Bear Digest

Winners and Losers for the Bears in 21-16 Loss to Colts

Analysis: Not the best day for the Bears coaching staff, and several players who have come under the microscope, but some others came away looking like winners.

Gene Chamberlain

Colts linebacker Jaylon Carlies pulls down Bears running back Roschon Johnson, who played Sunday for the first time in 2024.
Colts linebacker Jaylon Carlies pulls down Bears running back Roschon Johnson, who played Sunday for the first time in 2024. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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In the NFL, sometimes the winners are actually losers and losers can turn out to be winners.

One example was how the Bears wound up with Caleb Williams as their quarterback.

Another is how Justin Fields not only has turned up with a winning team but is starting and doesn't have to worry about all the pressures the savior of the franchise must endure in the city of Chicago even if he couldn't get the kind of contract extension he would have wanted.

The Bears on Sunday came away 21-16 losers and calling them winners in any way would require a very vivid imagination.

However, there are some who came away better than others and then again there are some who came away even bigger losers than the team.

Here are Bears winners and losers from Sunday's loss in Indianapolis.

Winners

1. QB Caleb Williams

You can complain about his two interceptions, the strip-sack and the loss but Williams hung in when he was obviously the target of the rush and had a questionable offensive line protecting him, then attempted to rally the Bears. He nearly did, but the lack of a timeout kept him from getting one last chance. A pass block might have helped, too. The timing with receivers, his decision and recognition were much better than last week, and last week it was better than the opener.  Opponents and haters will say he lost but he is learning exponentially. Give him two more games running a passing attack like he did in this game and he could arrive ahead of schedule. A 363-yard effort despite four sacks and no running game on his side is standing his ground. If you throw it 52 times but still average 7.0 yards an attempt, and he did rounded off, you're really accomplishing something.

2. RB Roschon Johnson

The question is why he only had eight rushing attempts. D'Andre swift continues to roll along like a car with two wheels. Finally Johnson got a chance to play and led the team in rushing with 30 yards. That's a pitiful amount but give him 16 carries and maybe he gets 60 yards. And Johnson also averaged a healthy 8 yards a carry while punishing tacklers on the way to the ground or out of bounds. Swift had two catches for 22 yards. It's time to take a look at Johnson as a starting running back.

3. TE Cole Kmet

When Williams started looking downfield for passes, he noticed someone. Oh yeah, that big guy with the 85 jersey. With 10 catches for 97 yards, Kmet led the team in receptions and provided a base underneath to let Williams build confidence.

4. WR Rome Odunze

There's a young pass connection building now. A 112-yard effort. He only needs to be a little more aware along the sidelines, but six catches for 112 yards is beyond what they could have expected this soon when they expected him. If they knew they could get that, maybe they didn't need to sign Keenan Allen.

5. T/G Matt Pryor

Benefiting from the initial absence of guard Nate Davis, he wasn't spectacular, got beat a few times but overall was solid enough. He's better suited for guard at this point than tackle.

6. DE Montez Sweat

Now no one can ask why he doesn't have any sacks. He had another strong all-around game. It's happened each week. With four tackles, one sack, and one tackle for loss, he also had the numbers to make it obvious to all.

7. CB Jaylon Johnson

He and Jaquan Brisker got their signals mixed once for a big Colts gainer but it was eventually wiped out by a Tremaine Edmunds interception. His interception to start the second half more than made up for it.

Losers

1. Coach Matt Eberflus

Returning back where he was defensive coordinator, he had some Bears fans on social media urging he become a defensive coordinator somewhere else again. Eberflus and staff weren't ready with the two-point call after the touchdown pass to Odunze. The players should have been up on the line right away instead of dancing around fighting for a souvenir ball following Caleb Williams' first TD pass. His decision to use a timeout with just over five minutes left seemed like pure panic. Then there was the decision not to go for an onside kick with just over two minutes remaining. Only a dumb move by the Colts made this seem like a good decision. In the end it didn't matter but could have. Not a lot of good decision making going on.

2. Offensive Coordinator Shane Waldron

First, horrible play call at the goal line. Pitching out on fourth and inches won't work. And an option play at that. It takes too long for that kind of play to develop. Going backwards to get outside in this area of the field never works. The worst run defense in the league and his offense could come up with only 63 yards rushing against them, including eight yards from Williams' scrambling. Roschon Johnson was on the sidelines for two weeks, then comes in and makes plays. Why wasn't he playing? In fact, why is D'Andre Swift continuing to get all the carries? He leads in carries and averages less than 72 inches per carry. They had 52 passes to 25 runs by running backs. And Eberflus defended this as a good attempt to establish the run, which explains a lot. Waldron's offense finally got some possession time with 35:01 and it didn't do them any good because they failed to produce points. He might not want to run so many wide receiver screens, either. They've seen enough of those around here after Luke Getsy.

3. RB D'Andre Swift

He now has 68 yards on the season off 37 carries, or 1.8 yards per carry for three games. The reason he's a real loser here is now he has some actual competition with Johnson playing. His 3.8 yards a carry wasn't a reason for partying but it was sure better than any other Bears active running back. Khalil Herbert had another underwhelming game.

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4. P Tory Taylor

What happened? His 42.3-yard average indoors included two punts for 73 yards total. One was in the 20 so he redeemed himself somewhat, but at the same time he was destroyed by Rigoberto Sanchez, who averaged 49.0.

5. WR Keenan Allen

His chance for a contract probably hinged on the inability of Oduzne to step up as a first-year receiver. Odunze got the chance to do more with Allen gone and he is achieving. GM Ryan Poles painted a picture in pregame during his ESPN AM-1000 interview with Jeff Joniak as if Allen should be back soon. We'll have to see it to believe it because plantar fasciitis is a tricky injury situation. It's the kind of thing that a player thinks it's over but it could just keep going on for more weeks.

6. DE Daniel Hardy

A hero Week 1 with a punt block, he jumps offsides on a punt, gives the Colts the ball to extend a touchdown drive. Hardy, har har.

7. G Nate Davis

He had to go into the game.

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.