The Colts walked into Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday morning still searching for their first win, looking to get right after a close loss to the Green Bay Packers the week prior. Thanks to a game full of complementary football, the Colts did just that, beating the Chicago Bears 21-16.

Anthony Richardson and the Colts offense struggled in the first quarter; they went three-and-out on their first drive after two incompletions to wide receivers Josh Downs and Alec Pierce, respectively. On the Colts' next drive, running back Jonathan Taylor strung together three rushing plays to record the Colts' only first down of the quarter. A sack forced the Colts in a third-and-long play, however, and Richardson's 13-yard completion wasn't enough to keep the offense on the field.

In the first quarter, the Colts' offense was only on the field for four minutes and 35 seconds, and the defense was once again called upon to hold down the fort. The Bears were held scoreless as well – kicker Cairo Santos missed a 56-yard field goal on their first drive – but rushed for 30 yards, and quarterback CJ Williams was five-for-nine with 27 passing yards.

A sack from defensive tackle Taven Bryan gave the Colts some juice at the end of the quarter, though, and it appeared as if it spread to the offense. Richardson unloaded for a deep 44-yard pass to Pierce, as is becoming somewhat of a common occurrence for the two, setting the Colts up just four yards away from a touchdown.

Three plays later, Richardson threw an interception in the end zone, however, and the Bears fans spread around Lucas Oil Stadium roared.

Jaylon Jones said not so fast, however, and picked off the football himself – the cornerback's first NFL interception – just minutes later to put the Colts' offense back on the field. They then proceeded to march down the field on a three-play, 70-yard touchdown drive highlighted by a 40-yard pass to tight end Kylen Granson and a 29-yard touchdown run from Taylor.

The Bears then went on a drive that brought them just one yard from the end zone and a touchdown of their own. But back-to-back tackles from defensive end Tyquan Lewis kept the Bears from scoring – Chicago opted to go for it on fourth down – and the Colts' 7-0 lead stayed intact through halftime.

On the opening play of the third quarter, Richardson threw his second interception of the afternoon, lofting a pass intended for Pittman that sailed far above the wide receiver's head. The Bears then went on a five-play, 18-yard scoring drive to put up their first points of the game with a 53-yard field goal.

Jones recorded his second interception of the game later in the third quarter, setting the Colts up at Chicago's 45-yard line, but the Colts couldn't get anything going on the ensuing drive. After a neutral zone infraction by the Bears defense on what would have been a punt return gave the Colts a first down, the Colts jumped on their opportunity and charged down the field on a nine-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. Taylor and fellow running back Trey Sermon led the way; Taylor had a 25-yard reception and a 21-yard run, and Sermon rushed for 15 yards and was the one holding the ball in the middle of the scrum that got pushed into the end zone.

The drive, which put the Colts up 14-3 with 29 seconds left in the third quarter, lasted five minutes and 30 seconds. By the end of the third quarter, the Colts had possession of the ball for a total of 20 minutes and five seconds – longer than their total time of possession in either of their two previous losses.

The Bears then went on a 13-play, 70-yard drive that lasted seven minutes for their first touchdown of the afternoon but, after failing in their two-point conversion attempt, trailed 14-9 with eight minutes and 21 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Jones wasn't the only Colts to have a career first on Sunday, as defensive end Laiatu Latu recorded his first career sack in the fourth quarter, forcing a fumble that was recovered by defensive tackle Grover Stewart at Chicago's 16-yard line.

On the following possession, the Colts scored their third touchdown of the day courtesy of a one-yard touchdown run from Taylor.

With five minutes and 25 seconds left, the Colts held a solid 21-9 lead. The Bears scored one more touchdown of their own on a 12-play, 70-yard touchdown to bring the score to 21-16. The Colts offense held the ball for the final two minutes of the game, running the clock down to win their first game of the 2024 NFL season.

Kenny Moore III (hip) and Kwity Paye (quad) sustained injuries in the fourth quarter and did not return.