Bears Post Season Hopes Dwindle

October 7, 2019

For the Bears, Sunday’s contest was a trap game. The Bears got snared in an ugly loss to a middle of the road Oakland Raiders. This game may have turned out differently if not played in London. Supposedly, the NFL plays games there to increase the sport’s global appeal. I think it probably has more to do with money from sales of NFL merchandise. While I had trouble wrapping this loss around my head, I will try to tell you why they lost.

The Raiders went to London on Monday. They started the game with tons of energy. The Bears, who left on a red-eye Thursday flight, looked sloppy. It is only a theory but the Bears seemed to have jet-lag and were sluggish.

The Raiders rammed the run down the throat of the NFL’s top ranked rushing defense. When you run for eight yards on first down it makes it easy to pick up first downs. Many times the Raiders offensive line sent the Bear defenders sprawling to the ground.   After the game, the Bears complained about illegal blocks which is a lame excuse. Suffice to say the defense was not as good as it had been the previous four games. It was the first game without a sack. Chase Daniel was sacked three times in a scoreless first half.

 Once again it was the offense that was more responsible for the loss. The Raiders had possession for 20 minutes in the first half. The Bears might have only been losing 10-0 at half if not for quarterback, Chase Daniel, being intercepted at the Bear 25 yard line. This led to a Raiders touchdown.

Trailing 17-0 at halftime, the Bears started the second half with the ball. The Bears did nothing and punted back to the Raiders. They got a lucky break when a miss communication caused the Raiders quarterback to lateral to no one. The Bears recovered and scored quickly after, 17-7 Raiders. The operative word is quickly. The Bears finally put together an impressive drive to cut the deficit to three. A 71 yard punt return set the Bears up for another quick score for the lead, 21-17. When you score quickly, your defense gets no rest.

The Bears offense once again sputtered in the fourth quarter. Similar to the Denver Broncos game, the Raiders had the ball at the goal line when Sherrick McMannis caused a fumble. Pinned deep in their territory, receiver Allen Robinson made an excellent catch to get the Bears to their 37 yard line. The Bears gained another first down, then punted and downed the ball at the Raiders three yard line. Like the Broncos, the Raiders got a second chance. The Bears thought they got the ball back after a Raiders punt on 4^th and six. However, the Bears were penalized for running into the kicker. Bears special team linebacker, Kevin Pierre-Louis, thought this wasn’t a foul as he was blocked into the Raiders punter. However, if you play smart and set up for a return, you won’t come close to the kicker.  With fourth down and one, everyone but the Bears coaching staff knew it would be a fake punt. The Raiders made the first down to continue the drive. Later, David Carr completed a 23- yard pass to Foster Moreau deep into Bear territory on third and one. The Bears defense gassed and allowed the completion of a Raiders 97 yard drive when running back Josh Jacobs leaped into the end zone. The Bears had a chance to tie the game with a field goal. Daniel needed only two more completions to get in position. However, he badly overthrew his receiver and was picked off, ending the game.

Bears coach, offensive guru Matt Nagy, has been awful. He complained about the running game. He has a pass happy offensive game plan with no quarterback to run it. He was partially brought in to develop QB Mitch Trubisky. How has that worked out?  I’m not sure if they spend enough time in practice on the running game. You can’t blame running back David Montgomery when the offensive line doesn’t open any lanes to run through. Due to the inconsistency of the offense, your defense is always being taxed. No matter how good the defense is, without any offense you are an 8-8 team.

After a two week break, the schedule is brutal. Road Games against the Philadelphia Eagles, L.A. Rams, Detroit Lions (on Thanksgiving day), Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. It doesn’t get much easier at home with the New Orleans Saints, L.A. Chargers, Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs.