Caleb Williams‘ 52 passing attempts were the most by a rookie and tied for the fifth-most by any quarterback in Chicago Bears history, per Stathead. His 363 yards were also the most by a rookie and the 11th-most by any Bears QB in a game.
Now that the good news for the Chicago Bears offense is out of the way, let’s dissect what went wrong for the NFL’s 20th-ranked unit against an Indianapolis Colts defense that ranked 8th against the pass but dead last against the run coming into their 21-16 loss in Week 3.
The Bears could only muster 63 yards on their 28 carries, a paltry 2.3 yards per tote.
Bears-Colts Takeaways: Caleb Williams Sets Franchise Record in Loss
Bears Offense Uncoordinated vs Colts
The Bears entered the day 26th in attempts and 28th in yards on the ground. This is still most of a group that led the league in rushing in 2022 and finished 2nd in 2023.
The Bears entered Week 3 tied for 14th in plays run. They had 66 passing attempts to 44 rushing tries. A 60-40 pass-run split is surely not what anyone envisioned for this group. It is loaded with veteran talent but is also still being captained by a rookie. 28 rushing attempts to 52 passing attempts in a game that was within one sore for most of the day is far from ideal.
It took until the fourth quarter for the offense to get going. There were plenty of questions thrown around about the offensive playcalling that saw Williams attempt 30 passes before the Bears got to 25 rushing attempts.
"I threw it 52 times? … Geez." – Caleb Williams
— Josh Buckhalter (@JoshGBuck) September 22, 2024
Still, Williams’ 363 yards (63.4% completion, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) are the most by a Bears QB since Brian Hoyer threw for 397 yards in Week 5 of the 2016 season.
The Bears’ opponent that day? The Indianapolis Colts in a 29-23 loss. This time, the Bears could not get anything going on the ground consistently. The Colts also snuffed out most of their attempts to get to the edges. That points to a larger issue at play for the Bears: is it the personnel or the plays/scheme?
Because the offseason featured plenty of perceived roster upgrades while offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was praised for his ability to teach the offense.
Yet three weeks into the campaign there are still far too many communication issues offensively to ignore.
Questions about Waldron’s ability to call a game were prevalent upon his hiring. Naysayers pointed to the Seahawks’ offense which ranked 20th and 16th in points in 2021 and 21st in yards and 17th in points in 2023. They also ranked 27th, 22nd, and 31st in rushing attempts.
It has only been three weeks against game-specific defenses. But there are far more hiccups than most expected given the moves and rhetoric of the offseason, including more curious timeout usage from head coach Matt Eberflus.
Bears Free Agent Signings a Mixed Bag
Players such as T.J. Ewards, Tremaine Edmunds, and Andrew Billings are easily among the wins for Bears general manager Ryan Poles in free agency. It is early, but Kevin Byard has also been a good presence and nearly came up with an interception versus the Colts.
Offensively, Poles’ track record is not nearly as strong and the 2024 class has not helped to change that.
D’Andre Swift finished with 20 yards on 13 carries versus the Colts.
He has 68 yards on 37 carries through three weeks of the season. With just one 1,000-yard season under his belt, there were always questions about paying him $24 million over three years.
However, Swift is off to the worst start of his career. It has made him seem like a poor fit for what has worked best for the Bears’ offense so far.
Swift is an explosive runner.
But he is often left to dance behind a Bears’ offensive line that generates few big holes and has not gotten much going to the edges. Things have been better between the tackles outside of short yardage but that is not Swift’s game.
Incumbents Roschon Johnson (8-30) and Khalil Herbert (4-9) both outpaced Swift on a per-carry basis.
Up front, Nate Davis’ groin injury kept him in a relief role versus Indy.
The most damning part for Davis (and Poles) is that, even with backup Matt Pryor in his place, the offense did not look any worse. They even looked improved in some aspects, especially later in the game.
Coleman Shelton’s day appeared to go better than it did in Week 2 at first glance. A second review could reveal otherwise, though.
Tight end Gerald Everett has 3 receptions for 0 yards on 5 targets.
That the offense is not yet at its peak is not surprising; not with so many new pieces to integrate. But there has been little cohesion despite all of their offseason additions and the strides they believed they took during training camp and the preseason.
None of this even looks at the track record on trades. That would open up conversations about passing on CJ Stroud in 2023.
Defense Balls Out Again
The Bears’ defense can point to the offense’s turnovers leading to short fields on two of the three scores they allowed. The third came on an extended drive that followed a three-and-out by their offense.
The theme of the day — and the Bears’ season — has been the defense can only hold up its all-world play for so long before the cracks form.
Montez Sweat had a sack and teamed with DeMarcus Walker to shut down a key play early.
Jaylon Johnson got his first interception of the season. He was also beaten on a deep pass to Alec Pierce on a drive that ended on a Jack Sanborn tipped pass to a Tremaine Edmunds interception.
Sanborn had sniffed out and shut down a keeper by Richardson on the play before.
Rookie Connection Grows
Williams logged the first 300-yard day and touchdown through the air of his career. Rome Odunze recorded 100 receiving yards for the first time and scored the first touchdown in his career.
Williams and Odunze finally connecting is nothing to dismiss, even if it will get lost in the overall discourse coming out of this game.
The duo represents the organization’s future and has had to overcome adversity early on.
Williams’ situation is reminiscent of many that have come before him. Williams has sometimes held the ball too long, failed to feel the pressure, and tried to force some passes he should not have.
Odunze fought through an MCL injury that was expected to keep him out for multiple games. He came on in the second game without Keenan Allen (heel/personal).
He has also been close to scoring before this season only to be out of bounds or drop the ball.
If there is something the Bears want to hang their hat on offensively, it is Odunze and Williams. That may seem obvious, especially to those who have watched the struggles so far. But it is encouraging nonetheless when so many other things have not worked out as hoped.