Stock up, Stock down after Bears-Colts review |
CHICAGO—This is not how Bears fans pictured the first few weeks of the season going. Chicago’s offense was expected to be explosive with a receiver trio, unlike most teams in the league, which have veterans DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, as well as rookie Rome Odunze. That has not come to fruition. However, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams proved that he can lead the offense on multiple touchdown drives.
Caleb Williams - Stock Up This may be surprising, given the loss and his three turnovers. I will admit that his stock is not up by that much, but it is ever so slightly up. Williams has shown he is learning to read NFL defenses going from one game to the next. He continues to make rookie mistakes. However, it seems these are certainly opportunities for him to learn from and improve as a player. Looking at the positive from Chicago’s 21-16 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Williams threw the ball 52 times with a 63.5 percent completion percentage for a total of 363 passing yards. That is the most passing yards by a Bears quarterback in a single game since Brian Hoyer put up 397 passing yards against the Colts back in Chicago’s week five loss in 2016. So, that is certainly progress. His performance against the Los Angeles Rams this coming Sunday (Noon / FOX) will help to prove that Williams learned from his mistakes against Indianapolis and will start protecting the ball more. Shane Waldron - Stock Down What was wrong with the playcalling? The playcalling is much left to be desired, to put it mildly. Many times, the call did not make sense, or there were matchups that were not in Chicago’s favor. What was that fourth and goal call from the Indianapolis one-yard line? Williams said that if he had more time, he could have changed the play at the line of scrimmage. But it appears the play call did not get in fast enough. That is another Waldron blunder. After the Bears scored their touchdown, Williams and the rest of the offense were unaware they were going for the two-point conversion. Head coach Matt Eberflus had to use a timeout. That is on Eberflus and Waldron. The run game averages under 73 rushing yards per game, which is second-worst in the league. Again, that is on Waldron as the offensive coordinator. If things continue down this road, perhaps the Bears will need a new offensive coordinator again. On the bright side, there is only going up from here. Rome Odunze - Stock Up The rookie receiver put on a show with six receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown, the first of his NFL career. That included a 47-yard reception and five first-down receptions. Clearly, he has developed chemistry with Williams and stepped up in the absence of six-time Pro-Bowler Keenan Allen while playing through an injured knee. Odunze has been everything the Bears have needed him to be and showed his elite playmaking ability against the Colts. Offensive Line - Stock Down I think this goes without saying, but I will say it anyway. The offensive line needs a lot of work. Even with Matt Pryor in at right guard instead of Nate Davis, the line could not protect Williams, who was four times, including a strip sack, in the loss to the Colts. He has now been sacked 13 times through the first three games. That is the third-most out of any quarterback in the NFL. Something has to change here, even if it involves a midseason trade, because Williams is not going to last 17 games behind this offensive line. Cole Kmet - Stock Up Here is a stat that is hard to believe - tight end Cole Kmet’s six-yard touchdown right before the two-minute warning against Indianapolis was his first-ever touchdown in the month of September. Further, he never had a game with at least ten receptions in September and his 97 receiving yards was the second-most he has ever recorded in an NFL game. When the Bears needed him to step up, especially in the absence of Allen, Kmet did what he could to try to get Chicago their second win of the season. Clearly, he also has developed chemistry with Williams and this is something that should continue throughout the rest of the season.
