Final Score: Colts 21 Bears 16
Indianapolis finally got into the win column this Sunday with an ugly win over Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears. Williams threw for 363 passing yards and grabbed his first NFL touchdown, but the Chicago offense was absolutely stifled in the running game and only managed 16 total points.
The Colts couldn’t do much on offense either, but were much more successful on the ground with RB Jonathan Taylor. The Bears secondary stayed strong, intercepting Anthony Richardson twice. Unfortunately, Indy was able to capitalize on a late Bears fumble and squeak out the win.
Bright Spots
The Back-Seven Remains Elite
The secondary and linebackers have played phenomenally this season, this week included. LB Tremaine Edmunds and CB Jaylon Johnson both snagged interceptions. Colts QB Anthony Richardson was limited to only 167 passing yards and did not find the endzone. The defense as a whole only allowed 21 points, and 7 came on a drive that started on the CHI 16 yard-line. The defense played well again, and the back-seven was lights out.
Caleb Williams Continues to Encourage
Personally, I was encouraged by what I saw out of Caleb Williams this week. For starters, he threw for 363 yards which is the second-highest single game passing yard total this season (Dak Prescott threw for 379 yards this week). He also snagged his first 2 NFL passing touchdowns. I’m a bit worried that the coaching staff may be putting too much onto his plate, but I like that Williams has steadily improved each time he’s set foot on the field. He was also finally able to connect on some deep balls to Odunze this week, and made a couple nice throws on the run.
Glaring Issues
Rushing Game is Pathetic
The Chicago Bears can not run the ball, it’s that simple. An NFL offense simply can’t function effectively without the threat of the run (or pass). That’s how it is possible for Caleb Williams to throw for 363 yards and still only put up 16 points. In a matchup against a team that allowed over 200 rushing yards in the first half of their previous matchup, Chicago only managed 63 total rushing yards (2.3 yards per carry). Starting running back D’Andre Swift had another abysmal statline, only generating 20 yards on 13 carries. The Bears will have trouble winning any more games if they keep running the ball like this.
Blatant Coaching Issues
Both head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron made major mistakes this week. After Chicago’s first touchdown, kicker Cairo Santos came out for the extra point despite the crucial benefits of a potential successful 2-point conversion. Eberflus was forced to burn a valuable timeout in order to get the offense back onto field. The team can’t be wasting second half timeouts in this fashion. The communication just wasn’t there; every single player on the sideline needs to know what the plan is in that situation.
OC Shane Waldron is also not a popular name around Chicago this week. His first three weeks calling plays for the Bears offense have left much to be desired. Offensive line struggles seem to follow him wherever he goes, which makes you wonder if he has something to do with it. Maybe his protection plans are poor, which leads to subpar line play. Some will also point to the run-pass ratio. Rookie Caleb Williams threw the ball 52 times in his third career start, while Waldron only called for 28 rushes. Now to be fair, the Bears were getting little to no production on the ground. Still, things may have improved if Waldron had stuck with it.
Standout Performers
Jonathan Taylor
JT was the player of this game. He racked up 110 rushing yards on 23 carries and found the endzone twice. His first TD run proved his standing as an elite running back in this league. He is a game changer, and probably the factor that was able to ultimately tilt things in the Colts’ favor.
Were the Keys to the Game Met?
None of the keys to the game from my preview article were met, which helps explain why it was such a clunky contest. In the end, the inability for the Bears to hit their marks proved more impactful. Chicago certainly didn’t “get the run game going”, nor did they grab the lead early. The presence of a rushing attack was absolutely vital this week (and most other weeks) and the lack of it was the main reason for the loss.
Key Drive of the Game
The pivotal drive of Week 3’s contest was short-lived. The Bears got the ball back with 6:46 left in the 4th quarter, down 14-9. They’d found the endzone the last time they possessed the ball and had carried forward the momentum by forcing an Indianapolis punt after only 1:29 of game-time. On the first play of the drive, Colts rookie Laiatu Latu was able to find Williams in the backfield and forced the ball out of his hands. The strip sack set Richardson and the Colts offense up on the 16-yard-line. They capitalized, extending the deficit to two-scores.