3 and Out: Chicago Bears squander opportunities late in 21-16 loss to Indianapolis Colts

INDIANAPOLIS – The Bears turned the ball over in the fourth quarter and missed a chance to come back and win Sunday’s 21-16 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Here’s what you need to know.

Three moments that mattered

1. Fumbled opportunity: Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense had a chance to drive down the field to take the lead in the fourth quarter trailing 14-9 after its defense forced a three-and-out. The group wasted the opportunity on the first play of the drive when Laiatu Latu came from behind and forced a strip strip sack at the Bears 11 yard line. The Colts went on to score and take a 21-9 lead.

2. Finally breaking through: Williams and rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze both connected for what Bears fans hope are many touchdowns between the two. Williams lofted a pass toward the end of the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown. The touchdown was each player’s first in the NFL and made it a 14-9 Colts lead with 8:21 left in the game.

3. Wasted opportunity: The Bears missed a chance to tie the game before halftime when they drove to the Colts 1 yard line. After Khalil Herbert failed to gain a yard to to score on third down, Williams pitched the ball over to D’Andre Swift on fourth down. The Colts picked up the play quickly and tackled Swift for a loss of 12 yards.

Three things that worked

1. Another game, more takeaways: The Bears defense continued its hot start to the season by forcing at least one turnover for the third straight game. It also intercepted at least two passes for the second time this season. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds picked off a pass in the end zone in the second quarter while cornerback Jaylon Johnson started the third with a pick.

2. Bend don’t break: The Bears defense limited the Colts offense as best as it could to keep the team in the game. The unit didn’t allow the Colts to pick up a first down on four of their drives and only allowed them to pick up more than two first downs on one drive. The Colts scored a late touchdown after they started a drive on the Bears 16.

3. Glimmers of hope: While he didn’t put together a complete performance with two interceptions, Williams showed some promise with big throws. He threw for a career-high 363 yards and completed his first touchdown of his career to Odunze in the fourth quarter before finding tight end Cole Kmet. His longest pass of the game was a 47-yard pass to Odunze in the second quarter.

Three things that didn’t

1. Where’s the run?: In a game where the Bears were supposed to take advantage of the Colts’ bottom-of-the-league rush defense, the offense couldn’t get much going on the ground for the third straight game. The group finished with 63 rushing yards on 28 carries. Running back Roschon Johnson led the group with 30 rushing yards.

2. Questionable play calling: Bears fans hoping to gain some more confidence in offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s play calling got some mixed results Sunday. While the Bears got on the board and put themselves in position to win late Sunday, there were plenty of questionable calls, including late in the second half when the Bears failed to score. The offense scored three points in the first half after running 48 plays in the first half.

3. Williams’ shaky accuracy: Although Williams had his highest passing total of the season, there were plenty of passes left out on the field. Williams seemed off with his accuracy through much of the game, sometimes missing his receivers by a few yards or coming too close to a couple more interceptions. He missed 19 of his attempts and threw two interceptions.

What’s next?

The Bears return home to Soldier Field where they’ll host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at noon.