No magic for the Chicago Bears against Colts in first loss of 2020

Nick Foles had no magic for the Chicago Bears as they suffered their first loss of the year.

Fans wanted to see a complete game from the Chicago Bears offense after quarterback Nick Foles took the starting job — be careful what you wish for, however. The offense gave us a complete game but it was a complete downer.

Instead of struggling for three quarters and then getting a huge comeback in the fourth quarter, they just struggled throughout the game. The offense didn’t move and couldn’t convert on third down and had a quiet final 15 minutes as the Bears lost to the Indianapolis Colts, 19-11.

There were high hopes for Foles in his first start of the 2020 NFL season. Foles came off the bench to throw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3 to complete the Bears’ most recent comeback. He could mount nothing in Week 4, however.

The Bears faced the number ranked defense in the Colts and we saw how good they were. They stuffed the Bears’ passing and rushing attack. David Montgomery had just 15 yards on six carries (2.5 yards per run) in the first half. Foles completed 10-of-17 (59 percent) for just 107 yards. The only score the Bears got was a Cairo Santos 27-yard field goal in the second quarter. The Bears were down 13-3 at the half.

Things got more frustrating in the second half; and it could have been even worse. The Colts reached the red zone four times in the game but came away with just one touchdown. Things weren’t too different for the offense from the previous starter, Mitchell Trubisky.

Tell me if this sounds familiar: Allen Robinson was the main target for the offense and everyone else was pretty much absent. Robinson had seven catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. Rookie wide receiver Darnell Mooney had five catches for 52 yards but wasn’t able to make plays. Anthony Miller again disappeared, catching only three of his five targets for just 16 yards. His drop in the fourth quarter led to the game’s only interception.

The touchdown came late in the game when Foles connected with Robinson for a 16-yard touchdown, but it was too little too late.

The running game was completely nonexistent. Montgomery finished with 10 carries for 27 yards. Cordarrelle Patterson finished with five yards on three carries. Foles had two runs for a net loss of one yard and Darnell Mooney had a carry for a loss of three yards.

Where do the Chicago Bears go after their first loss of the season?

The Bears stand at 3-1 but there are a lot of questions about this offense. You might say that having your first start of the season against the league’s top defense in the league is a tall task but this was a complete meltdown for the offense.

Additionally, head coach Matt Nagy made some peculiar calls, like having a third-and-one to start the fourth quarter and keeping Montgomery on the sideline. Instead, Patterson was in but he lost a yard and the Bears had to punt.

The Bears looked uninterested all game long. There was no energy on offense and looked like they were running in mud.

On the bright side, the defense did a great job. Again, they had that “bend but don’t break” attitude. When it seemed like the Colts would break the game open, the defense came up with a big stop. However, just like in the past few seasons, the offense couldn’t support the defense.

Next up for the Bears, they take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night. Yes, they face the same Bucs led by Tom Brady, who became the oldest quarterback to throw for five touchdowns against the Los Angeles Chargers this week.

Let’s see if the offense shows up for the Thursday Night Football appearance. If it doesn’t, this could be an ugly showing in front of a national audience.