3 Reasons the Chicago Bears Should Have Hope

For the Chicago Bears, week 3 ended with disappointment in Indianapolis against the winless Colts. However, the Bears did have some welcome new sights in a game with plenty of opportunities to win. Unfortunately, we saw some of the same questionable decisions and poor offensive line play from the previous two weeks. Let’s look at what the Chicago Bears did well in week 3 that should have them looking forward to week 4.

Rome Was Built in a Day

The Chicago Bears’ 9th overall pick, rookie WR Rome Odunze had a rough start to the year. His first game against the Titans was abysmal with only one catch for 11 yards that he fumbled and lost. Odunze played on 77% of snaps in week 1 and sprained his MCL late in that contest. In week 2, he was not expected to play against the Houston Texans, but his toughness and young legs prevailed as he played 94% of snaps on offense. He only had two catches for 33 yards on five targets, as the Chicago Bears offensive line could not protect rookie QB Caleb Williams.

In week 3 at Lucas Oil Stadium, everyone expected the Chicago Bears to establish the run against the last-ranked Colts’ rush defense. That did not happen. Instead, Chicago Bears’ OC Shane Waldron dialed up his rookie-to-rookie connection and called 52 pass plays and only 28 run plays. After being a ghost in the previous two weeks, Odunze exploded against the Colts’ secondary hauling in six catches for 112 yards and his first touchdown in the NFL.

The Chicago Bears had 90 snaps on offense against Indianapolis, and Odunze played 89. He tied for the team lead with 11 targets alongside TE Cole Kmet who also had a monster day. Odunze averaged 10.2 yards per target, 18.7 yards per catch, and had a career-long reception of 47 yards. Many thought that fellow Chicago Bears’ WR DJ Moore would be the team’s deep threat, but it was Odunze on this day.

Chicago Bears Defense

The Chicago Bears defense played another solid game but harkened back to their week 1 way of giving up too much on the ground. The Indianapolis Colts had 33 rushing attempts for 150 yards and three touchdowns. Giving up over 4.5 yards per carry is not a recipe for success in the NFL. But, the Chicago Bears’ linebackers and secondary made up for it by generating two interceptions and five passes defended. The defense stood up to the test when it mattered, holding the Colts to a paltry 3-of-12 on third down conversions and 0-of-1 on fourth down.

Colts RB Jonathan Taylor ran rampant on the Chicago Bears defense going for 110 yards and two touchdowns, averaging almost 4.8 yards per carry. That needs to get cleaned up by next week before going against the LA Rams’ solid running game led by RB Kyren Williams. However, the Chicago Bears defense did their job against the Colts rushing quarterback in week 3, Anthony Richardson. The Bears held Richardson to just 24 yards rushing on eight totes. They also kept Richardson in check through the air – holding him to 167 yards, zero touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 50% completion percentage.

Caleb Williams Unleashed

Williams was finally turned loose in the passing game, throwing for a career-high 363 yards and his first two passing touchdowns of his career. Caleb looked to TE Cole Kmet and Odunze 11 times each against the Colts, connecting with each for a touchdown. Williams targeted star WR DJ Moore 10 times for 8 grabs, 78 yards, and no touchdowns. Williams had his best completion percentage of the season thus far with 63.5%.

Caleb Williams and DJ Moore’s stats were padded by a hail-mary pass at the end of the first half where Williams launched the pass from the Bears’ 44-yard line. The pass sailed about 60 yards through the air until it was deflected three yards deep in the endzone. The ball was batted back across the goal line, where a diving Moore caught it at the 1-yard line and was tackled immediately by the defense. Williams also posted the best passer rating of his career against the Colts with a QBR of 80.8.

Unfortunately, Williams also unleashed the turnover demon. In the 4th quarter Colts rookie DE Laiatu Latu got the edge on Kmet who was dropping back in pass protection. Latu rounded the corner of the pocket and lunged at Williams just as he brought his arm back to throw the ball, forcing a fumble recovered by the Colts at a pivotal point in the game. Williams also threw two interceptions to Colts’ CB Jaylon Jones – one trying to force a ball, late, to DeAndre Carter on the sidelines in the 2nd quarter and the other trying to force a pass to Odunze despite double coverage.

Final Thoughts

The last time the Chicago Bears won a regular season NFL game was three weeks ago in the comfy confines of Soldier Field. On Sunday, September 29 at noon CDT, the Chicago Bears host the LA Rams who are coming off of a big home victory over the 49ers in week 3. The Bears have not run the football with any success through three games. The offensive line can not get a push and OC Shane Waldron does not trust them. Waldron found ways to allow Williams to use his skill set and weapons to make plays in week 3 but allowed four sacks.

Will The Chicago Bears embrace throwing the football now that they have found an identity in the passing game? If Keenan Allen returns to play in week 4, there will be four passing game weapons to deploy that might pull a defender out of the box to open up some running room for the Bears’ running backs. If the Bears can continue to improve each week and find a way to play complimentary football, wins will come back. The road map to get there appears long and troubled until the offensive line can figure out how to do their job in “The Windy City.”

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