Bears See Lead Slip Away Late Against Colts

Rookie Tyson Bagent made another statement about the Bears backup quarterback situation Saturday even while the Bears lost for the first time in a preseason game under coach Matt Eberflus.

The rookie quarterback went 9 of 10 for 76 yards playing exclusively in the first half, including a 92-yard TD drive, but the Bears went on to lose 24-17 to the Indianapolis Colts in the second preseason game.

Bagent got in after P.J. Walker started in place of starter Justin Fields, and before veteran Nathan Peterman. The rookie from Division II Shepherd led the Bears on a 17-play march to his own 2-yard lunging TD scramble and the Bears tied the game at 7-7 with 9:25 left in the second quarter.

Bagent's effort could cause them to consider keeping him on the roster as a third quarterback. Waiving a player and putting them on the practice squad essentially makes them a free agent, and a quarterback as young but impressive as Bagent would almost certainly attact offers. Then the Bears would have to consider what to do with Peterman.

"I saw poise from him," Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. "You know the delivery was there. The accuracy was pretty good. The timing was nice. Decision-making was good.

"So all the things it takes to score touchdowns, you saw it there."

Peterman finished the game and went 10-for-18 for 115 yards in the second half, including a 35-yard TD pass to Daurice Fountain for a 17-7 Bears lead with 13:47 to go in the fourth quarter.

.@tysbagent dives in for his first NFL touchdown 🙌

📺: #CHIvsIND on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/5R324v96Lf
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 20, 2023

However, Sam Ehlinger rallied the Colts against Bears reserves. He went 9-of-14 for 124 yards and ran for 60 yards. Ehlinger scored on a 5-yard run and then Jake Funk dove in from 4 yards out with 3:02 remaining to get the Colts back in front. Matt Gay's 35-yard field goal put the Colts up 24-17 and a final Bears desperation drive ended on a sack of Peterman after he completed a throw to Isaiah Ford at the Colts 24.

Roschon Johnson ran for 32 yards on seven attempts and Fountain had 86 yards receiving on five catches for the Bears.

The interesting aspect of the backup QB battle is Walker had another weak effort to start the game. He was 1-for-4 for 6 yards with a 39.6 passer rating, coming on the heels of a 4-for-8 effort for 16 yards.

It will be interesting to see how much coach Matt Eberflus uses starters next week in the final preseason game. It will also be interesting to see if he gives Bagent significant playing time after he has gone 13 of 15 for 113 yards for two games.

It might also be interesting to see if the same confidence is being shown in Walker.

The only starters on the field for the Bears from the outset were on defense. Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson and linebacker Jack Sanborn were playing with the subs as Eberflus either rested them for the preseason finale, or for the regular season. He hadn't declared what they'll do next week.

A Bears backup defense that dominated the second half against the Tennessee Titans last week was much less effective late against the Colts and mobile Ehlinger. The Bears had only one sack after making eight last week, and produced no takeaways after two interceptions and two fumble recoveries last week.

Terrell Lewis had his second strip-sack in two games, but the Colts retained possession.

The Bears were outgained through the air 220-176.

On the positive side, they managed 134 yards rushing on 30 carries. With a lack of running backs because of Trestan Ebner being out injured, they used fullback Robert Burns as a tailback and he led them in rushing with eight attempts for 40 yards.

The Bears return to Halas Hall next week for practice and face the Buffalo Bills Saturday at noon in the preseason finale.

The Bagent Hype is real!! pic.twitter.com/7AeGRQ2tfA
— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) August 19, 2023

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven