Bears vs. Colts: Key matchups to watch for in Week 3

The Chicago Bears (1-1) are set to face the Indianapolis Colts (0-2) on Sunday at 12 p.m. CT. The Bears are coming off a 19-13 loss to the Houston Texans (2-0). Despite the defensive efforts the Bears made, their offense and two Caleb Williams interceptions held them back.

The Colts are coming off a 16-10 loss to the Bears’ rivals, the Green Bay Packers (1-1). The loss came at the expense of three Anthony Richardson interceptions. The last time Chicago and Indianapolis faced each other in the regular season, the Colts won, 19-11, in Week 4 of the 2020 season.

Before the Bears and Colts square off, here are the four key matchups to keep an eye on.

1. Bears pass rush vs. Colts offensive line

The Bears defense has proven to be one of the best in the league two weeks into the season. They already have six sacks through two games and have the fifth-highest Pro Football Focus pass rush grade with a 73.6.

The obstacle in Week 3 is that the Colts arguably have the best all around offensive line in the NFL. PFF has them ranked first in run blocking and pass blocking grade. Richardson has been sacked just three times in the first two games, but more impressively, has only been pressured 19 times.

The Bears defensive line, especially the interior of Andrew Billings and Gervon Dexter Sr., needs to continue to get to the quarterback if they want to force Richardson into more bad decisions.

2. Caleb Williams vs. Colts defense

Now to address the elephant in the room — Williams, and the Bears’ offense as a whole, has struggled immensely this season. According to PFF, the Bears have the No. 29 ranked passing offense in the NFl, with a grade of 44.1.

The Colts defense has struggled this season. In Week 1 they played a top 10 graded offense on PFF in the Texans, and they gave up 16 points to Packers’ backup Malik Willis. Williams threw the ball 37 times last week, and actually found a rhythm on the first few Bears’ drives. If Williams can correct the mistakes he made on his deep ball, as well as his miscommunications, then this is his chance to have a productive and comfortable performance.

3. Bears offensive line vs. Colts front seven

A big factor in Williams’ struggles in his first two games — the offensive line. The pass blocking has been bad, to keep it brief. Especially on the interior. Williams has been sacked nine times in two games and has been pressured 69 times already as well.

Lucky for the Bears, the Colts have had one of the worst pass rushes in the NFL to start the season. The Colts have just four sacks and PFF ranks their pass rush 28th in the NFL.

The Bears’ run blocking hasn’t been good either. D’Andre Swift hasn’t had many holes to run through and has 24 carries for just 48 yards. The Bears need to take advantage of a pass rush and front seven that has struggled to pressure the quarterback and stop the run.

4. Bears secondary vs. Anthony Richardson

Richardson has shown a lot of potential early this season. But he has also made a lot of mistakes. He looks the part, but he also looks like a second year quarterback. Richardson has thrown four interceptions in two games, three of which came in Week 2 against the Packers.

The Bears secondary is the fourth ranked coverage grade in the NFL according to PFF. They have two interceptions and nine passes defensed already this season. Jaylon Johnson has proven he’s a top corner in the league and Tyrique Stevenson has shown he has the skill to cover the NFL’s  top receivers.

The secondary needs to take advantage of Richardson’s mistakes, especially if the offense is having another difficult time getting into a flow.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Colts: Key matchups to watch for in Week 3