After three weeks of play, the Chicago Bears are 1-2 after losing to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday afternoon.
Indianapolis entered the week winless, possessing one of the worst rush defenses in the league. However, Chicago shot themselves in the foot too many times, resulting in back-to-back losses after a Week 1 victory.
Roschon Johnson Finally Involved in Bears’ Offense
Following the first two weeks of this season, second-year running back Roschon Johnson was invisible on the Bears’ offense.
Johnson was strictly a special teams player this year through Weeks 1 and 2, but on Sunday, Johnson was featured at a high rate. As a powerful back behind an offensive line that’s struggled mightily this season, having a running back who can power through tackles is an important piece to have.
Roschon Johnson picks up a tough yard to move the chains, love the second effort. pic.twitter.com/Wo7TXLOHlX
— Nash (@NashTalksTexas) September 22, 2024
Last season, Johnson totaled over 550 scrimmage yards and a pair of touchdowns as a member of the Bears’ running back committee.
Against the Colts, one of the league’s worst rush defenses this season, Johnson led the backfield, rushing eight times for 30 yards. As the team’s leading rusher, however, 30 yards is alarming.
Johnson also added 32 yards in the passing game, showing a level of versatility that this offense needs from the running back position. His spot in this backfield should be more consistent moving forward, considering Travis Homer’s IR designation and Johnson’s performance in his first opportunity this season.
Bears’ O-Line Struggles Continue for 3rd Straight Week
As a focal point of this offense’s woes through three games, the Bears’ offensive struggles started with poor offensive line play that persisted throughout the entire game.
Against one of the league’s worst rush defenses this season, Chicago’s offense remained stagnant, mostly due to their offensive line. On the ground, Chicago rushed for just 63 yards, allowing four sacks in the passing game.
The Colts were missing their best defensive lineman in DeForest Buckner, yet Chicago struggled to establish any sort of run game. As bad as Indianapolis has been at defending the rush, the Bears have been as bad, if not worse, at running the ball.
For some unknown reason, the Bears’ offense has consistently called plays that take a while to develop, like end-arounds and pitches, with an offensive line that simply allows no time. With plays like that, it’s just allowing the defense to make plays in the backfield and cause Chicago to have long third-down looks.
With how poorly this offensive line has played through three weeks, adjustments to their scheme must be made if they want to reach the expectations set for them this season.
Bears Defense Is Elite In Turnover Department
The Bears have been disappointing this season, however, their defense has been far from that.
Since Week 11, nearly the time Montez Sweat was traded to Chicago, this Bears’ defense has been among the best in the league at forcing turnovers.
Through their last 10 games, the Bears have forced 25 turnovers, averaging 2.5 turnovers forced per game. Considering the struggles with their offense, the level of play from this defense can’t waiver if this team expects to be competitive down the stretch.
However, Chicago can’t rely on this defense forcing more than two turnovers per game. Expecting that would be ridiculous. The Bears’ offense must find consistency to balance with its elite-level defense.
Chicago has been a franchise carried by defensive success, but with the Bears using two draft picks within the first 10 selections, it’s clear Matt Eberflus wants to turn the tide of the “Same Ol’ Bears.”
Caleb Williams’ Rookie Mistakes Continue
As the incoming No. 1 pick of this year’s most recent NFL Draft, Williams’ first three starts haven’t been ideal, to say the least.
While Williams has struggled through his first few weeks in the NFL, it’s important to note that rookies are expected to struggle early on. Patience for Williams is required. Through his first three weeks in the league, Williams has completed 70 of 118 passes (59.3% completion) for 630 yards, two touchdowns, and four interceptions.
I said this Pre-Draft about Caleb Williams.
“Inconsistent mental processing to progress through multiple reads. Hesitant on initial to second reads. His hero-ball mentality creates indecisiveness and inconsistent decision-making. 1/2
pic.twitter.com/ziAt4TnBx9— • Colton Edwards • (@cedwardsNFL) September 22, 2024
While it isn’t a stat line that rivals Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen through three weeks, it takes time for rookies to adjust to the NFL, especially given what Williams is working with in terms of offensive line play.
After throwing for over 10,000 yards and 93 passing touchdowns in college, his struggles in the NFL have been apparent, but rookie quarterbacks require patience. As the Bears continue their disappointing 2024 season, Williams’ week-to-week performances will continue to be something the Bears keep a very close eye on.
However, patience is required with this team, specifically their rookie quarterback. Each week, the overall product has been better and better, and by the end of the season, Williams could be fully in-stride of this offense.
The Williams-Rome Odunze Connection Heats Up
Though it didn’t result in Williams having the strongest Week 3 performance, the connection between the No. 1 and No. 9 pick heated up against the Colts. Not only is the connection heating up, but it resulted in Williams’ first passing touchdown of his NFL career.
Rookie to rookie 🙌
📺: #CHIvsIND on CBS pic.twitter.com/6sBrElwAJu
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 22, 2024
Through Weeks 1 and 2, Williams and Odunze connected for a combined 44 yards on three receptions. It took a couple of weeks for the Bears’ top 10 picks to build chemistry, but in Week 3, it appeared the two were finally on the same page.
Against the Colts, Williams found Odunze for 112 yards and a touchdown. This week nearly tripled the production of their first two weeks combined, resulting in the first career NFL touchdown for both Williams and Odunze.
With how highly these two players were drafted, the expectation is that these two produce at a high level. But, with all of the struggles on Chicago’s offense thus far, an uptick in production is trending in the right direction for these two rookies.
It’s far from perfect, but the season is far from over.
Matt Eberflus Remains Inept To Manage In-Game Decisions
In this matchup, the Bears didn’t execute well enough on either side of the ball to win. However, an aspect that also didn’t help their chances to win was Matt Eberflus’ lack of ability to make smart in-game decisions.
For a second week in a row, Eberflus’ decision-making cost the Bears crucial timeouts and a potential win.
More awful coaching from Eberflus. Burned a timeout on a two point conversion/XP call. Yikes, man. #Bears don’t convert on the 2 point conversion. 14-9 now.
— Aaron Leming (@AaronLemingNFL) September 22, 2024
Not only did Eberflus make two highly questionable challenge calls last week, but this week he opted against an onside kick while down five points with approximately two minutes left.
Oh — and the Bears had only one timeout remaining due to a coaching mixup on the point-after attempt following a touchdown.
With Chicago entering the season as a team that had plenty of hype surrounding them, the first three weeks have been duds, especially on offense. Though Eberflus is a smart offensive mind, his inability to make in-game decisions efficiently, his seat could be heating up.