3 Big Takeaways from the Bears Loss to the Colts
Here are my three big takeaways from the Bears frustrating loss to the Colts.
Rome Odunze was the right pick
Rome Odunze caught 6 passes for 110 yards, averaging 18.3 yards per catch, and scored his first career touchdown. There were also several missed or overthrown balls, so his performance could have been even more impressive. However, he and rookie QB Caleb Williams are clearly building chemistry, which is exactly what you want to see by Week 3.
Caleb Williams is growing each week
By the end of the season, one question will matter: Do the Bears have their franchise quarterback? If the answer is yes, then this season can be considered a huge success. Winning is fun, and losing tough games like the one against the Colts is painful. However, Williams has shown significant growth, consistently improving and looking more comfortable with each passing week. Check out his passing chart from the Colts game below.
He threw the ball 51 times, and while it wasn’t perfect, he showed flashes of brilliance. His final stats from the game in Indy were 32 completions on 51 attempts for 355 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 3 sacks, and a passer rating of 80.0. The growth is evident.
The Bears coaching staff is on the hot seat
Matt Eberflus and Shane Waldron need to improve, plain and simple. Waldron made several poor play calls, and I’m not a fan of his passing game concepts either. The 4th-and-goal play at the end of the first half was so bad, it could almost be a fire-able offense on its own.
Shane finally involved Cole Kmet in the passing game, but it took him three games to recognize what a valuable weapon Kmet is on offense, which raises concerns. The running game is also struggling—while D’Andre Swift needs to improve, the offensive scheme in the run game seems off at times. The Bears have the worst running game in the NFL, and coaching is just as much to blame as the offensive line. Matt Eberflus game management was poor, particularly when he mishandled the two-point conversion after a late 4th-quarter score, forcing the team to burn a timeout. It was a bad look for Eberflus overall. Another key takeaway is that the Bears offensive line remains a concern. While they occasionally gave Caleb more time than in previous games, that could be more a reflection of facing a weaker defensive line compared to previous opponents like the Titans and Texans. If they do not turn things around quickly, we could easily see Ben Johnson and company replacing Eberflus and his current staff next season.