Through eight quarters of football, the Bears have just one offensive touchdown: a two-yard rush by Khalil Herbert. For 22 offensive possessions, reaching pay dirt once is simply unacceptable.
In two games, Caleb Williams leads the team with 59 rushing yards. D’Andre Swift trails Williams, picking up 48 yards on 24 carries. The rushing attack for the Bears is relatively non-existent despite their efforts to get it going. If there were ever an opportunity to excel on the ground, it’s Sunday against a Colts defense allowing 237 rushing yards per game.
Indianapolis struggled offensively in Green Bay last weekend, mustering just one touchdown drive, but Anthony Richardson is a dual threat unlike anything the Bears have seen in 2024.
The defense held their own against C.J. Stroud on Sunday night and almost single-handedly beat the Titans in Week 1. Can the unit keep it going against an inconsistent, but highly explosive offense in Indianapolis?
We’ll see on Sunday. And we hope we’ll see you on Sunday at Joe’s on Weed Street!
Adam Hoge (1-1) | Bears 16, Colts 13
This should be another low-scoring game decided by takeaways. The Bears’ defense should be able to turnover Anthony Richardson, while Caleb Williams takes care of the ball better this week.
🔎 GO DEEPER | Check out Adam Hoge’s latest ‘Bears Things’ newsletter deciphering how the Bears’ offense can get off the ground in Indianapolis.
Nicholas Moreano (2-0) | Bears 20, Colts 13
The Bears show they can actually run the football and take advantage of the NFL’s worst rushing defense. Caleb Williams finally completes an explosive passing play downfield against the Colts’ secondary, and the rookie quarterback takes care of the football and ends the game with zero turnovers. The Colts like to run a bunch of games up front with their defensive line, but Chicago’s O-line does a better job of picking up those twists after a week of working on the fundamentals.
📖 READ | Nicholas Moreano chatted with Jack Sanborn and Kyler Gordon to analyze pivotal plays from Sunday’s loss in Houston.
Corey Wootton (2-0) | Bears 21, Colts 17
Offense isn’t great, but they get the run game going. Defense plays solid and gets some takeaways. Offense figures out protection issues with more two TE sets and chip help.
Greg Braggs Jr. (2-0) | Bears 26, Colts 16
The Chicago Bears defense has been one of the best in the league through the first 2 weeks of the season. Anthony Richardson will be able to move the ball but will have trouble finding the end zone with this group. I expect the Bears to force a couple turnovers as well. They’ve been flying around the football.
But we all know that all the eyes are on the offense and what Caleb Williams can do after an extremely rocky start to the year. I believe they make progress in both the run and pass games. Not a huge leap to a dynamic offense, but a healthy step into competency. Caleb has had 2 TD passes dropped the first 2 weeks, I believe he gets his first this Sunday. Maybe even two if we’re lucky!
But let’s not get greedy. I’ll just take a win however we can get it.
Lance Briggs | Bears 28, Colts 10
Bears play great defense and find a glimpse of offensive production.
Mark Carman (2-0) | Colts 16, Bears 13
Why are the Colts favored? Vegas knows something. The Bears find the end zone once and kick a couple of field goals but the offensive woes continue as the ground game never gets going. Indy somehow someway finds enough of their own offense to survive a tight one.
Stephen Nicholas | Bears 31, Colts 14
Caleb Williams doesn’t need to do too much as the run game finally gets going against a Colts defense without DeForest Buckner. D’Andre Swift is the beneficiary with his first TD as a Bear. Beware of safety Nick Cross and his league-leading 29 tackles moving up towards the line of scrimmage to try to stop the run!
Patrick Norton (1-1) | Bears 27, Colts 13
I still believe the Bears are the better team. Before the season, I said the Bears would lose two games outside of the NFC North: Houston and San Francisco. Then I let Week 1’s win get in the way of using my head, picking the Bears to upset the Texans last week. Like Matt Eberflus said about the offensive line at Halas Hall this week, “back to the basics”.
Caleb Williams will reach the end zone at least twice on Sunday. Let’s hope one in through the air. But I think there’s a real chance that D’Andre Swift finally breaks out in a Bears uniform. The defense looks good against Anthony Richardson. Pop the champagne at Joe’s on Weed Street.
🗞️ SUBSCRIBE | Patrick Norton’s CHGO Digest is FREE. Subscribe to receive his perspective on the Bears’ season every Monday and Thursday morning.
Kevin Kaduk (2-0) | Bears 19, Colts 16
The three-game winning streak that will lead into London starts this weekend. Caleb Williams and Co. move the ball a little bit more, but still struggle in the red zone leading to a big day from Cairo Santos in Lucas Oil Stadium.
