Upsets are Fun

 October 27, 2022

The Bears faced off against Bill Belichick and his New England Patriots Monday night. Prime time hasn’t been good for the Bears. Not only do they lose, they often embarrass themselves before a national audience. The Bears got off to a good start and scored on the first two possessions for a 10-0 lead. The Patriots replaced QB Mac Jones for rookie Bailey Zappe who had been outstanding in previous weeks. In a little over three minutes later, the Bears trailed 14-10. All I could think was the Bears will be embarrassed once again. However, to my surprise, the Bears flipped the switch from previous games. They dominated in all phases of the game and crushed the Patriots 33-14 in a stunning upset.

Kudos go to Matt Eberflus and his coaching staff for taking full advantage of a mini-break in the schedule. They were able to talk with all players and came up with a great game plan. The execution was almost flawless.

Justin Fields may have had the best game of his career. The Bears showed what they should have done all year long. Fields showed how good he can be in a moving pocket. This allowed time for receivers to get open for some long gains. Fields was 13-21 for 179 yards. The Bears dominated the running game, racking up 243 yards. With designed quarterback runs and his scrambling ability, Fields led the way with 82 yards. My favorite play of the evening was with a third and fourteen yards to go, Fields escaped pressure and ran for 20 yards. The Bears also finally realized a quarterback sneak can get you first down in short yardage.

The defense was fantastic. After the Patriots got their touchdowns in the first half, they didn’t come close the rest of the game. Though I have been critical of GM Ryan Poles, his first two picks, Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon
have been really good and should get better. Each had an interception as did Roquan Smith. The Patriots were held to 260 yards and converted only 5 of 10 third down opportunities.

When the season started I thought Cairo Santos could be their most valuable player. He was named Special Teams player of the week. He went 4-4 on field goals. He is now 11-11 and has a streak of 17 dating back to last year. Dante Pettis was installed as the new punt returner.  He almost bobbled one away but did have a 27 yard return.

I couldn’t remember the last time the Bears scored 33 points. Therefore, I looked it up and in 2020 the Bears scored 40 points against a pitiful Jacksonville Jaguars team. Monday showed a glimmer of light and if Fields keeps getting better this could be a more exciting season than I thought.. Let’s see how they do against a sack-happy Dallas Cowboys.

Just Pathetic

 

October 14, 2022

 

Bears QB, Justin Fields, had the best half of his career as a Bears rally fell short against the much more talented Minnesota Vikings. Therefore, I thought the Bears could pull out a victory against a bad (1-4) Washington Commanders team.  Velus Jones Jr. fumbled a punt to thwart any comeback against the N.Y. Giants two weeks ago. He did it again against the Commanders, which cost the Bears the lead and eventually the game, 12-7. The Bears still had ample opportunities to win this game.

The Bears not only reached the red zone three times, but had first and goal from the Washington 6-yard line three times without scoring. Justin Fields was 14/27 for 190 yards. I would venture to say he got hit on at least 20 of his attempts. Fields also racked up 88 rushing yards. However, he made some crucial mistakes which have to be cleaned up. On the first drive, he had a pass tipped and was intercepted. On the second drive, he missed a wide-open Ryan Griffin in the end zone. So far I am not enamored with Luke Getsy’s play calls. On three roll-outs avoiding pressure, Fields was able to make completions downfield. What is confusing is all other plays had Fields in the pocket where he was a dead duck.  Fields was moving gingerly, getting up after the offensive line failed to protect him. He will probably end up injured. Getsy also has to be more creative near the goal line. How about an option play? A quick hitter to a sitting down receiver? When you only need a yard, why not try a quarterback sneak?

Trailing in the fourth quarter, the Bears turned to their running game. When you do this you take time off the board and if you don’t, you decrease the chance of winning. Sure enough, the Bears turned the ball over with 2:43 left in the game. The defense, which was pretty good, got the ball back. Washington coach Ron Rivera helped by going for a field goal that missed, instead of pinning the Bears deep in their territory. The Bears had life and a Fields’ run gave them first goal at the 6 yard line. Dante Pettis got his hands on a pass but couldn’t corral it. A pass to Darnell Mooney was a bit underthrown and he didn’t make the end zone. Game over.   

 

Future Looks Bleak

 

October 3, 2022

The Bears blew a golden opportunity to start their season with three victories in four games. The New York Giants, mediocre at best and riddled with injuries, beat the Bears 20-12. There were not many positives in this game. The Bears looked dazed and confused.

I used to always complain about Matt Nagy’s team offense never scoring 20 points. Take away the Houston game and the Bears are averaging 10 points per game. Quarterback Justin Fields was better but still not good enough. He completed 11 of 22 passes for 174 yards. He was sacked six times and I imagine he got hit on almost all of his passing attempts. The offensive line gets most of the blame. However, the fact that the receivers don’t get open is a bigger problem as Fields holds on to the ball too long. GM Ryan Poles made no attempt to improve one of the worst offenses in the league. Fields isn’t given much of a chance with Darnell Mooney being the only competent receiver.

New offensive play caller Luke Getsy said he would tailor his plays to Fields strengths. However, there were no roll-outs, bootlegs or play-action passes. Fields sets up in the pocket and gets pressure on almost every play. The play calling in the red zone left a lot to be desired as the Bears settled for four measly field goals from replacement kicker Michael Badgley. It’s time to get more creative when in position to score.

The defense looked out of sorts in the first half. They bit on a faked hand off to Saquon Barkley.  Giants quarterback Daniel Jones rolled out and with no one near him, ran 21 yards for the TD. The Bears got fooled by this play repeatedly and Jones scored a second touchdown from eight yards out. The defense continued their trend of not giving up a touchdown all year in the second half.  It’s too bad they didn’t make in game adjustments. Before you get excited, the Bears gave up 262 rushing yards on only 44 runs. The defense was supposed to be Coach Matt Eberflus forte, yet they rank near the bottom of the league in stopping the run.

The Bears offense will need to greatly improve. Even the best defense in the league can’t win games for teams with no offense.  The Bears will have trouble getting any victories on the road. Three of the next four games are on the road. 

No Big Deal Bears Beat Texans

 

September 26, 2022

Two of the worst in football paired off Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field. Cairo Santos kicked three fields, one with no time left and the Bears beat the Houston Texans, 23-20. There were some good performances, albeit against a very bad team.

Once again the passing game was non-existent. Fields seems to be regressing as things keep getting worse and worse. Fields completed seven passes in only 17 attempts. He was sacked 5 times and threw two interceptions. I thought new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy was going to fix this. With David Montgomery out, the Bears featured Khalil Herbert, who gained 157yards on 20 carries. He also scored the Bears’ lone two touchdowns.

The Bear defense was pretty good, although they were helped by the ineptitude of Houston’s offense. The Bears came up with two interceptions that basically won this game. When Texas was inside the ten yard line, Kindle Vildor tipped a pass that Eddie Jackson picked off. There were other plays that stood out. Late in the third quarter, the Texans had a third and one from the Bears two yard line. Roquan Smith got in the backfield and tackled Texans running back Dameon Pierce for a three yard loss and Houston had to settle for a tying field goal. After Fields threw his second interception, the Texans were in Bears territory. Defensive tackle Justin Jones came up with the only Bears sack for a loss of eight yards. Linebacker Nick Marrow followed, tackling running back Pharaoh Brown for a five yard loss forcing the Texans to punt. On the Texans final drive, lineman Angelo Blackson tipped a pass into the hands of Smith, who returned it 18 yards to set up the winning field goal.

One of the proposed reasons the Bears didn’t extend an offer to Roquan Smith is that they wanted to see how he played in a new system. Sixteen tackles and one interception says it all. We’ll see if they cough up the money to re-sign him. David Montgomery is in the last year of his rookie contract and there has been no talk of an extension. This may be his last season as a Bear with Herbert becoming the running back of the future.

Next up is another bad team, the New York Giants. I believe the Bears may have trouble on the road however, a win is possible.

Reality Check

 

September 20, 2022

Things started out rosy for the Bears on Sunday night. The Bears made the Green Bay Packers settle for a field goal on their opening possession. The Bears countered with a touchdown and led 7-3. I was feeling good when things got ugly. The Packers scored three touchdowns and held the Bears to three total yards in the quarter. Each team added a field goal in the second half as the Packers once again beat the Bears 27-10.

 Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers could have had a monster game as he hit on most of his passes .However, the Packers won the game running the ball, gaining 203 yards on the ground. Packer running backs were bouncing off would-be tacklers all night. Tackling continues to be a problem that needs to be fixed.

 Bear running backs were not the problem on offense. Both David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert were  spectacular. When trailing by multiple points you need to have a passing game. The Bears is non-existent. Fields was sacked three times and was being pressured consistently. Even the best quarterbacks need protection to succeed. You need a passing game to win, which does not bode well for the Bears.

The Bears did have a chance to make this game interesting. With 8:07 remaining, the Bears had a fourth and goal from two feet. The proper call is a quarterback sneak. For some strange reason Fields is in the shot gun formation. Fields failed to run for the score and instead of being one touchdown down, they 
stayed 14 points behind. These short distance plays have been problematic for years. I have yet to hear an explanation for this call.

 The Packers are probably the best team the Bears face all year. They also have the best quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who makes players surrounding him better. No one else wins this division until he retires. By that time the Bears may be competitive.

Bears Shine in the Rain

 

September 12, 2022

The Chicago Bears pulled of a stunning upset over the San Francisco 49ers winning their home opener 19-10. This was a game of two halves in which the Bears came from behind to win. I know it’s only one win but a win is a win.

 The 49ers scored on their first second half possession to go in front 10-0. Bear fans may have been thinking here we go again. However, for the first time in years the coaching staff made halftime adjustments. The Bears only had 68 yards and QB Justin Fields couldn’t complete a downfield pass in the first. Fields had to be better for the Bears to have a chance. His first touchdown pass was a thing of beauty as he broke tackles, reversed fields and found wide receiver Dante Pettis wide open and with a key block from wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown scampered 30 yards into the end zone.

The 49ers committed 12 penalties many resulting in first downs. They committed three third down penalties aiding the Bears next touchdown, an eighteen yard pass to Brown and suddenly the Bears were up 13-10. The Bears later cashed in on a turnover. This short drive ended with Khalil Herbert scoring from five yards out and 19-10 lead.

Another thing we haven’t seen recently is good clock management. The only disconcerting things was Cairo Santos missing 2 point after attempts. David Montgomery averaged 1.5 yards per carry. I don’t how much longer he can be the featured back.

The defense was pretty good in the first half. San Francisco had good field position throughout the first half and the Bears held them to seven points. They staved off disaster causing a fumble at their 10 yard line. The 49ers moved the ball but couldn’t put up any points. It was nice to see the Bears make defense adjustments as well. They starting putting pressure on QB Trey Lance and disguised there defense to confuse the second year QB. This led to a fourth quarter interception by Eddie Jackson, his first since 2019. His return set up the offense for their final score. The defense and poor field conditions shut out the 49ers after the early third period field goal.

This should be a good boost for the Bears. It will take a while to see if they might be better than most thought. Their next game is prime time Sunday in Green Bay against the Packers. The Bears usually embarrass themselves in front of national audiences. The Packers will be seeing red or should I say loaded for bear after getting crushed by Minnesota in their opener.    

Bad News Chicago Bears

 

September 7, 2022It 

After an excruciating play-off loss and three mind numbing seasons, the Bears have pushed the reset button. Since it worked so well in the past, the Bears hired first time GM Ryan Poles and rookie coach Matt Eberflus. One of the most distressing things is Poles is content with Bears being lousy not only this year but next year as well. His roster consists of 10 players who were let go by other teams. Poles filled the roster with second tier players on one or two year contracts.

The Bears have been one of the worst offensive teams in the NFL. With the exception of center Lucas Patrick, Poles did nothing to improve the offense. Justin Fields has all the attributes you need to be a good quarterback, however, he needs some help. New offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said his offense will be focused around the strengths of Fields. One problem that crops up is- who is he going to pass to? The Bears have only one proven receiver, Darnell Mooney.  Tight end Cole Kmet should get some targets. The other big problem is with the porous offensive line, Fields may be running for his life. To show what the Bears think of running back David Montgomery, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, there are no signs that they will re-sign him.

Eberflus is supposed to be a defensive genius and will have to be for the Bears defense to be any good. The Defense will now have four lineman and three linebackers. Robert Quinn will anchor the front four. Trevis Gipson had some good moments last year. Unknowns Al-Quadin Mohammed and Dominique Robinson will be the other two starters. Roquan Smith and Mathew Adams will surround middle linebacker Nicholas Morrow. Eddie Jackson and first pick Jaquan Brisker will start at safety. Brisker has looked pretty good so far. The starting Cornerbacks are Jaylon Johnson and second pick Kyler Gordon. I don’t know how good this defense will be. Eberflus’ goal is to make them respectable.

The Bears special teams is solidified by kicker Cairo Santos. Santos may turn out to be their MVP. Third pick Velus Jones JR. vs. the 49ers front four led by Nick Bosa could make it a rough day for Fields. They were the third best defense last season. The second game is NBC’s game of the week. This does not bode well as the Bears are usually embarrassed on national TV. Their opponents are the Packers in Green Bay so the Bears start 0-2.  The Bears are no shoe-ins when they have weaker opponents. 6-11 sounds right.