INDIANAPOLIS — There were warning signs in the Bears’ first two games, though patience prevailed early as they launched a new quarterback and revamped roster.
The alarm went off after this one.
The Bears gave their worst performance yet Sunday in an unwatchable 21-16 loss to the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Both teams sputtered, and the Bears seemed to catch every possible break before finding maddening ways to waste them.
No season is wrecked at 1-2, but this has been sufficiently clumsy and clunky enough to determine that the Bears are headed the wrong way. Coach Matt Eberflus, who has been trying to put an optimistic spin on defeats seemingly his entire tenure, predictably argued the opposite.
“There was some positivity to take out of this,” he said after reminding everyone it was only the third game. “We’re encouraged. We’re going to get better this week.”
The biggest source for improvement is the development of rookie Caleb Williams, but it’s impossible for him to flourish without steady pass blocking and a reliable running game.
It turns out the Bears didn’t have the ideal infrastructure they thought they were welcoming Williams into, and he hasn’t looked as NFL-ready as everyone believed.
The offensive line that general manager Ryan Poles supplied has struggled, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s play-calling alternates between bland and baffling and Eberflus hasn’t had a solution.
Waldron is an extension of Eberflus, so any frustration with the offense also goes to him. A rushing attack that was one of the NFL’s best last season has become a weakness for the Bears, despite a lot of carryover personnel-wise.
The Bears’ crawl into the red zone late in the second quarter surely prompted a lot of questions for Waldron. From the 19-yard line, they snapped the ball 10 times for a net gain of six yards — the last play being a confounding option call at the 1 in which Williams pitched to D’Andre Swift for a loss of 12.
Williams completed 33 of 52 passes for a Bears rookie record 363 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for an 80.8 passer rating. He also lost a fumble in the fourth quarter at his own 11 when defensive end Laiatu Latu got past tight end Cole Kmet for the strip-sack.
Nonetheless, the Bears squandered a game in which opposing quarterback Anthony Richardson managed just 167 yards and threw two interceptions, including one coming immediately out of halftime, and were bailed out of a punt by a roughing-the-kicker penalty.
“We left one out there today,” Eberflus lamented. Not the first time he has said that. He’s just saying it with a beard and a better haircut now.
Eberflus’ makeover is fading, and he needs to deliver more substantial change to show he can be more than a defensive coordinator. The top job carries greater responsibility.
When asked leading up to the Colts game if he would divert more time to the offense, he said yes, but somehow without sacrificing any attention to the defense. It’s a lot to manage.
And then there are game days. It was perplexing when he challenged two fairly obvious calls in the Texans game and inexcusable Sunday when the Bears mistakenly sent out their kicking team after scoring a touchdown to pull within 14-9 and Eberflus needed to burn a timeout to go for two instead.
“We have to be better there,” he said. “It wasn’t as good as it should be in terms of our communication. We have to stay ahead of it better. That’s on the coaches.”
It’s early to panic but never too soon to recognize troublesome trends and take them seriously. Too much patience will cost them. They won’t have many opponents as beatable as the Colts. They’re going nowhere.
But taking this route, neither are the Bears.