The Indianapolis Colts’ defense put up a valiant effort against the Chicago Bears, despite giving up a significant number of first downs. Fortunately, the Bears struggled to convert those first downs into points, with a Drive Success Rate of 71.4%, which although not stellar, was the best Chicago has managed all season.
“Overall, the defense did their job. It wasn’t pretty and the Bears are not a good offense, so its nothing to get excited about, but even I can’t get upset when the opponent is kept to 16 points,” said a Colts commentator.
Thanks to three takeaways and a crucial goal line stand, the Colts managed to hold the Bears to the 11th lowest Points per Drive in week 3. Additionally, they limited the Bears to the 7th lowest success rate and the 9th lowest EPA per play. The Colts even managed to restrict Chicago to the 11th lowest yards per play, which is particularly impressive given a last-second 44-yard hail-mary pass completion on a 45-yard field.
Looking at the season as a whole, the Colts currently have the 17th ranked Points per Drive against, which places them squarely in the middle of the pack. However, their 28th ranked Drive Success Rate against indicates a troubling trend – they struggle to prevent opposing offenses from making progress down the field.
“So, going forward, expect more bad than average,” said a football analyst analyzing the Colts’ defensive performance.
Despite the less-than-stellar defensive stats, the Colts managed to come out on top in their matchup against the Bears, proving that sometimes grit and determination can overcome statistical weaknesses. The Colts will need to continue to improve on defense if they want to compete with the top teams in the league.
