After going up against one of the top quarterbacks and offensive skill groups in all of football, the Bears, in theory, should have a little bit of a lighter load defensively this week in Indianapolis. However, that doesn’t really mean they can afford to sleep on Indy and allow it to be a letdown spot.
Indianapolis struggled offensively in Week 2 at Green Bay. However, in Week 1, they put up 27 points at home against Houston, and they have some playmakers on that side of the football. Shane Steichen is a very good offensive mind and play-caller, and he’s gotten the most out of that group since he took over prior to last season.
Let’s dive into the matchup on Sunday between the Bears defense and the Colts offense.
Projected Colts Starting Offensive Lineup
Projected Bears Starting Defensive Lineup
How Do Bears D & Texans O Match Up?
Indy’s offense is interesting to watch. There are times when they look stuck in the mud and like they can’t move the ball (against Green Bay), and there are times when Anthony Richardson is electric and they can put up bigger numbers (against Houston).
W⛦e know the Colts are going to try to run the football. They have an amazing running back in Jonathan Taylor and a quarterback who is a weapon when running the football. They ran fꦐor 140 yards in the loss to Green Bay last week and averaged nearly eight yards per carry.
In the passing game, can be a real roller coaster. The key to stopping him will be eliminating the big play. When asked to march down the field on long drives, the Colts struggle offensively. Richardson has as big of an arm as there is in the NFL and can make any throw, but he also sometimes struggles with the basic, easier stuff. The Texans game was a perfect example. He was just 9-19 throwing the ball, but he threw for 204 yards (11.2 YPC) and two TDs – a 60-yard pass and a 54-yard pass. Decent production in terms of yards and TDs, but he was basically boom or bust all game.
Richardson is also tied for the league lead with four interceptions. He’s got such an insanely high skillset with the toolbox he possesses, but he’s still so raw and struggles sometimes with the easy play. And essentially this is still kind of rookie year for him. He lost almost all of last year with a shoulder injury, and while he got time to learn on the sidelines, nothing can substitute for game reps for a quarterback that needs development as Richardson does.
So after saying all that, this is a tough matchup for the Colts’ young quarterback. The Bears boast one of, if not the best, secondaries in the NFL. Their linebackers are outstanding. Their defensive line has shown improvement from last year and has been very dangerous thus far.
If the Packers were able to take away the big play and force Richardson to mount long drives, I think the Bears can do the same. Green Bay picked off Richardson three times on Sunday, didn’t allow a pass over 30 yards, and held him to a QBR of just 29.1
Shane Steichen came from Philly, where he ran a dynamic offense that was ver🌄y predicated on the run and having a quarterback who could beat you with his legs as well as his arm. He has that again in Indy, but his quarterback is still very much a work in progress.
I think the Bears’ defensive matchup is quite good here. We know Matt Eberflus doesn’t like to bust out too many exotic blitzes or anything too flashy. The Bears do what they do, and they do it really well. They can get home with four, their LBs are athletic, and their DBs can cover and take the ball away. Flus’ defense is good at not giving up the big play, and Richardson thrives on hitting the big play.
If the Bears are able to just play their ga💟me and keep everything in front of them, I think they can make it a long Sunday for Anthony Richardson 🔜and company.
X-Factor
Overall, I think the Bears not allowing the big play is the most important factor defensively on Sunday. But from a player standpoint, I’ll say Andrew Billings & Gervon Dexter. Those two have been phenomenal to start the season, and if those two are playing well, the rest really falls in line for the Bears defensively. Stopping the run will be huge on Sunday, and that starts with Billings and Dexter being able to get penetration in the backfield as well as eat double teams to free up Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards.
