Bears offense lifeless again in loss to Colts

As has been par for the course for the Chicago Bears this year, the offensive output was nowhere near enough.

The Bears' fanbase traveled well to Lucas Oil Stadium in nearby Indianapolis, but the team itself showed nowhere near the same amount of fire as the crowd. Chicago ended up falling 21-16 to the Indianapolis Colts , dropping to 1-2 in the regular season.

The run game, against the NFL's worst run defense heading into Week 3, was nonexistent. Some bad decisions were made throwing the ball, and even more apparent was the questionable play-calling on offense throughout the course of the game. As strong as the Bears' defense looked at times, it wasn't nearly enough to overcome the poor offensive performance.

Here are some of the key takeaways from Sunday's loss.

Ups and downs for Caleb Williams topped 300 passing yards in the loss to the Colts, marking a massive improvement from his first two weeks, when he didn't even have 300 yards combined between the two. He threw for two touchdowns after not having any in those first two games. Some of his throws down the stretch looked very good, with notable throws to Rome Odunze, DJ Moore and Cole Kmet looking accurate and decisive with serious zip behind his throws. He ended up breaking the single-game record holder for the most passing yards by a Bears rookie quarterback, topping Mitchell Trubisky's 314 yards against the Lions in 2017.

Still, there was inconsistency from Williams in his third NFL start. Some of his passes looked forced, his sense of pressure was inconsistent, and his deep-ball accuracy isn't quite where it needs to be yet. He looked like a rookie because of all of these flaws, but he looked like a pretty solid rookie, all things considered. It might be clear this isn't going to be the "best season by a Bears QB ever" like some fans expected heading into this year, but the flashes are extremely impressive.

Shane Waldron...wyd? There were plenty of questionable plays called by the Bears' offensive coordinator on Sunday. His reliance on wide receiver screens that didn't work out and decision to run the ball five straight times in a goal-to-go situation ended up costing his team points. Given how his offense operated on a down-by-down basis, losing on an opportunity that could've helped make or break the game.

D'Andre Swift needs to turn things around I'm writing this paragraph out with 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Maybe this will change, but I'm too lazy to update it after the fact. As of this writing, Swift has 1.5 yards per carry on 13 runs. His longest run of the game went for 4 yards. The offensive line play hasn't been all that great, true. But it's abundantly clear watching him that Swift isn't the type of running back to make the most of the opportunities he's given. He's reliant on his protection to give him opportunities, and that doesn't mean he's a terrible NFL running back. Many backs are like that. But those aren't the players you pay $8 million a year to.

Montez Sweat heating up Sweat had his first first sack of the season on Sunday, adding a tackle for a loss against the run in the process. His quickness off the edge helped provide some pressure to that Colts offensive line. He tallied 12.5 sacks last year between his stints with the Bears and Commanders, and getting him on the board in Week 3 is an encouraging sight to see.

Taking advantage of poor QB play The Colts came away with the win, but Anthony Richardson is not a good NFL quarterback. Sometimes low completion percentages can be deceiving, as can a performance with no passing touchdowns and 2 interceptions. But this one wasn't deceiving at all — he was genuinely terrible. Jaylon Johnson and Tremaine Edmunds were both benefactors of poor accuracy and decision making, and Kevin Byard made a clutch breakup in coverage in the fourth quarter, too. People outside of Chicago won't talk about it, though.