The fallout from a Bears result like Sunday’s 21-16 loss to the Indianapolis Colts can resonate throughout a large and passionate fan base. You’ll surely hear it on sports talk radio or see it after hitting the X or Facebook apps on your phone.

Some fans don’t need permission to freak out after a bad loss like that, which portends to some (though certainly not all) that the sky is in fact falling.

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Let’s bring some sanity to the dialogue in this week’s Overreactions:

It’s time to hit the panic button

The panic button should still have a glass case around it, one that requires two keys turned simultaneously to lift. It’s not as safely guarded as a nuclear launch code, but it should be close.

It’s Week 4. While the last two games haven’t gone great and have shown flaws in the Bears’ coaching and offensive operation, there’s still talent here that could turn it on and stack wins if it gets right.

Chicago’s defense is excellent and can be relied upon each week. The other phases have significant hangups that have proved costly. The Bears can still claim that it’s early, that growing pains are natural with so much new on offense. Here’s the problem with that: digging an early hole only makes it harder to claim out of late.

The Bears currently reside in a relative soft spot in their schedule, with a run against teams who have also struggled and not assigned to the NFC North. They need to enter harder stretches of the year with some cushion, some margin for error. If that doesn’t happen after facing the Rams, Panthers, Jaguars and Commanders in coming weeks, it might be time to lift the glass.

The 2024 Bears are a bad running team

Chicago’s rushing attack hasn’t been good to this point. There’s no arguing that. That phase’s struggles have created frustration among its key members, something feature back D’Andre Swift has mentioned more than once over the last few days.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat it. It’s high,” Swift said. “We’ve just got to be better. Like I said earlier in the week, it starts with me.”

Not necessarily. While Swift was paid big bucks to spark the Bears rushing attack and there’s expectation that comes with that, the Bears rushing attack starts with the runs being called and lanes being created from those designs.

The Bears still seem to be in an experimental phase with those two things. We’re seeing different types of runs. We’re seeing new personnel at right guard and varied rotations at running back. And in a troubling development, we’re not seeing much production despite a decent commitment to it.

The Colts game is an example of that. The Bears ran 28 times for 63 yards and a 2.3 per carry average. They couldn’t score a touchdown despite four rushes from inside the Colts’ 5-yard line, a wildcat run, two dives and an option-style play. Explosive runs have been rare and negative runs have been frequent.

None of it is good right now, but the Bears have some talent up front and some more physical backs. Waldron has a history as a passing-game coordinator and his rushing production in Seattle was a mixed bag, ranking as high as ninth (2021) and as low as 27^th (2023).

A lack of rushing attack is hurting the team overall. It has to get dialed in soon or this statement just might come true.

Bears should just air it out

This bold statement is tied to that one above, and is in some ways an overreaction to that overreaction. How meta.

It’s actually rooted how Sunday’s game played out, when quarterback Caleb Williams attempted 52 passes and even more dropbacks against the Colts. That was, most assuredly, due to circumstance over design. The Bears found themselves down two scores late, needing to sling it in an attempted comeback.

That’s not a recipe for success over a longer term, not for a rookie still learning how to operate and what he can get away with at the NFL level. This season was supposed to be about Williams leaning on his teammates and picking moments to be special. Throwing it a ton puts the weight of the offense (and the team) on the No. 1 overall pick’s shoulders. That’s not a good situation for a young, super-talented player.

The Bears must find balance, or a semblance of it, in the coming weeks. Williams is learning on the job, as all rookies do. He needs help, including a solid foundation of available and efficient runs, and a defense that help mitigate eventual rookie mistakes. He has one. He needs the other.

Bears defense must play perfect every game

The Bears defense has been excellent to this point. While Jonathan Taylor had some big moments on Sunday — he’ll do that to most any team – and the pass defense allowed some explosives, the Bears held Anthony Richardson and Co. under lock and key. They haven’t allowed more than 21 points in any game this season, and that Sunday total was enhanced by a turnover deep in Bears territory.

It’s unfair to expect perfection from any unit, even one this good. That’s why safety Kevin Byard III talked extensively about complementary football after that loss. The defense has to negate some offensive issues. The offense and special teams has to help the defense out, too. It has to be a two-way street.

Right now, it’s not, but it needs to get there soon.

The Bears desperately miss Keenan Allen

This is a big statement I can get behind. While Caleb Williams has DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and Cole Kmet as productive options in the pattern, not having Keenan Allen available has been an issue.

The veteran receiver has all the tools and savvy to create separation fast, to be available for shorter to intermediate throws that help stay on schedule and move the chains. Allen has been dealing with a heel issue since the end of the preseason and has missed the last two games.

DeAndre Carter has done well in the Allen spot, but there’s no replacing someone of Allen’s caliber, even at his advanced football age. If Allen’s at his vintage best, the Bears are a lot better. If they’re going to end up throwing more – time will tell on that – Allen’s the outlet needed to make that, or even a more balanced offense, work.