Bears News: Matt Eberflus reacts to frustrating loss to Colts |
INDIANAPOLIS, I.N. - If this was supposed to be a revenge game for head coach Matt Eberflus going against his former team, they got the last laugh after the Chicago Bears lost to the Indianapolis Colts 21-16, dropping to 1-2 and alone in last in the division.
Despite how the Bears looked in this game, Eberflus thinks there are many positives to take away. “In terms of the game, disappointed in the loss. I thought we had some really good opportunities out there to win the game. I was proud of the way the guys fought throughout the entire game and my message to them in the locker room afterward was just this, ‘It was missed opportunities. We had opportunities to win that game.’ The first thing we have to do is honor the football. We have to honor the ball. That’s the most important thing in winning and we have to do a good job and then once we do get takeaways, we got to score off those opportunities and that was a difference in the game to me. They scored on those opportunities and we did not. So, that’s important that we do that going forward,” Eberflus said. “I was pleased with a lot of good things. In terms of distribution of the ball, I thought Caleb threw the ball and got it to a lot of different receivers today. I thought we were committed to the run, more committed to the run … I was proud of the way the defense fought. The defense fought through the game, had a couple of nice takeaways, had a nice fourth-down stop after some sudden changes, and had a nice turnover in the red zone down there to stop a score. So, I was proud of that for those guys as well. Overall, just got to be better. We got to do a better job as a team honoring the football and doing the details right and playing better.” For the third straight week, the rushing offense underperformed. They finished the game with a dismal 63 rushing yards against a defense that was one of the worst in the league coming into this game. Second-year running back Roschon Johnson was the leading rusher for Chicago with 30 yards, averaging 3.8 yards per carry (YPC). Running back D’Andre Swift severely underperformed again, averaging just 1.5 YPC, and is the Bears’ leading rusher through three games with 68 total rushing yards. “I really think it’s about fundamentals. I think we’re committed to it. I thought we (ran) the ball really good on the inside and the outside in terms of play selection, which I think you need to do. You really got to stretch the defense inside and outside that way,” Eberflus said. “I do feel though, on the outside plays, that we got to block the perimeter better. It seemed like we got to look at the tape there and see where we have to get that perimeter blocking done better because it looked like there were some guys that shook loose.” Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams’ performance has been as big of a mixed bag as possible. He finished the game with 363 passing yards, the most by a quarterback in a game this season at the time Chicago’s game concluded. The Heisman winner had his first two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter. His chemistry with rookie receiver Rome Odunze was on full display as Odunze had six receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown, which included a 47-yard connection between Williams and Odunze. That was one of two completions over 40 yards for the day for Chicago as Williams also had a 44-yard hail mary to receiver DJ Moore that was one yard short of a touchdown just before halftime. However, Williams also made three costly mistakes—his second game in a row with two interceptions and his first lost fumble. The Colts scored 14 points off of those turnovers. Despite the costly mistakes, Eberflus maintains there is a lot to build on from the progress the offense made against Indianapolis. “You saw him operate in two minutes. The two-minute drives that he operated in, I thought, were really good and I think that he looked good in those moments,” Eberflus said. “To score that touchdown, he got his first two touchdowns of his career today in terms of passing. So, there’s a lot to build on.” Chicago will look to rebound from this two-game losing streak in their first game against an NFC opponent when they face the Los Angeles Rams on Sun. Sept. 29 (Noon / FOX). Los Angeles is depleted on offense, with numerous players on injured reserve, but it did manage to win 27-24 against the San Francisco 49ers to earn its first win of the season.
