Bear Digest

Wasteful Bears Give Away Opportunities in Loss to Colts

Caleb Williams three for two touchdowns but his two interceptions and lost fumble proved critical in a 21-16 loss at Indianapolis.

Gene Chamberlain

Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze catches it in front of Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II for his first career TD.
Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze catches it in front of Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II for his first career TD. / Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Eventually the Bears offense figured out what it took to get into the end zone.

It took them so many attempts, however, they had no time left then Sunday to exploit this newfound directional instinct.

The clock showed all zeros with the Colts taking a 21-16 win at Lucas Oil Field to end Chapter 3 for the Bears in how to live with a rookie QB starter.

Caleb Williams and the offense moved it all over the field in the first half and came away with zero points to show for four drives that reached scoring position.

Coach Matt Eberflus saw reasons for optimism. Apparently avoiding a shutout and setting rookie records must have rated high.

"This was our third game and there was some positivity to take out of this," Eberflus told reporters. "And we're encouraged . In that locker room we are encouraged. We'll have our head moving forward, eyes moving forward and we're going to get better this week.

"To me there was better production on the offensive side. There was better production there in terms of who we got the ball to. The effficiency just needs to be better in certain areas."

Being more efficient at efficiency would be one.

In the second half, Williams found Rome Odunze for a 1-yard TD toss and then Cole Kmet from 6 yards out with just over two minutes remaining, but they had squandered their timeouts in the second half the same way they squandered their first-half scoring chances, and came away with a loss to go 1-2.

Williams had to feel at home somewhat as he was forced to throw 52 times to support an underachieving running game, much like at USC last year. He completed 33 for a Bears rookie record 363 yards with two TDs with two interceptions. He also lost a fumble on a sack that set up the clinching TD.

Odunze made six catches for 112 yards,  Kmet 10 for 97 yards and DJ Moore eight for 78 yards but the Bears ran for only 63 yards on 28 carries, and got stuffed at the goal line in the second quarter. That sequence eventually cost them the game.

They have rushed for less yards in each subsequent week and Sunday struggled for a ground game against the worst NFL run defense heading into the game.

The rushing game eventually proved the factor to let the Colts win.  With Jonathan Taylor running for 110 yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns and the Colts gaining 150 on the ground, they more than made up for the failings of their faulty second-year QB Anthony Richardson (10 of 20, 167 yards, two interceptions).

Despite interceptions by Jaylon Johnson and Tremaine Edmunds, the Bears found themselves in catch-up mode all day, mainly because of the way they finished the first half.

Trailing 7-0 just before halftime, they had first-and-goal at the 4-yard line and couldn’t score on three runs by Khalil Herbert. The capper to this disaster was an option pitch on fourth down from the 1 that went for 12-yard loss to D’Andre Swift.

They even had another chance in the half to score after on a Hail Mary pass but Moore’s catch came on a deflection at the 1 and he was covered up before he could get into the end zone.

 Williams and the offense moved it all over the field in the first half and came away with zero points to show for four drives that reached scoring position.

In the second half, they did figure out how to move it in the air and score. Santos made a 53-yard field goal in the third quarter. Then Williams threw his first career TD pass on a 1-yarder to Odunze. He later gave them a chance at a late rally with the TD to wide-open Kmet to cut the deficit to five, but a fumble on a sack and Williams’ second interception proved costly.

 Indianapolis went up 14-3 in the third quarter on a 1-yard Trey Sermon TD run

After Odunze’s TD catch cut the Bears deficit to 14-9, Taylor picked his way into the end zone with 5:22 remaining for his second TD, the first coming in the second quarter on a 29-yard run.

The Bears converted 9 of 21 on third down and limited the Colts to 3 of 12, but they played wasteful football. Then they wasted timeouts in the fourth quarter, once after they were busy celebrating Williams’ first career TD pass when it wasn’t clear they were ready to try for the mandatory two-point conversion in an attempt to get within 14-11.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.