Bears fall to Colts despite Williams throwing for 363 yards |
INDIANAPOLIS - It took three games for Caleb Williams to throw his first touchdown pass, but better late than never. The Chicago Bears (1-2) rookie QB showed up against the Indianapolis Colts (1-2) at Lucas Oil Field on Sunday, throwing for his first two career NFL TDs while also throwing for 363 yards as he finally showed what he can do. If the Bears had any running game at all, this team would look drastically different, but with no running game, they have become one-dimensional as the Bears dropped their second straight game to the Colts 21-16.
This was a game that you felt the Bears could have, especially when you looked at the overall struggles from the Colt's defense, especially against the run. Seeing the Bears throw for as many yards as they did wasn't a surprise, but seeing them struggle to run the ball was as Roschon Johnson led the Bears with 30 yards on eight carries. That type of production isn't going to cut, as the Bears need to get their running game fixed in a hurry. Based on how the Bears' opening drive started, you felt this could be a very offensive-minded game. The Bears moved the ball into field goal position, only for Cairo Santos to miss a 56-yard attempt. That was the only good scoring chance for either side in the early going, as the next four drives led to punts and a scoreless first quarter. Like Williams, Anthony Richardson has shown plenty of promise in his now six career starts under center, but he continues to make mistakes that can cost his team games. For the most part, the Bears did a great job containing him, holding him to just 167 yards passing with two interceptions. The first of those came on the Colt's opening possession, and it came after Richardson hooked up with Alec Pierce to move the ball inside the five-yard line. Three plays later, Richardson showed the bad version of himself as he was picked off by Tremaine Edmunds in the endzone to kill the drive. It didn't take long for the Bears to return the favor as Williams hooked up with Odunze for 47 yards to move the ball into Colts territory, only to have Jaylon Jones pick up the first of his two picks to kill that drive. Like Williams, Odunze had his coming-out party in this one. He hauled in a game-high 112 yards and a TD as he continues to improve. Rookie to rookie 🙌 The Colts capitalized after that interception. Richardson hooked up with Kylen Granson for his only reception of the game, 40 yards, with Jonathan Taylor taking it in from 29 yards out one play later to put the Colts in front 7-0. Hoping to come away with points late in the first half, Williams hooked up with Odunze again for 27 yards only to have that drive stall with a turnover on downs as the Bears were trailing 7-0 at the half. It was in the second half when the Bears started to show signs of life, and it came on the Colts first possession as Jaylon Johnson picked off Richardson to give the Bears excellent field position. Although the offense couldn't do anything with it, Chicago did manage to get on the board, as Santos knocked home a 53-yarder to pull the Bears within 7-3. Miscues were the theme of the third quarter for both sides, with Williams getting picked off for the second time on the Bears' next possession, while a turnover on downs prevented the Colts from extending their lead. With the third quarter winding down, the Colts put together their best drive of the game, driving 80 yards on nine plays to take the game into the fourth. For most of the drive, the Colts had difficulty picking up chunk plays as Richardson took what the defense gave him. Then came a big 21-yard run from Taylor. He finished the game with 110 yards and two scores as the Colts were threatening. Taylor wasn't the only RB getting involved on that drive. Trey Sermon came in to rip off another first-down run before plowing in from one yard out to push the Colts' lead to 14-3. For the Bears to win this game, they needed to rely on Williams' arm, which they did on their next possession as they drove 70 yards on 13 plays. While there weren't too many chunk plays on this possession, Williams made the plays he needed to make, including getting Cole Kmet and D'Andre Swift both involved in the passing game. That paid off, as the Bears had the ball inside the Colts' two-yard line before Odunze hauled in his first career TD reception to pull the Bears within 14-9 as their two-point try failed. The biggest play of the game came on the Bears' next possession, and it came after the Chicago defense forced a punt. Facing heavy pressure from the Colts' front seven, Laiatu Latu got to Williams for the sack and forced a crucial fumble that gave the ball back to the Colts inside the Bears' 20. Four plays later, it was a 21-9 game, as Taylor scored from one yard out for his second TD of the game. Credit the Bears for not quitting after that play, as Williams did his best to will his team back toward the end of the fourth. Having Johnson rip off a 12-yard run certainly helped, but finding Kmet for 19 yards was a big play as the Bears were approaching Colts territory. Williams continued to rely on his arm later in the drive, finding Odunze for another big play before hitting Kmet for the six-yard score as the Bears were within 21-16. That was as close as they would get. The Colts had the ball one last time and used a Taylor first down to force the Bears to use their final timeout. The Colts held on for their first win, 21-16. "We wanted to get a certain look, I don't know if we got the look we wanted on it." "That was a tough one." "I thought we had some really good opportunities out there to win the game."
📺: #CHIvsIND on CBS pic.twitter.com/6sBrElwAJu
Cole Kmet on the Bears 4th-and-goal play from the 1-yard line. pic.twitter.com/8MXuKkpaqg
Watch Caleb Williams' postgame Press Conference: https://t.co/mW67a039zj pic.twitter.com/252vEjVGC1
Coach Eberflus after the Bears' loss to the Colts. pic.twitter.com/GLxEULyXfv
