INDIANAPOLIS — Quarterback Caleb Williams running the option doesn’t quite seem like a bread-and-butter play of Shane Waldron’s Bears offense. But in a critical moment against the Colts on Sunday — a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line with 1:46 left in the second quarter and the Bears trailing 7-0, it seemed like the right call.
“We worked on it throughout the week,” running back DeAndre Swift said. “With the looks we got throughout the week, it was successful.”
Only this time, the look the Bears’ offense got wasn’t quite like the look they practiced against, and the Colts’ wrinkle was enough to turn a promising play into a disastrous one.
Wiliams was under pressure almost immediately as he rolled to his left, forcing an early pitch to Swift, who had neither room to run nor an escape route to improvise. He was tackled by defensive end Tyquan Lewis for a 12-yard loss.
It was a play that was doomed from the start.
“Well, speed-option obviously wasn’t the greatest look to run that,” center Coleman Shelton said. “I was blocking so I didn’t see what happened outside. Sometimes it’s hard to look back on one play and say that’s the play that did it. But honestly, I couldn’t tell you what happened.”
“It’s what we practiced,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “We wanted a certain look. I don’t know if we got the look we wanted on it.”
The ill-fated fourth-and-goal option wasn’t the only regrettable play in the Bears’ 21-16 loss at Lucas Oil Stadium. But it typified the difficulty the Bears have had — yet again — in implementing another new offense with another new quarterback. There’s always something.
On this play there was a little bit of everything. The Bears not getting exactly what they were expecting. The blocking breaking down immediately. And Caleb Williams not having enough time on the play clock — after a time out — to change the play.
“I guess maybe I didn’t get on the edge fast enough or whatever the case may have been,” Williams said. “But they didn’t crash how they normally do — how we saw on film. They made a good play. Had an extra overhang player over there and it may have been because of [being in] the pistol.”
Williams could have changed the play. But there wasn’t time.
“Got out of the huddle with I believe around 10 seconds, so I didn’t want to get up there and alert the play or change the play,” Williams said. “Have it around five [seconds] or so when everybody got set. So at that point, you’ve got to call and run it and get going.”
Coach Matt Eberflus backed the play call but said he did not see the twist the Colts’ might have thrown in there. “I don’t know that, because I gotta look at the tape,” Eberflus said. “But I know the design of that play was to go against that personnel group.”
The botched option play ended a drive that was both encouraging and dubious. The Bears drove 67 yards on 12 plays, from their 29-yard line to a first-and-goal at the Colts’ 4.
But it was a struggle from there. Khalil Herbert gained two yards on a wildcat snap, one yard on second down and was stopped for no gain on third-and-goal. And each of those plays came after a time out.
“We were that close, and you get four attempts there, to not get in in those moments, it definitely is frustrating,” Williams said. “But I believe that was the 17-play drive. And to be able to march the ball and move the ball for 17 plays — that’s NFL ball. We just gotta keep going and keep finishing.”
With Williams at quarterback, that might be the case. But for Bears fans who have been feeling his pain for years and not weeks, it doesn’t seem as simple as that.