-
Courtney Cronin, ESPN Staff WriterSep 22, 2024, 09:01 PM ET
- Courtney Cronin joined ESPN in 2017, originally covering the Minnesota Vikings before switching to the Chicago Bears in 2022. Courtney is a frequent panelist on Around the Horn and host of Best Week Ever on ESPN Radio. She also co-hosts The Chicago Bears Podcast on ESPN 1000. She previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News as a multimedia sports journalist.
INDIANAPOLIS — Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was surprised to learn of his passing output when made aware of how often he threw the ball in Chicago’s 21-16 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
“I threw the ball 52 times?” Williams asked. “Jeez.”
Williams set the Bears (1-2) single-game rookie passing record against the Colts upon completing 33 of 52 attempts for 363 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions with an 80.8 passer rating. The No. 1 overall pick had 267 passing yards combined in Chicago’s first two games of the season.
Despite facing a Colts defense that entered Week 3 having allowed 237 rushing yards per game, the Bears could not get their rushing attack on track at Lucas Oil Stadium. Chicago churned out 63 rushing yards on 28 attempts (2.3 yards per carry) and managed just four rushing first downs on Sunday.
The Bears’ penultimate series in the first half illuminates those struggles.
Editor’s Picks
1 Related
Down 7-0 at the end of a 16-play, 53-yard drive, Chicago ran the ball on five straight plays out of the shotgun inside the Colts’ 4-yard line. After failing to cross into the end zone, the Bears ran an option play on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line with 1:46 left in the second quarter.
The Colts showed the Bears a different look defensively than they had seen on film and Williams was instantly under pressure as he rolled to his left. The quarterback pitched the ball early to running back D’Andre Swift, who ended up being tackled by Indianapolis defensive end Tyquan Lewis for a 12-yard loss.
“It is frustrating,” Williams said. “We were that close, and you get four attempts right there. I think we were below the 5 [yard line] for four attempts. And so not get in, in those moments, it definitely is frustrating. But I believe that was the 17-play drive or so I believe. And so, to be able to march the ball and move the ball for 17 plays, that’s NFL ball. We just have got to keep going, keep finishing.”
Tight end Cole Kmet said the Bears need to have a “better attitude up front” when it comes to punching the ball in from a short distance.
“I think it’s just that mindset, that mindset shift,” Kmet said. “It was a long drive and you’re tired at the end but we got to have that attitude of we’re going to finish these guys off. We should think that whatever type of run Shane calls, it shouldn’t matter. We should be able to dent that front and obviously someone’s going to be left unblocked for the back for the most likely, but we should be able to dent that front and be able to get a couple of yards there to score there.”
Williams’ first NFL passing touchdown came in the fourth quarter when the No. 1 overall pick connected with fellow rookie Rome Odunze for a 1-yard reception. Two drives later, Williams hit tight end Kmet for a 6-yard touchdown. Both touchdown drives came with the Bears trailing by two scores.
Williams said he was encouraged by the offense’s ability to finish drives with passing touchdowns and believes the Bears’ offensive identity is “brewing” and closer to where the team wants it to be than after Chicago’s first two games.
“I do whatever the team needs,” Williams said. “So, if it’s [throwing] 50 times, it’s 50 times. I can’t have the two turnovers with those 50 attempts. And then if it ends up being 10 times and I complete nine of those 10, and we have 300 yards rushing and four touchdowns, I’m fully aware, fully ready to do whatever the team needs. And so, if it comes down to being 50 attempts and us slinging the ball around, if it comes down to being 10 attempts — it’s whatever the team needs, whatever the team needs to get the win.
“We’ll keep slinging it, we’ll keep working on the run game. We’ll keep getting better, definitely, as an offense. We’re going to get this thing going here soon.”
While Williams boasted volume, the Bears offense is still struggling to create explosive pass plays.
More than half of Williams’ 33 completions were thrown 5 or fewer yards downfield (18), and he was 4-of-14 for 137 yards and an interception on passes thrown 15 or more yards, according to ESPN Research.
Williams finished the game with 11 off-target throws and now has 29 off-target passes through three games after posting nine in each of his first two games.
DJ Moore, who had eight catches for 78 yards, echoed Williams on the offense needing to create whatever identity helps the Bears win games. Getting there quickly, Moore intimated, is Chicago’s top priority.
“I don’t know. Whatever gets us a win,” Moore said. “The first win [against Tennessee], the defense and special teams brought us that win and lately they’ve been holding it down and we haven’t. We’ve got to figure out our identity — like, now — for the sake of them.”
