Bears news: Bears-Rams injury update, Caleb Williams ROY odds, Roschon Johnson role increase

The first few days after a loss in the NFL are not pleasant. Fingers are pointed, blame is assigned, and fans are left wondering if this is just a bump in the road or a sign that the season is about to crumble.

Much like Ron Burgundy, Chicago Bears fans are in a glass case of emotion after a frustrating loss to the previously 0-2 Indianapolis Colts. The Bears had their chances to win the game, but three turnovers, a suspect run defense, a missed field goal and some suspect coaching all added up to a road loss and a disappointing 1-2 record through the season's first three weeks.

Sunday was a bad day for the Bears, not only because they lost, but because the rest of the NFC North won and looked great doing it. The Lions went into Arizona and handled the Cardinals 20-13 on the back of a punishing running game and the continued All-Pro-caliber play of Aidan Hutchinson. The Packers were without Jordan Love for a second straight week, but Malik Willis had his best game as a pro in leading a 30-14 demolition of his former team, the Tennessee Titans. Last but certainly not least are the Vikings, who moved to 3-0 by trouncing the Texans 34-7 at home. Sam Darnold continued to look like the best free agent signing in the league, Aaron Jones ran for over 100 yards, and Brian Flores' defense bamboozled CJ Stroud in the win.

It's clear that the Bears have a lot of work to do to keep pace in the division, but despite the disappointing outcome in Indy, there were positives to build on. Let's begin our news roundup with one.

3. Is Roschon Johnson going to replace D'Andre Swift as the feature back?

Ryan Poles signed D'Andre Swift to a three-year, $24 contract this offseason to be the Bears' lead runner, but Swift has been anything but in the season's first three weeks. The former Lion and Eagle has been running behind an offensive line that is arguably the worst in the NFL, but he also isn't doing himself any favors, as he currently ranks dead last in the NFL according to Next Gen Stats in rush yards over expected.

The Bears have consistently found themselves in third-and-long thanks to Swift's 68 yards on 37 carries, but it looks like the team is taking quick action to fix the backfield. Roschon Johnson was a healthy scratch in Week 1 versus the Titans, and he only saw the field on special teams in Week 2. Against the Colts, though, the second-year back stepped into a much more prominent role.

Swift still led all Bears running backs in snaps and carries, but whereas he was only able to turn his 13 rushes into 20 yards (with a long gain of four), Johnson more than doubled his average with 30 yards on eight runs. He also pitched in four catches for 32 yards compared to Swift's two for 22.

Swift ran behind one of the best offensive lines in the league last year in Philadelphia and eclipsed 1,000 yards on the ground for the first time in his career, but it's clear how much the Eagles upgraded by letting him walk and replacing him with Saquon Barkley, who has been phenomenal through three games.

Even as a rookie, Roschon was acknowledged as Chicago's best back in pass protection. With his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and finish runs with power (he's bigger than both Swift and Khalil Herbert), there's no reason other than chasing what looks to be the sunk cost of Swift's contract to not make him the featured back.

The Bears took a step in the right direction in Week 3 by giving Roschon 12 touches, now let's see if Shane Waldron fully commits to his best backfield option going forward.

2. Caleb Williams slips to fourth in latest Offensive Rookie of the Year odds

There was a lot to like about Caleb Williams' performance against the Colts. Though he fumbled once and threw two interceptions, the new face of the franchise got the ball out quickly, made plenty of wow throws and threw his first two NFL touchdown passes while putting up 363 yards through the air, the most by a Bears quarterback since Brian Hoyer in 2016.

Caleb finally found his connection with fellow rookie Rome Odunze, as the two hooked up six times for 112 yards and a touchdown. He also relied heavily on tight end Cole Kmet, who ended the day with a career-high 10 catches for 97 yards and a touchdown.

As encouraging as Caleb's performance was, other rookies around the league were also great in Week 3. Malik Nabers of the Giants became the youngest receiver in league history to catch two touchdowns in leading the Giants to a road win over the Browns. Marvin Harrison Jr. caught another touchdown for the Cardinals after recording two of his own last week. Bo Nix got his first win as a pro in a surprising road thumping of the Bucs. Jayden Daniels stole the rookie spotlight from them all, though, with a Monday night performance for the ages to destroy the desperate Bengals.

Daniels was nearly perfect on the night, hitting 21 of his 23 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns while also running for 39 yards and another score on 12 carries. His exclamation point was a 27-yard over-the-shoulder dime to Terry McLaurin with just over two minutes left to put the game out of reach.

Caleb began the year as the heavy favorite to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, but Daniels' performance vaulted him past the Bears quarterback in the latest odds. According to FanDuel, Caleb was a +128 favorite to win the award to start the year, while Daniels was the second choice at +550. Those odds have flipped, with Daniels now a +175 favorite and Caleb sitting fourth behind Nabers and Harrison at +550.

Bears fans will gladly trade the Offensive ROY award if it means seeing Caleb develop into the kind of franchise quarterback that Chicagoans have yearned a lifetime for. Still, this is a race that's going to be fun to monitor all year, and if Caleb can continue to air it out the way he showed he could against the Colts, he'll have plenty to say about the outcome before the season's done.

1. Bears-Rams injury update

Odunze's first signature performance of his career bodes well for the Bears offense going forward, as it's still unknown when the team will get Keenan Allen back. Allen missed his second straight game after not practicing all week, and though we won't see his injury designation until later in the week, Bears fans should operate as though they'll be without him until the team says otherwise.

Matt Eberflus has said that Allen's injury isn't thought to be a long-term one, but the former Charger hasn't exactly been known to be a fast healer. His heel kept him out of the final four games of last season, and before that, he missed seven games in 2022 with a lingering hamstring injury. If he's out against the Rams, Odunze will again have to step up alongside No. 1 receiver DJ Moore, while DeAndre Carter, who pulled in three of his six targets against the Colts, should get another shot as the team's third receiver.

As tough as it is for the Bears to be without Allen, no team in the league has seen its wide receiving corps hit as hard by injuries as the Rams have. Puka Nacua aggravated a knee injury early in Week 1 and is likely out until at least Week 7, while Cooper Kupp sprained his ankle in Week 2 and missed last week's game.

Rams head coach Sean McVay has already said that Kupp won't be able to suit up against the Bears, which means that Tutu Atwell will once again be the top option in the passing game. This is welcome news for the Bears secondary, but after Matthew Stafford managed to lead his undermanned team to a stunning comeback win over the Niners last week, the Bears shouldn't be taking anything for granted.

We'll have more news later in the week, but besides Allen, Bears fans should keep an eye on the status of fullback Khari Blasingame and defensive tackle Zacch Pickens, both of whom missed the past two weeks (Pickens also missed Week 1). Blasingame's lead blocking is sorely missed in the Bears' sputtering running game, while Pickens could come in handy in stopping Kyren Williams after Jonathan Taylor gashed the Bears for 110 yards and two touchdowns on the ground last week.