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Two play calls in fourth quarter prove critical for Bears

When you're facing a defense like the Colts — and the Bears for that matter — every possession counts.

Wasting even one can be the difference between winning and losing.

And that's exactly what happened at Soldier Field on Sunday as Matt Nagy's squad ran for a measly 28 yards and went just 4-for-14 on third downs in a 19-11 loss to the Colts.

“We knew it wasn't going to be easy to run the ball,” Nagy said. “A rush for 2, a rush for 3, a rush for 2, a rush for 2. A long rush of 6. You felt that.”

You sure did.

But the game was hardly over as the Colts led by just 13 entering the fourth quarter.

On their previous possession, the Bears put together a decent eight-play, 33-yard drive and seemed to be gaining a bit of traction.

When Nick Foles led the offense back out after a Colts FG, the Bears were down 16-3 and running out of chances. The first two plays netted 9 yards, setting up a third-and-1 from their own 26.

This next play was critical. Convert and maybe the momentum builds.

So don't waste this chance.

But that's exactly what Nagy did with a mind-boggling play call.

The Bears lined up with six big men on the line of scrimmage and Cordarrelle Patterson in a single-back formation standing 8 yards — yes, 8 yards — behind Foles.

Foles sent two wide receivers in motion, one after the other.

A split second after the ball is snapped, center James Daniels and right guard Cody Whitehair are shoved 3 yards into the backfield. Three linebackers fill the gaps, and Patterson — who is running to the weak side — has absolutely no chance.

He goes down meekly with a 1-yard loss, and the Bears are forced to punt.

Teams that can't gain 1 yard at critical times — and I don't care how good the opposing defense is — are going to lose more than they win.

I realize the fullback is essentially extinct in today's NFL, but why not stick a 300-pound lineman in front of Patterson? Slam him into the middle and let Patterson — or maybe David Montgomery? — find that little crease for 3 feet.

Or overload the line with an extra offensive lineman or an extra tight end.

The Colts, who also happened to be facing a pretty good front seven, understood this.

And they proved it eight minutes later when they went for a fourth-and-1 from the Bears' 30.

Indy lined RB Jonathan Taylor up 6 yards behind the line and ran an off-tackle play behind an overloaded left side. He picked up 3 yards, and Indy got into field-goal range to take a 19-3 lead.

It's the little things like these that lead to victories, playoff berths and championships.

“You've got to be able to convert third downs because when you convert those third downs you're able to get into more of a rhythm,” Nagy said. “We didn't have that. It's a credit to the Colts for who they are and what they do.

“We've got to go back and make sure that we're putting our guys in great situations. And then when we've got a chance to execute we've just got to execute.”

That starts at the top. By putting guys in “great situations.”

Maybe next time.

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