CHICAGO (670 The Score) -- After three wins showcased their resilience, the Bears were exposed in a 19-11 loss to the Colts on Sunday at Soldier Field.
Chicago fell to 3-1 and now has to pick up the pieces in a short week as it prepares to host Tampa Bay on Thursday evening. Before then, there's a lot to unpack from a discouraging showing Sunday.
Here are my observations from the Bears-Colts matchup.
Out of sync
Bears coach Matt Nagy watched his offense revert to its old form.
"There was really never a rhythm," Nagy said in explaining what disappointed him most.
Nagy made a quarterback change by benching Mitchell Trubisky in favor of Nick Foles, whom he hand-selected back in March as the Bears' veteran competitor at the position. Given their shared history of working together, Nagy felt confident he could make the Bears' offense click with Foles under center.
But the Bears were doomed Sunday, when Foles wasn't any better than Trubisky and Nagy failed to support him with the right play-calling. The Bears never found a rhythm in large part because of poor play on first downs.
The Bears struggled to get into second-and-manageable situations all afternoon. They averaged 2.4 yards on first down, meaning there was an average of 7.6 yards to go on second downs. Chicago was 4-for-14 on third-down conversions and punted seven times.
After Nagy harped all offseason on the importance of establishing the running game, the Bears rushed 16 times for 28 yards. David Montgomery ran 10 times for 27 yards. Cordarrelle Patterson didn't offer much as the backup, carrying three times for five yards. The Bears became "one-dimensional," as Nagy put it, a familiar refrain during his tenure in Chicago.
Credit the Colts' defense, which may be the best in the league and is particularly strong against the run. But the Bears' failures around Foles were still concerning.
So too was the performance of Foles, who struggled with his accuracy for much of the game. His interception was poorly thrown to receiver Anthony Miller. His touch on the deep balls were off. He struggled to incorporate top receiver Allen Robinson into the game until the final drive, one in which Robinson caught five passes for 75 yards and a score.
Foles was supposed to help open up the Bears' downfield passing threat, which would in turn open up the running game. That didn't happen Sunday.
The short week ahead won't provide the Bears with much time to get their problems fixed, so Nagy and Foles are going to have to work overtime to get back in sync.
Run the football
The Bears have been here before with Nagy.
"Run game," Nagy said Monday morning after reviewing the game. "Let's get the run game going."
Nagy reshuffled his coaching staff last offseason and put faith in his assistants to help create a running identity. He added a new offensive coordinator in Bill Lazor who would be tasked with additional quality control duties throughout the week, tabbed a new offensive line coach in Juan Castillo who would oversee the blocking scheme and revamped the tight end position to offer more looks in 12 and 13 personnel.
The Bears built a plan to run the football more efficiently, but it's ultimately up to Nagy as the play-caller to create a ground attack each game. He abandoned it once again, conceding to the Colts' stout run defense and throwing the football 42 times with Foles.
Nagy needs to either commit to the running game or let Lazor take over as the primary play-caller. The Bears' entire offense will suffer without balance.
Tip of the cap
The Bears' loss was squarely on the offense, something Nagy acknowledged Monday morning.
"Nineteen points is enough for us to win a football game," Nagy said.
The Bears' defense played well enough to keep the team in this game. Roquan Smith led the way with 13 tackles and three tackles for a loss. Meanwhile, Tashaun Gipson continues to impress alongside Eddie Jackson in the secondary.
The Colts were 1-for-4 on converting their red-zone trips into touchdowns, as the Bears' defense largely held strong when it needed to.
Extra points
-- Imagine the boos if Soldier Field had been filled with fans Sunday. The Bears have played a similar game many times before, struggling to get their offense going, experiencing inconsistent quarterback play and losing a frustrating contest like that.
The boos would've echoed along the lakefront for each of Pat O'Donnell's seven punts. Chicago expects better of this team.
-- Both of these statements can be true: the Bears' offense has major concerns and the Colts' defense is impressive. Credit to Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard, who built his defense with the blueprint from his 12 years working in the Bears' front office.
-- Robinson revealed what makes him a No. 1 receiver during the Bears' lone touchdown drive, with Foles finding some form -- granted, too late in the game -- and Robinson making the Colts pay. The Bears went into a quicker tempo and Foles kept finding his first read in Robinson.
-- In a year in which everything is so different, Nagy's clamoring for a running game offered a sense of normalcy.
-- Indianapolis quarterback Philip Rivers was far from his best and yet it was still good enough for the Colts to earn a win. What would he look like in a Bears uniform?
-- There weren't enough Bear Raid sirens in the world to bring life into Soldier Field on Sunday.
-- Indeed, 19 points should've been enough to win. Now, the Bears will face a Buccaneers offense that's averaging 30 points per game.
-- We finally saw what this Bears team really is.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
