INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (670 The Score) – Before lining up for a pivotal fourth-and-goal play from the Indianapolis 1-yard line late in the second quarter Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Bears believed the Colts’ defensive front would be in a look that would allow their play call to work.
Following three rushing plays that combined for three yards to move the Bears from the 4-yard line to the 1-yard with 1:46 left in the second quarter, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron dialed up a play that Chicago had recently rehearsed in practice – a speed option run involving rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and running back D’Andre Swift.
The Bears thought the Colts would line up in a six-man defensive line formation and crash down, which theoretically would open a lane for the option on the outside. Instead, the Bears’ decision backfired as the Colts’ defense shifted to the option side.
Williams wanted to check out of the play call after noticing the Colts’ defensive alignment, but the play clock was down to its final seconds. The pitch from Williams sent Swift seven yards behind the line of scrimmage and four of the Bears’ five offensive linemen were on the ground.
Swift attempted to cut backward but was unsuccessful, losing 12 yards on a disastrous play that would loom large.
The Bears lost to the Colts, 21-16, and the goal-to-go sequence was a missed opportunity that they lamented.
"We liked the play,” Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said. “We just got to get to the second level, get to the linebacker there, zone up to him and pitch off the end man on the line of scrimmage. We got to execute better.”
There were other decisions for the Bears to regret in a loss that dropped them to 1-2.
The Bears scored their first touchdown of the game with 8:21 remaining in the fourth quarter, cutting their deficit to 14-9. Eberflus initially sent out kicker Cairo Santos and the kicking team for the extra point but then pivoted by burning the Bears’ first timeout.
Eberflus and his staff had realized the better decision would be to attempt a two-point conversion, which failed when Williams’ pass to running back Khalil Herbert was incomplete. The timeout would’ve saved the Bears time later in the game as they attempted to rally.
"We have to be better, stay ahead of it better and be better,” Eberflus said, accepting the blame on behalf of his staff.
“That's on the coaches. That's on the coaches. We got to be better there, from the top to the bottom, from (the booth) down to the (sidelines), we got to do a better job there.”
Trailing 14-9 with 6:52 remaining, Williams lined the Bears up at their own 18-yard line for a potential go-ahead drive. But he was strip-sacked on first down, and the Colts recovered the loose football.
With 5:25 remaining in the game, the Colts faced third-and-goal from the Bears’ 1-yard line after Eberflus used Chicago’s second timeout to preserve time. Colts running back Jonathan Taylor then scored his second touchdown of the game as Indianapolis took a 21-9 lead.
Williams led a 12-play, 70-yard scoring drive late in the fourth quarter to cut the Colts’ lead to 21-16 with 2:01 remaining. The Bears then received a break on the ensuing kickoff as Colts returner Anthony Gould downed it for a touchback, keeping the clock at 2:01 instead of bringing the clock under the two-minute warning with a return. Eberflus had planned to try an onside kick if the clock was at or under two minutes.
The Bears had the two-minute warning and one timeout to use to stop the clock, but it didn’t matter after Taylor broke off a 13-yard run on second down for a game-sealing first down.
Eberflus and the Bears walked off the field at Lucas Oil Stadium knowing that was a game they could’ve won.
“Disappointed in the loss,” Eberflus said. “I thought we had some really good opportunities out there to win the game. I was proud of the way the guys fought throughout that entire game.
“My message to them in the locker room afterward was just this – it was missed opportunities. We had opportunities to win that game.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.