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.
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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.
@citizen34 — The chronology of the hiring events explain, it all: Ryan Poles: hired: Jan. 25, 2022 Kevin Warren hired: Jan. 12, 2023. Warren has been an observer of the on-field football operations, to date. But, he is the President of the Chicago Bears and its Chief Executive Officer. As such, Warren is “the Man” at Halas Hall. When it comes time to replace Ryan Poles and his crew — it will be Kevin Warren who decides who the next Bears GM will be. I see Ian Cunningham as a loyal soldier. In public, Cunningham supports Poles 100%. In private,… Read more »
My three:
1.The Bears are the 4th or last place team in the NFC Central. 2. Time to start preparing for the Draft. 3.Same old Bears.
TGena, go look up the official Bears website and see all the people Warren has hired in the front office! None of them have anything to do with making the team better, only trying to get some money for the McCaskey family before Virginia dies and they owe 2billion in estate taxes!! Ian Cunningham seems like he knows what he is doing but he also had to be part of the decision to hire Waldron and bring in Bates and Shelton and Swift.
Kevin Warren may very well be a “bozo.” But he is the head Bozo at Halas Hall and the only one that can disentangle the team from the mess created by Ryan Poles, and his wunderkind. Ms. Virginia, and George don’t fire personnel mid-season for a number of compelling arguments. But “the word” should be put out on the NFL street — the 2025 Bears will be in the market for an NFL “GM-on down makeover.” They have a “generational talent” at QB (whatever that means) on a rookie contract; a tough, young defense — that will need to be… Read more »
As my grandfather and father always said after a Bears loss: “there’s always next week (or) next year, son.”