The Chicago Bears dropped to 1-2 on the season after a 21-16 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. While Caleb Williams certainly looked better, the running game continued to struggle, making the entire product on offense at times look offensive.
Here are the studs and duds from Week 3's loss.
Dud: D'Andre Swift
Usually I like to start with a stud, but Swift has been so bad that I want to get this rant out of the way. Swift is not only not helping this team, he is actively hurting its chances to win. He now has just 68 total rushing yards in three games this season, averaging less than 2 yards per carry.
Granted, the offensive line is another problem, but Roschon Johnson seemed to manage just fine. Swift has been an unmitigated disaster so far, and the team should seriously consider making him a healthy scratch next week if for no other reason than to send a message.
Stud: Caleb Williams
It feels good to finally put the No. 1 overall pick in the 'stud' column. Caleb stuffed the stat sheet this week with 363 passing yards and two touchdowns, completing 63% of his passes. He did have three turnovers (two interceptions, one strip-sack), but only one, the first interception, was truly egregious. The second interception was a pass deflected right into a defender's arms, and the strip-sack came on a whiffed blocking assignment by Cole Kmet and Marcedes Lewis.
Despite the loss and a couple of bad plays, the rookie had a solid outing. It's encouraging to see his progress from week to week and knowing how much higher he can still go.
Dud: Offensive line
Once again, the OL winds up in the dud column. I don't know what has happened to this unit, but I suspect coaching plays a big role. Even against a defense that was giving up 230 rushing yards per game over the first two weeks, the Bears' offensive linemen couldn't pave any running lanes. In the passing game, they too often let the pressure get to Williams before the play had developed sufficiently.
Matt Pryor started in place of Nate Davis, but that didn't seem to make any difference. If the Bears couldn't find rushing success against the Colts' defense, it's difficult imagining they'll find success against anyone.
Stud: Rome Odunze
Odunze finally looked like the receiver Chicago drafted him to be, and it couldn't have come soon enough. The rookie receiver finished the day with six catches for 112 yards and a touchdown, the first of both his and Williams' NFL careers. When asked which of them would keep the ball as a memento, Odunze had this to say:
Rome Odunze on how he and Caleb Williams will handle who gets their first TD ball: "We're going to cut it in half. He'll get the right, I'll get the left like the Twix factory. But nah, I think he's going to give me this one. He's going to have plenty in his career, a lot more…
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) September 22, 2024
Dud: Shane Waldron
I think it's time to start wondering if Waldron was the correct hire. His play calling as the offensive coordinator so far has been 'fine' at best but all too often it's more 'what is he thinking'.
Waldron has made some adjustments so far, like getting Cole Kmet more involved in the passing game (although that should have been something he did from the beginning), so there's hope that he's going to keep getting better. But it needs to start showing up in games.
Stud: Cole Kmet
It was tough choosing one more stud to feature, considering how well the defense played, but I had to go with Cole Kmet this time. The fifth-year tight end hauled in 10 of his 11 targets, several of which were key first-down conversions, for 97 yards and a touchdown.
This is exactly how Waldron needs to continue using Kmet going forward. He can be a key part of a high-powered offense if you get him the ball in 'gotta-have-it' situations, especially in the redzone.