5 stats Chicago Bears fans need to know following Week 3 loss

The Chicago Bears have officially fallen below the .500 mark, limping away from Lucas Oil Stadium with a frustrating five-point loss against the previously winless Indianapolis Colts. As is in any loss, several concerning problems reared their ugly head on Sunday, but the Bears still found progress and improvement in many other aspects of their game plan.

Ultimately, the team's performance on the field and the sideline was not enough against their third straight AFC South opponent, but it is hard to identify the strengths and weakness of the Bears' outing without accurately and holistically looking at the numbers, which never lie. That said, here are five important statistics that highlight the ups and downs of the Bears' week three performance, and what they may mean for the team long-term:

2.4

In Sunday's loss, the Bears' running backs finished with a 2.4 average yards per carry. Despite entering the game as the league's worst rush defense, the Colts had no problem handling a lackluster rushing attack that struggled in key situations. The addition of Roschon Johnson to the game plan seemed to bring a new dimension to the unit, but personnel questions and play-calling concerns still haunt this group after three games.

Going forward, the Bears must improve their offensive game plan, particularly as it pertains to the ground game. With a rookie quarterback at the helm, Caleb Williams is being done no favors by having a rush attack that defenses barely have to regard, let alone respect. The team still has some good opportunities coming up to find their identity on the ground, but their matchup with the Colts was certainly the best chance thus far to establish that aspect of the offensive attack.

135

On the defensive side of the ball, the Bears were gashed by star running back Jonathan Taylor, who finished the game with an impressive 135 total offensive yards. The Bears' defense is a strong unit who have had some issues against the run as of late, and Taylor's performance may serve as a reminder that the group still has a lot of room for improvement.

No one is here to debate how potentially game-breaking a player of Taylor's abilities can be, but considering the Colts' inconsistencies in the passing game over the first two weeks, it was somewhat surprising to see that the Bears' defense did not have a better game plan for the former Badger. Much has been made recently of the seaming re-emergence of power backs in the NFL, and if the Bears are not able to be more disruptive up front and in the middle of the line of scrimmage, opposing offenses may turn more and more to the downhill rushing attack as the season continues.