Here’s what Matt Eberflus, Chicago Bears said Monday after losing to Indianapolis Colts

Bears coach Matt Eberflus and a few players met with reporters over Zoom on Monday to break down the team’s 21-16 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Caleb Williams showed the ups and downs a rookie quarterback can exemplify during a game, including turning the ball over, while the team failed to take advantage of opportunities.

The Bears will turn their focus to the Los Angeles Rams, who come into town Sunday after beating the San Francisco 49ers despite missing some key players. Here are three of the most interesting things the Bears said Monday.

On Williams gaining experience, showing development

Williams showed both good and bad in the loss to the Colts. Eberflus considered both of the interceptions Williams threw Sunday to be good learning moments.

Eberflus said Sunday that Williams shouldn’t have thrown a pass in the second quarter that the Colts’ Jaylon Jones stepped in front of and picked off. On Monday, Eberflus mentioned that Williams needed to learn how quickly windows close in the NFL, like it did in his second interception when he tried to hit Rome Odunze on a ball that bounced off him and was intercepted.

“He’s got to have some wisdom there and discernment in terms of when he needs to make that throw,” Eberflus said. “You never want to take away his aggressiveness, but he has to be really good with the football, and that’s his No. 1 job as the quarterback.”

Williams has shown an ability to learn early in his career. Eberflus said he thought Williams and the offense were handling going in and out of the huddle better and showed improvement in distributing the ball and rhythm.

Despite some mistakes, Bears tight end Cole Kmet noticed the improvements Sunday, too.

“You can see him getting into the flow of things better, and you can really see him – anybody that watches the tape can really see him – trying to progress through his reads and seeing things clearly,” Kmet said. “He’s been picking up his processing speed from game to game, so that’s always encouraging to see. When he gets comfortable and rolling there, you can see that confidence pick up.”

On critical moments in Sunday’s loss

Eberflus provided more insight into a few plays that defined Sunday’s loss.

He said the Bears didn’t get the look they wanted offensively when facing fourth-and-1 from the Colts’ 1 yard line in the second quarter. Williams ended up pitching the ball to running back D’Andre Swift, who got swarmed by Colts defenders and lost 12 yards on the play.

Although Williams could’ve changed the play, Williams told Eberflus he didn’t think he had enough time to make the change. Eberflus confirmed Williams could’ve called a timeout but wanted to let Williams operate, too.

“That’s an operation we have to do better together,” Eberflus said. “That’s an everybody thing, and we have to do it better.”

Eberflus also commented on the play before on third down when Bears kick returner and wide receiver DeAndre Carter was forced to block Colts defensive end Tyquan Lewis. Carter missed on the block, and Bears running back Khalil Herbert was stopped for no gain.

“[Bears offensive coordinator] Shane [Waldron] and I watched the tape at 6:30 this morning and we talked that through,” Eberflus said. “Again, that’s got to be a better call and a better matchup there.”

Eberflus also took accountability again when the Bears had to take a timeout before running a 2-point conversion. He said the coaches needed to do a better job of communicating throughout the drive that the Bears would go for two if they scored.

“That’s got to be better,” Eberflus said. “We have been great at that. We just have to be better in that moment.”

On staying positive despite a tough loss

Eberflus and the Bears tried to keep a positive tone after their loss to the Colts. Eberflus was confident his philosophy would help the team learn from Sunday’s loss and make improvements for their next games.

“We hold each other accountable, and it’s important to be able to do that in front of your peers,” Eberflus said. “We do that as we watch the tape, and that’s how you get better. The whole thing is about improving.”

Kmet also echoed that positivity when talking about the offense. Kmet admitted getting better wasn’t good enough at the moment after he hoped the offense would be clicking by this point in the season.

“He’s got to have some wisdom there and discernment in terms of when he needs to make that throw. You never want to take away his aggressiveness but he has to be really good with the football and that’s his No. 1 job as the quarterback.”

—  Matt Eberflus, Bears head coach

But with the progress he saw Sunday, he wasn’t giving up hope.

“I do think we’re close,” Kmet said. “When you look at the film, there are plays here and there we’ve got to be better at, but we’re getting there. Obviously, we need to get there quicker and it hasn’t been good enough, but I don’t think it’s an all-hope-is-lost situation. I think that there’s a good opportunity to get this thing going quickly. Once it does, I don’t think we’ll look from it. We have to get there first.”