INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (670 The Score) – In the aftermath of the Bears’ 21-16 loss to the Colts on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams felt encouraged about the performance of the scuffling offense, but he hadn’t seen a box score just yet.
When a reporter mentioned to Williams that he had thrown 52 passes, he stopped and looked off to the side at a Bears public relations staffer to confirm whether that number was accurate. Williams didn’t seem to believe it.
“I threw 52 times? Jeez” Williams said before pausing. “I do whatever the team needs. And, so, if it’s 50 times, it’s 50 times. (But) I can’t have the (three) 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.
“Whatever the team needs to get the win, and you go in the locker room and you celebrate and have fun, because it’s hard to win in the NFL.”
Sunday wasn’t the type of performance that Williams and the Bears imagined offensively, though it marked progress for a unit that had been worse in its first two games.
Williams was 33-of-52 for 363 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions and a costly strip-sack fumble with 6:46 remaining in the game. Williams threw his first career NFL touchdown pass on a one-yard connection with rookie receiver Rome Odunze midway through the fourth quarter. Later, he also hit tight end Cole Kmet for a six-year touchdown.
But the Bears’ offensive production was largely tied to their sheer volume of opportunity. They ran 84 total plays offensively, managing 4.7 yards per play. Against the NFL’s worst rushing defense, the Bears’ ground game had 28 carries for just 63 yards. Lead back D’Andre Swift carried 13 times for only 20 yards, including a 12-yard loss on a fourth-and-goal option play from the Colts’ 1-yard line in the second quarter.
The Bears believed they were well-positioned to run the option on that play given what they’d seen on film. They expected the Colts’ six-man defensive front to crash inside and open up a lane for the option on the outside.
It didn’t work, as the Colts’ defensive look at the line of scrimmage suggested. Williams had the freedom to check out of that play, but the play clock didn’t allow enough time to do so.
"That was a tough one,” Williams said. “Being right there on the 1-yard line and to not get that. It's a play we practiced all week.
“(Colts defensive line) didn't crash how they normally do, how we see on film. They made a good play."
Much of Williams’ success Sunday came in his connection with Odunze, whom the Bears selected at No. 9 overall in the NFL Draft, eight picks after they took Williams at No. 1 overall. Odunze was targeted 11 times, hauling in six receptions for 112 yards and his first NFL touchdown. After the score, he and Williams ran to the sideline while playfully deciding who would keep the football.
After the Bears dropped to 1-2, Williams was eager to look over his three costly turnovers by studying the film. He understood it was a game there for the taking. He’s also maintaining his focus on the big picture.
"It sucks every single time taking a loss,” Williams said. “It never gets easier, never gets better. (But) I still am proud of my guys, proud of the steps we've taken so far.
"The offensive identity, I think it is growing. I think it is a lot closer than it was the week before or weeks before. And I think us figuring it out is going to get this thing going. I think we're right there.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.