Preseason game No. 2 is in the books for the 2023 Chicago Bears as they fell to the Indianapolis Colts 24-17, ending Matt Eberflus’ perfect preseason record. Both teams got off to a rocky start as neither squad had many of their starters out on the field.
Neither team was able to do much offensively through the first quarter. The Colts finally put together a productive drive thanks to quarterback Gardner Minshew, who threw a touchdown pass to Juwan Winfree. The Bears responded with their own touchdown drive, led by undrafted rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent to tie things up at halftime.
Things remained tight in the second half but the Colts pulled away in the fourth quarter with two touchdown runs from quarterback Sam Ehlinger. A fumble by Bears fullback Robert Burns ended any comeback bid, which led to a field goal by the Colts to cement the victory.
Here is everything we know following the disappointing loss.
Final score: Colts 24, Bears 17
Keys to the game
Backups galore: After a strong performance from their starting offense last week, the Bears decided to sit everyone and lean on their reserves out of the gates. Things didn’t go nearly as well as quarterback P.J. Walker went just 1-of-4 for six yards in two series. It was a sluggish first quarter for the offense and they had to play catch up after falling behind 7-0 to the Colts.
Secret Bagent Man: The secret might be out regarding Tyson Bagent. The undrafted rookie quarterback followed his impressive preseason debut with an even better outing. He sparked the Bears offense for their first score of the day, along with rookie running back Roschon Johnson. In the two possessions under Bagent, the Bears totaled 101 yards. They had 27 yards the previous two possessions.
Untimely penalties: One of the calling cards with the Bears during head coach Matt Eberflus’ first season was minimal penalties. That hasn’t been the case this preseason and Saturday’s miscues ended up causing them the game. The Bears committed seven penalties, two of which kept the chains moving on the final two scoring drives for the Colts. That proved to be the difference that helped the Colts find the end zone.
It was over when...
It was over when fullback Robert Burns fumbled the ball inside Bears territory. The undrafted rookie was having a nice game up to that point and the Bears had a chance to respond to the Colts’ touchdown drive to try and retake the lead.
Burns took a handoff 12 yards but had the ball pop out, where the Colts recovered. Indianapolis had excellent field position and extended their lead with a field goal to help put the game out of reach.
3 studs of the game
***Roschon Johnson: The rookie back built on his first preseason performance from last week, carrying the ball seven times for 32 yards near the end of the first half. Johnson fought for tough yards and turned losses into gains. He had two runs of at least 10 yards and caught one pass for 11 yards.
**Daurice Fountain: With many starters and even reserve receivers not playing, it was Fountain’s time to shine. He led the Bears with five catches for 85 yards and one touchdown. Fountain’s touchdown was a beautiful 35-yard catch in the end zone off a pass from Nathan Peterman to extend the Bears’ lead in the second half.
*Tyson Bagent: He only played a couple of possessions, but Bagent was sensational for the Bears in the first half. The undrafted rookie went 9-of-10 for 76 yards through the air. He added two carries for four yards, including his two-yard touchdown run. Bagent was precise with his passes and looked confident in the pocket. Given his short time on the field, he may have played his way onto the initial roster.
What's next
The preseason concludes for the Bears next Saturday when they take on the Buffalo Bills at Soldier Field. These two teams last met in the bitter cold on Christmas Eve last December, with the Bills winning 35-13. Time will tell whether or not Justin Fields and the other starters see playing time, though. Kickoff is at noon CT.
