Rozner: Bears can't handle Colts' defense in defeat

A good defense will expose a bad offense every time.

The Bears' defense has done this to a couple dozen teams the last few years, and Sunday it was Indianapolis doing it to the home team at Soldier Field.

There would be no fourth-quarter comeback this time and no one looked more confused than head coach Matt Nagy, the grand playcaller who had no answer for the Colts' defense in a 19-11 defeat.

If you're desperate for good news, the Bears have every right to be 0-4, but instead they're 3-1 and they get a Tampa team in Chicago Thursday night that allowed 31 points to the Chargers Sunday.

So there's that.

Otherwise, not much to be excited about after the Bears faced a good football team and Nick Foles hardly looked the savior as the locals were unable to run the football.

Of course, they didn't try all that much.

After running a franchise-record low 7 times against New Orleans last October, Nagy famously said, "I know we need to run the ball more. I'm not an idiot."

Feel free to judge for yourself.

The Bears ran it only 14 times Sunday - excluding 2 Foles touches - for 29 yards vs. 42 pass attempts, and as bizarre as any play - on their first offensive snap of the second half - was a play-action that resulted in an immediate sack.

That's hard to do.

One brilliant call trailing 16-3 was a third-and-1 handoff to Cordarrelle Patterson on the first play of the fourth quarter - out of a timeout - that lost yards, and the Bears were forced to punt.

Against one of the best rush defenses in the NFL, the Bears' offensive line displayed its inability to open holes, and couldn't pass block against a ferocious Indianapolis defensive line, Foles constantly under pressure.

"Obviously, we have to be able to run the ball," Nagy said. "Our guys know that. You can't become as one-dimensional."

Bears receivers chipped in with several drops, while Foles was less than sharp but displayed the professional aspects of the job that have been missing from the position, despite having no camp to work with the offense and the coaching staff.

He sells the play-action well - not withstanding that ridiculous sack on a jail break - stands in the pocket under pressure, moving through his progressions, and got the Colts to jump twice on hard counts.

Foles was also facing something Mitch Trubisky hasn't in 2020 and that's an outstanding defense, so until he gets some reps under his belt, it's too early to give Foles any sort of a grade, despite what the Trubisky apologists will inevitably say.

Now in a short week, it could again be a struggle, though the Carolina game in two weeks will offer no excuse for Foles or Nagy.

"This is not gonna happen overnight with Nick," Nagy said. "This is gonna take a little bit of time as he gets going with the timing of these players."

Nagy has not adjusted in games to what the defense is doing or what his offense can handle, preferring always his gimmick plays and sticking to the Nagy script.

This is now Nagy's chance to shine and Sunday's game plan was cloudy with a chance of meatballs, so it was not a stunner that the only TD drive came late when Foles was in the no-huddle against Cover-2 and making it up as he went down the field.

The Bears' defense did its job for the most part against the weak arm of 38-year-old quarterback Phil Rivers, but got no turnovers, allowed 103 yards rushing, and handed the Colts 4 first downs via penalty, which is no formula for winning when your offense is so inept.

And watching the Colts' defensive line dominate the game was a chance to see what the Bears' defense should be, especially considering the money that's being spent up front.

That have to earn their dollars and control the game.

"I thought our defense played well and forced field goals," Nagy said, "and 19 points on defense, you should be able to win games."

In any case, it's the first good team the Bears have faced this year so the result was predictable after escaping with victories over some of the worst teams in the NFL.

The best news for the Bears is the NFL is mostly awful and it means they're always in the game and they always have a chance.

Thursday night offers yet another.