In what was essentially a must-win game to avoid falling to 0-3, the Indianapolis Colts were able to hold off a late charge by the Chicago Bears to secure the 21-16 victory.
It wasn’t the smoothest win you’ll ever see, but it was a win nonetheless, and one that came with a number positives to build off of moving forward.
Before we begin looking ahead to what’s next for the Colts, let’s take a look back at Sunday’s performance with the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The Good
Run defense: The Bears rushing attack isn’t exactly a juggernaut, entering this week’s game averaging just 3.5 yards per attempt, but it was a night-and-day performance from the Colts’ front seven compared to what we had seen the first two weeks. The Bears finished the game totaling 63 rushing yards on 28 carries. This put the offense in long down-and-distance situations and forced them to rely heavily on a passing game that has been inconsistent to start the season. Overall, the Colts front was much better at the point of attack, getting off blocks, setting edges, and filling running lanes.
Takeaways: On a day where the Colts’ offense gifted the Bears a pair of interceptions, their defense still found a way to win the turnover battle, coming away with three takeaways of their own. Those takeaways took points off the board for the Bears and the Colts offense capitalized, scoring 14 points of their own off those takeaways. A massive swing in game that was decided by just five points.
Colts’ run game: After a game in Green Bay where Jonathan Taylor had 12 carries and Anthony Richardson just one designed run, the two carried the ball a combined 28 times against the Bears. Taylor finished with 110 yards at 4.8 yards per attempt and Richardson 28 yards on five carries, excluding the kneel-downs. As I highlighted here, this has to be the blueprint for the Colts moving forward. It takes a lot of the burden off the passing game.
Rigoberto Sanchez: In a game where both offenses were struggling to get going, the field position battle became even more important, and Colts’ punter Rigoberto Sanchez helped Indianapolis win in that regard. Sanchez had five punt attempts and all of them pinned the Bears inside their own 20-yard line.
The Bad
Colts’ passing game: Two 40-plus yard completions helped the offense move the ball, but largely, it was another inconsistent day for the Colts passing game, which included several errant throws by Anthony Richardson. With the struggles that the offense is facing on the short to intermediate passes, it makes sustaining drives a real issue right now, resulting in a lot of third-and-longs. We knew there would be ups and downs with Richardson this season, and that is certainly what is being experienced.
Third downs: The previous section and this one go hand-in-hand. If there’s an incomplete pass on first down or the run game doesn’t pick up four or five yards right away, there just isn’t enough consistency from the passing game to regularly find success in obvious passing situations. The Colts’ offense was just 3-for-12 on third downs against the Bears.
The Ugly
Penalties: The Colts were penalized in this game nine times, totaling 78 yards. In the first half of the game, it was penalties on the Colts’ defense that allowed the Bears to sustain drives. On the flip side, a few early down penalties put the offense in long down-and-distance holes that they don’t have the ability to dig themselves out of right now.
