INDIANAPOLIS — The Bears offense was a mess in this season’s first two weeks, aided by a defense that pulled out one win and gave Caleb Williams a chance at another.

Putting forth a complete, all-phases performance was the goal heading into Sunday’s contest against the winless Colts. That didn’t happen. There were too many offensive miscues and missed opportunities to reach that conclusion.

This game was a close one, with plenty of explosive plays and head-scratching misfires, but the Bears ultimately ended up losing 21-16 to the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Here’s what happened in this contest, which put the Bears record at 1-2:

Bair’s break down

This Bears offense looks explosive at times. Those moments, however, are rare.

Most of the time, it’s downright hard to watch.

The run game still hasn’t been established, even after playing the NFL’s worst run defense through two games. Caleb Williams has rookie moments where he holds the ball too long and forces the ball into tight windows that gets his team in trouble.

Then there are moments where they can’t score with four tries from the Colts’ 1-yard line, with zero attempts from under center. And, in a downturn, the offense started turning the ball over a bunch.

Until Shane Waldron’s group gets its act together, the Bears will continue to play messy football.

There’s talent and potential there, though, which was evident on gorgeous deep connections between Williams and Rome Odunze. Similar passes were overthrown, and a shorter one telegraphed to set up and easy, route-jumping interception.

Here’s the big problem: difficulties aren’t coming from one source, making it harder to triage, troubleshoot and fix things fast. That’s why a 14-3 deficit entering the 4th quarter felt like the Bears had a mountain to climb.

The Bears responded with a 70-yard drive that ended with a touchdown pass from Williams to Odunze. The Bears defense got a stop and set the Bears up for a comeback, just like last week. Williams got sacked, fumbled and the Colts recovered deep in Chicago territory. Indianapolis scored just a few plays later following yet another offensive mistake. It’s that type of inconsistency between drives that must be maddening to Bears fans and is preventing this team from playing as it should.

This Bears defense is really tough, but they can’t make up for such a high volume of mistakes. – Scott Bair

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Key stat

The Bears continue to struggle getting their run game going.

Through the first 2 weeks of the season, the Colts were far and away the worst run defense in the NFL, allowing 237 rushing yards per game to their opponents.

The Bears, however, managed just 63 yards on the ground and averaged 2.3 yards per carry.

After he was a nonfactor in the first 2 games of the season, running back Roschon Johnson found more production than his backfield mates but still averaged just 3.8 yards per carry. He added 26 yards on 3 catches.

D’Andre Swift tallied 20 yards on 13 carries (1.5 yards per carry). Khalil Herbert received 4 carries for 9 yards.

Williams had the best statistical game of his young career, throwing for 363 yards and notching his first 2 NFL TDs.

But he also threw 2 interceptions, lost a fumble and was sacked 4 times.

Pivot point

Shortly before halftime, the Bears went for it on 4th-and-goal and pitched the ball to Swift.

He wound up losing 12 yards on the play and the Bears came away with no points before half.

The Bears also had a costly penalty in the 3rd quarter.

Down 7-3, they had forced the Colts into a 3-and-out. But defensive lineman Daniel Hardy jumped across the line early, giving the Colts a first down:

The Colts took that momentum and marched down the field to make it a 14-3 game.

They never looked back.

What’s next

The Bears will host the Los Angeles Rams at Solider Field in Week 4, in the first of two consecutive home games. This is a time to start stacking wins, during a relatively soft spot in their schedule. The Bears won’t see Cooper Kupp in that one, which is a bonus for the Bears.

Follow Bears Insider Scott Bair on X @ScottBairNFL. Also, Bair Mail is coming! Join the conversation by submitting a mailbag question or comment to mailbag@marqueesportsnetwork.com for a chance to be included in this new content series.