicago Bears record | 3-2 |
| Atlanta Falcons record | 2-3 |
The matchup
According to NFL game notes, Williams enters Week 6 sitting on 49 career touchdown passes and just 14 interceptions. A 50th touchdown pass would make him the third quarterback ever, joining Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes, to hit that mark with 15 or fewer interceptions. Worth watching given his hamstring has him listed as questionable for Sunday.
Chicago's last four weeks have been a mixed bag: blowout wins over the Carolina Panthers (59-37) and Philadelphia Eagles (27-7), a 23-12 win over the New York Jets, a 3-9 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, and last week's 7-31 defeat at Green Bay. Atlanta has been just as uneven, with a 45-24 road win over the New Orleans Saints and a 35-14 win over the Packers mixed in with a 3-34 loss to Carolina, a 13-20 loss at Pittsburgh, and last week's 23-30 loss to Baltimore.
Key matchups
Bijan Robinson is the name that matters most on either side of the ball. He's put up 118 scrimmage yards in Week 5 and is chasing his fourth straight game with 115-plus scrimmage yards, with two rushing touchdowns in two of his last three outings. He ranks first in the league with 580 rush yards this season. Any Bears defender who can't get him on the ground near the goal line is in trouble.
On the other side, Williams and D'Andre Swift carry the Chicago attack. Swift logged 73 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown last week and is chasing his sixth straight game with 70-plus scrimmage yards. Colston Loveland gives Williams a reliable target with 71 catches for 823 yards and six touchdowns across his career, while Drake London, who torched Chicago's secondary for 118 yards on seven catches last week, draws coverage from a Bears cornerback group dealing with its own questions.
Injuries that matter
Chicago's injury report is the heavier of the two. Running back Kyle Monangai is out with a thumb injury, linebackers T.J. Edwards and Keyshaun Elliott are both out with hamstring and quadricep injuries respectively, and defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo is out with a quadricep injury. Quarterback Caleb Williams is questionable with a hamstring issue, and cornerbacks Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson Sr. are both questionable with calf and hip injuries.
Atlanta's list is shorter. Cornerback C.J. Henderson is out with a groin injury, and defensive end Za'Darius Smith is questionable with a neck injury.
Fantasy angles
Bijan Robinson is a must-start at 21.5 projected DraftKings points. He's riding a stretch of two rushing touchdowns in three games and is the engine of this offense whenever it gets near the goal line.
Drake London projects for 15.0 points and is chasing his fourth straight game with five-plus catches. He's the clear top target in that Atlanta passing game.
Caleb Williams carries a 22.5 projection and a shot at history with his 50th career touchdown pass, but his questionable hamstring tag means check his status before trusting him in lineups.
D'Andre Swift projects for 12.5 points and found the end zone on the ground last week. He's a safe flex play chasing his sixth straight 70-yard scrimmage game.
Luther Burden III rounds out the group at 10.5 points, with 60-plus receiving yards in two of his last three games giving him solid floor as a depth option.
The pick
The market has Chicago as a 1.0-point favorite with a total of 52.5, and the market score sits at Bears 27, Falcons 26. Bijan Robinson's workload gives Atlanta a real shot to keep this tight, but Chicago's mix of explosive wins this season and Williams chasing a milestone tilts the edge slightly toward the road team in what projects as a tight finish.
Injury report
| Player | Team | Pos | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Monangai | Chicago Bears | RB | Out |
| Caleb Williams | Chicago Bears | QB | Questionable |
| T.J. Edwards | Chicago Bears | LB | Out |
| Keyshaun Elliott | Chicago Bears | LB | Out |
| Kyler Gordon | Chicago Bears | CB | Questionable |
| Dayo Odeyingbo | Chicago Bears | DE | Out |
| Tyrique Stevenson Sr. | Chicago Bears | CB | Questionable |
| C.J. Henderson | Atlanta Falcons | CB | Out |
| Za'Darius Smith | Atlanta Falcons | DE | Questionable |
Projected starters
| Pos | Chicago Bears | Atlanta Falcons |
|---|---|---|
| QB | Caleb Williams | Michael Penix Jr. |
| RB | D'Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai | Bijan Robinson, Brian Robinson Jr. |
| WR | Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Kalif Raymond | Drake London, Jahan Dotson, Olamide Zaccheaus |
| TE | Colston Loveland | Kyle Pitts Sr. |
Recent results
| Team | Last games |
|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | Wk5 L 7-31 vs Green Bay Packers, Wk4 W 23-12 vs New York Jets, Wk3 W 27-7 vs Philadelphia Eagles |
| Atlanta Falcons | Wk5 L 23-30 vs Baltimore Ravens, Wk4 W 45-24 vs New Orleans Saints, Wk3 W 35-14 vs Green Bay Packers |
In this story
- Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons
- Atlanta Falcons
- Chicago Bears
- Bijan Robinson
- Brian Robinson Jr.
- C.J. Henderson
- Caleb Williams
- Colston Loveland
- D'Andre Swift
- Dayo Odeyingbo
- Drake London
- Jahan Dotson
- Kalif Raymond
- Keyshaun Elliott
- Kyle Monangai
- Kyle Pitts Sr.
- Kyler Gordon
- Luther Burden III
- Michael Penix Jr.
- Olamide Zaccheaus
- Rome Odunze
- T.J. Edwards
- Tyrique Stevenson Sr.
- Za'Darius Smith
Written by Rhett Zone, an AI analyst, from News Hub Fantasy data (schedule, scores, box scores, injuries and depth charts), and checked against that data before it published automatically. Read how we use AI in our editorial standards.