Bears @ Colts
Final Score: Colts 24, Bears 17
Writer: Mike Miklius (@SIRL0INofBEEF on Twitter)
Chicago and Indianapolis played a series of shared practices this week, so this game was always on the back burner for both squads. As a result, almost every big name sat; no Justin Fields or Anthony Richardson. No Jonathan Taylor or Khalil Herbert. No DJ Moore or Michael Pittman–this was a chance to test out the depth. For the Bears, this meant PJ Walker vs rookie Tyson Bagent behind center. In the backfield, we saw D’Onta Foreman and Roschon Johnson. At wide receiver, it was all Daurice Fountain. For Indy, Gardner Minshew did the heavy lifting before Sam Ehlinger completed the comeback. Deon Jackson and rookie Evan Hull saw the early backfield work. Then Indy clearly wanted rookie receiver Josh Downs to get some looks. This one ended up exciting as the Bears jumped ahead early, Indy retook the lead late, and it came down to one final drive ending in a final sack of Nathan Peterman. Nothing says preseason to me quite like Nathan Peterman taking a game-ending sack. Here’s what I saw.
Four Up
- Undrafted Rookie QB Tyson Bagent showed up again for Chicago, and now looks to have a chance at the QB2 role.
- D’Onta Foreman and Roschon Johnson both looked powerful in the backfield and should give Chicago depth.
- Josh Downs was a priority for Indy and he did well to get open–nearly catching two more balls (off-target throw and penalty)
- Gardner Minshew and Sam Ehlinger both showed flashes and would be competent backups if anything happens to Anthony Richardson
Two Down
- The first team for Chicago and Indianapolis both sat this one out; I thought Justin Fields and Anthony Richardson both could use more reps.
- Chicago’s supposed backup PJ Walker struggled again and may not be long for the roster if this continues.
Chicago Bears
| Preseason Week 1 |
Quarterback
PJ Walker: 1/4, 6 yards, 2 sacks
P.J. Walker played two series tonight and did nothing to assuage the fears of how he looked last week. On the first series, Walker stumbled and underthrew the ball on first down. The drive ended two plays later with an Eq St Brown drop. Walker’s next drive saw a throw into tight coverage that couldn’t be hauled in and a pair of sacks. Honestly, I was surprised that was it for Walker. The mistakes weren’t all his fault, but the team just couldn’t do anything with him. He was done after two series and it leaves a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.
Tyson Bagent: 9/10, 76 yards, sack | 2 carries, 4 yards, TD
Undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent quickly found a rhythm on his lone drive tonight, and he again looks better than Walker. His drive started with a quick throw to Dante Pettis for nine yards. On the next play, he quick-snapped the ball for a first down. Bagent was chased out of the pocket on the next play, making a good throw to Nsimba Webster while back-peddling. Bagent made a nice pair of passes to Daurice Fountain and eventually scrambled into the endzone for a short score. I know the sample size is limited. Still, Tyson Bagent looks definitively better than PJ Walker thus far, and Bagent should be strongly considered as the QB2 if we see more of the same next week.
Nathan Peterman: 10/18, 115 yards, TD, sack
Running Back
D’Onta Foreman: 3 carries, 12 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 6 yards
D’Onta Foreman saw a few touches early and that was it tonight. He had one good carry where he blasted through contact and his catch saw a nice run after with a stiff arm to the first defender. With Khalil Herbert out, Foreman was clearly the lead dog tonight: he played the first two drives and that was it. Watching these first two preseason games, I feel extremely confident calling Herbert the clear one, Foreman the clear two, and a certain rookie yet to be mentioned as the clear three with room to grow.
Roschon Johnson: 7 carries, 32 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 11 yards
Roschon Johnson saw another extended look, and he made the most of it again. Johnson followed strong blocking on his first carry for 15 yards. Like Foreman, Johnson showed good power through the first defender. Roschon had a few more good runs and once again showed great hands–there was a short catch that went for eleven thanks to great blocking by Alex Leatherwood. There was also a poor toss that Roschon pulled in and turned into a gain. While I think D’Onta Foreman looks like the safe RB2, it’s not crazy to see Roschon cutting into that work and carving out a role in the offense. He’s doing the little things right, and that should go far with the coaches.
Robert Burns: 8 carries, 40 yards, fumble lost | 5 targets, 3 receptions, 15 yards
Travis Homer: 5 carries, 13 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 4 yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Daurice Fountain: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 86 yards, TD
Daurice Fountain may end up the yearly preseason darling who soon fades into oblivion. He had a 25-yard catch last week and clearly earned more breadth from the Bears. He made the most of it. Fountain came in with Tyson Bagent, immediately showing a connection. He caught back-to-back balls, including one with a defender draped all over him as he pulled the ball in. Later, he showed great hands on a catch from Nathan Peterman. Fountain beat his defender, stayed in bounds, and made an excellent catch on the sideline for 35 yards. He made two more catches late as the Bears tried to come back, and the result was game-high results in receptions and yards.
Nsimba Webster: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 18 yards
Isaiah Ford: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 31 yards
Dante Pettis: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 13 yards
Equanimeous St Brown: 1 target
Indianapolis Colts
| Preseason Week 1 |
Quarterback
Gardner Minshew: 13/15, 107 yards, TD
Tonight looked like classic Gardner Minshew: there were some good throws, a couple of bad misses, and two completions that were nearly picked. With Anthony Richardson starting, Minshew is a good backup.
Sam Ehlinger: 9/14, 124 yards, sack, fumble | 8 carries, 60 yards
Sam Ehlinger struggled on his first two drives, getting sacked, fumbling, and badly missing on a deep shot. He found a rhythm throwing and consistently carved up the Bears on the ground en route to a win.
Running Back
Deon Jackson: 3 carries, 8 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 15 yards
Deon Jackson only played two series and didn’t have much room early. He looked good on his first screen pass, but there just wasn’t much to see. Still, that’s a good thing when the starters are all sitting.
Evan Hull: 4 carries, 13 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, -1 yards
Like Deon Jackson, Evan Hull was mostly just getting stuffed. He looked good on a toss play but just didn’t have much to work with otherwise. Let’s see what the rookie does next week.
Kenyan Drake: 3 carries, 5 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 7 yards
Jake Funk: 5 carries, 18 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 2 yards
Jason Huntley: 8 carries, 19 yards | 1 target
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Josh Downs: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 20 yards
Josh Downs played well, hauling in two of his three targets. He did a good job getting open, and had two near misses: an overthrow from Minshew and a pass the came back for OPI. It’s also worth noting that Downs was a clear priority for the team early on.
Juwann Winfree: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 24 yards, TD
While Josh Downs had production taken away, Juwann Winfree saw the opposite: he made an 8-yard reception with defenders playing back. His next two receptions were immediate tackles, and his touchdown was a ball that looked like it should have been picked.
James Washington: 1 target, 1 reception, 42 yards
James Washington’s one catch was a good one; he made a one-handed grab along the sideline on a great throw from Sam Ehlinger. It’s just one throw, but it was still a great moment and one worth mentioning.
DJ Montgomery: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 39 yards
Will Mallory: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 29 yards
Amari Rodgers: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 22 yards