The 1-1 Chicago Bears will play the 0-2 Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in a Week 3 matchup. Here’s what you need to know before kickoff (noon, CBS-Ch. 2).
Our predictions — and what to watch in Week 3
Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen will miss his second straight game with an ongoing heel injury that has bothered him since training camp. Coach Matt Eberflus said Allen’s heel is getting better, but he won’t travel with the Bears to Indianapolis for personal reasons. His continued absence is a blow to a Bears offense that was going to feature him heavily along with DJ Moore.
The Bears also declared out fullback Khari Blasingame (hand/knee), defensive tackle Zacch Pickens (groin) and running back Travis Homer (finger). Eberflus said Homer had surgery on his finger and will go on injured reserve.
Rookie receiver Rome Odunze, who played against the Texans after spraining his knee, practiced in full Friday and is expected to play. He said he was sore after Sunday’s game and is still taping the knee but is ready to go.
Eberfus said Odunze has displayed “mental and physical toughness” in battling the injury. Read more here.
How to fix the offense
Coming off two sickly offensive performances to open the season, the Bears head to Indianapolis this weekend seeking remedies to enliven a unit that ranks last in the NFL in passing yards, sacks allowed and touchdowns scored while also sitting in the bottom five in yards per play and rushing offense.
For a team with 2024 playoff aspirations and a franchise with a history of underperforming offenses, the first two weeks of struggle were not what the doctor ordered. A highly contagious case of Here-we-go-again-itis has spread rapidly through the fan base.
As the Bears work to keep that contagion from infecting Halas Hall, we offer a six-step prescription to help the offense get back on its feet quickly. Read more here.
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- Column: Sure, it’s been messy. But if Bears can find some rhythm on offense, they can get on a roll.
- Bears have yet to get the run game going. Will facing the Colts be the opportunity D’Andre Swift and Co. need?
- Bears Q&A: Did GM Ryan Poles miscalculate the offensive line needs? Could he trade for help in the trenches?
Tracking Caleb
First things first, Caleb Williams said he is still a little bruised up from the many hits he took from the Texans defense, but his movement throwing and running around felt good, at least in the before-practice walk-through Wednesday.
So Williams is properly physically recovering from the seven-sack, 11-hit night he had. He and the Bears now need to figure out how to prevent that from happening again, beyond just better play from the offensive line.
According to Next Gen Stats, the Texans blitzed on 41.7% of Williams’ dropbacks and generated 12 pressures and five sacks when blitzing. The stats service said Williams completed 3 of 12 passes for 15 yards and an interception on blitzes. The Texans had 23 team pressures overall.
“Having better communication between myself, coaches and the offensive line, making sure that we’re on the same page and that we’re making adjustments we need to in game,” Williams said. “You obviously have adjustments that you practice throughout the week, but the other team’s job is to try to confuse you and throw different things at you, different looks. Being able to adjust quickly in game is the most important thing. It starts with communication.”
Wide receiver DJ Moore said the rest of the Bears offense also has “to be on it” to help. Read more here.
- Tracking Caleb Williams: How the Bears QB is performing in his rookie season
- True or false: Bears’ biggest issue right now is protection for Caleb Williams
Remember him?
Justin Fields doesn’t want to get involved in any sort of quarterback controversy. One might be coming anyway.
The Steelers are 2-0 after a 13-6 win over the Broncos. So is Fields for the first time in his career after another four quarters of mistake-free if not particularly flashy football.
Fields’ numbers are serviceable if not spectacular. He has thrown for 273 yards and a touchdown through two weeks while taking care of the ball, a solid formula for a team built to win on the strength of its star-laden defense.
Yet there were also signs of growth from Week 1 to Week 2 for Fields. Read more here.
Chicago community groups join forces to oppose new Bears stadium
Friends of the Parks, which opposes private development of the lakefront, led the effort to organize about 20 community leaders and more than a dozen groups, including the Bronzeville Historical Society, Chicago Bird Alliance, and the Sierra Club.
“While we would love the Chicago Bears to stay in the city, we object to the site they have selected and the ultimate cost to the city’s residents,” Friends of the Parks interim Executive Director Gin Kilgore said. “Ensuring Chicago’s lakefront remains forever open, clear and free is not the responsibility of one group, but the work of many.”
Friends of the Parks is a non-profit group that has experience in this arena, having filed a lawsuit to successfully fight off the plans of Star Wars creator George Lucas for a museum on the same site.
Asked if they would file suit in this case, Kilgore said, “You never start with a lawsuit, but you don’t take it off the table either.” Read more here.
