What To Watch For: Kansas City Chiefs Preseason Game
August 12, 2022, 10:43 PM CDT
For the preseason, I've decided to create a new series. Now, this is filling in for my weekly Keys To The Game, which will return Week 1. But for the preseason, I will be doing this for things we need to watch for in these games. Now, I'm posting this a day early because I will be at tomorrow's game. However, expect these on the day of the next two preseason games. There is a lot to watch for, but I narrowed it down to 3 things I will mainly be watching in tomorrow's game. So without further ado, here are my things to watch for against the Chiefs.
1. How Will Fields/Mooney Do In The Luke Getsy Offense?
Coming out of the Matt Nagy offense and into the Luke Getsy offense is a big leap. Getsy will likely have a better offense than what Nagy showcased the past 4 years. Justin Fields has reportedly blown this staff away with his progress this offseason. This will be our first chance to see it live in game. Mooney as well, he has been under Nagy's grasp for two years (and still put up 1,000 yards last year). If we can see good things out of these two, that will give us more confidence heading into the year that they can be special under the new offense.
2. Braxton Jones Has Been Impressing In Camp, Can He Keep It Up In A Game?
Braxton Jones has been holding his own in Training Camp, allowing limited pressures while he plays. Oh yeah, he's blocking Robert Quinn and Trevis Gipson, who had 18 and 7 sacks respectively last year. He is a starter on the first depth chart, so that shows this staff thinks highly of him. Let's see if he can earn that spot in an actual game. If he can, we may have finally solved our left tackle problem.
3. What Will Matt Eberflus' Coaching Style Be?
Matt Eberflus will have a different coaching style than any coach in our history. Hopefully much better than our last 3 Head Coaches. We will get a first taste at this tomorrow. Will he be aggressive or conservative? How will he deal with players that are struggling during the game? How does he manage crucial spots? These games will not be treated as exhibitions. Eberflus wants 100% out of everyone tomorrow. If a player doesn't give 100%, it will be interesting to see how Flus manages it.
So there we have it. Remember, I will be at tomorrow's game. Normally I would provide game updates on my social medias (handles at the bottom), but I won't be constantly pulling out my phone after a big moment. There will be a full game analysis at the conclusion of the game tomorrow at some point. Other than that, Bears football is back! Let's get this season going!
Instagram: @thechicagobearcave
Twitter: @chicagobearcave
Matt Eberflus Will Coach His First NFL Game Tomorrow
Observations From The Preseason Game Vs The Chiefs
August 13, 2022, 10:27 PM CDT
Bears football is back! Sort of, its only preseason. But hey, its football! Anyways, I attended this game at Soldier Field, which is why this article is coming out later than normal. It was a much different feeling attending preseason than regular season. For starters, its warmer out and it wasn't as crowded as it normally is. It was also a different feeling seeing the first game in-person rather than on TV. But enough with thoughts about the atmosphere of the game, let's move into the actual game and what I observed.
The first thing I took note of when we were on defense is that the Bears Air Raid Sirens, which had been used at home games since Week 14 of 2018 against the Rams, were no longer being used. This comes with the new regime and Matt Eberflus deciding to move away from old Matt Nagy traditions. The offense and defense started off lackluster, with the Bears going 3 and out and the Chiefs immediately going on a touchdown drive in Pat Mahomes only drive of the game. Justin Fields only threw 7 passes in his one quarter of action, with a couple of great receptions by Darnell Mooney and Tajae Sharpe, who looks to be the early favorite for a WR3/WR4 spot. Khalil Herbert was, well, a little underwhelming to say the least. He couldn't really get much going on the ground. One man I did observe doing well out of the starters was Braxton Jones. He held his own against the Chiefs pass rush, but only played one quarter. I think the first team guys should play at least the first half on Thursday versus Seattle, as they need time to build chemistry and put the new offense into work. As I said, they struggled in their first 2 possessions but got it going on their final possession. Another man who we saw a lot of was new punter Trenton Gill, who had a few really good punts. Out of 7 punts, 3 were inside the 20 and 1 was for a touchback. He seems to be able to replace Pat O'Donnell just fine. His Special Teams partner Cairo Santos got a few kicks. He went 3/3 overall (2 FGs, 1 PAT). Trevor Siemian had a solid game. Being put in good spots by the defense, he threw dots to Trestan Ebner and Dazz Newsome for touchdowns. Ebner is my Offensive Player of the Game, going for 31 ground yards on 6 carries and that 12-yard touchdown reception. Ebner was versatile as a Baylor Bear, can he be versatile as a Chicago Bear is the question. Now, let's move over to the defense. Jaquan Brisker was great today. Making tackles, forcing incompletions, even almost having an interception. He only played one half, but oh boy is this kid gonna be special. Just wait until Kyler Gordon gets back, hopefully it will be by Thursday's game. Brisker is my Defensive Player of the Game. But shortly behind him at #2 is LB Jack Sanborn, a UDFA out of Wisconsin who sure looks like he could earn a starting LB spot. So it was 14-0 Chiefs at halftime. What does Sanborn do? On 3rd and 10 for the Chiefs, he picks off a pass from Shane Buechele to set the Bears up in a position where they would score that Ebner touchdown. By the way, Santos only had one PAT attempt as we went for two after the Ebner TD (Chiefs penalty). We did not convert the 2-point try. Dominique Robinson showed off some speed on his sack on the next Chiefs drive, which ultimately helped set up a Chiefs punt that led to the Dazz touchdown. It's also worth noting that on that Dazz drive, the Bears went for it on 4th and 2 from the KC 42 yard line. Siemian hit a wide open Dante Pettis for a 25 yard gain, and 3 plays later the ball is in the end zone. But it doesn't stop there. Mike Pennel (former Chief) forces a fumble the next drive, and who else but Jack Sanborn to recover. This led to a Santos 20 yard kick to give us the lead, and another field goal a few drives later led us to the 19-14 final score. Another under the radar performer was Trevon Coley, a journeyman DT who had 2 sacks today. The final sack of the game came on the Chiefs final drive just past the two minute warning, as Micah Dew-Treadway sacked Dustin Crum to end the ballgame. Bears win, and football season is back under way.
Offensive Player of the Game: RB Trestan Ebner
Defensive Player of the Game: DB Jaquan Brisker
Top 5 Performers:
1. Jaquan Brisker
2. Jack Sanborn
3. Trestan Ebner
4. Trenton Gill
5. Tajae Sharpe
Jack Sanborn Makes An Interception Against The Chiefs
What We Learned From Bears Win Over Seahawks
August 18, 2022, 11:01 PM CDT
The Bears slaughtered the Seahawks today. Like, it wasn't close. I know the scoreboard says it was only 2 scores, but that's due to garbage time points from Seattle. In reality, the Seahawks were no match for the Bears. The offense was rolling right through the Seattle defense, the Bears defense was dominating Seattle's offense through most of the game, and it was an easy win for the Bears. We did learn a few things from this game. The first of which being the Bears will not be the worst team in football this year. Come on, the Bears 2nd and 3rd stringers put up 24 points on Seattle's first stringers and allowed no points. All around dominance, offensively, defensively, and even on special teams. A Seattle muffed punt right at the end of the first half resulted in an Elijah Hicks touchdown to make it 17-0 Bears at that point. Jason Meyers missed a field goal, and punt/kick returning. Velus Jones Jr is gonna be real special, which is another thing we learned. He used his speed to zoom right by defenders on his first punt return, bringing it into enemy territory before finally being stopped. Nsimba Webster also had a good game through the air and returning, bringing a kickoff back across the 50, and would've scored if not for a last gasp tackle by a Seattle defender. Special Teams might be a big strength of ours this year. Cole Kmet also showed that he is a top candidate for a breakout year. I actually pegged Kmet as my number one breakout candidate this season, my next article will be my Top 5 breakout candidates. But Kmet showed great promise on his one drive. One final thing we learned is that the offensive line still needs more work. It wasn't as bad as last year, but they will still allowing pressures to the QB. Teven Jenkins did look solid at Right Guard though. The Bears have to make 5 cuts by Tuesday to trim the roster from 85 to 80 men. They will then travel to Cleveland next Saturday for their final preseason game before regular season action begins.
Offensive Player of the Game: RB Darrynton Evans
Defensive Player of the Game: LB DeMarquis Gates
Top 5 Performers:
1. Darrynton Evans
2. Nsimba Webster
3. DeMarquis Gates
4. Isaiah Coutler
5. BoPete Keyes
HMs: De'Montre Tuggle, Nathan Peterman, Elijah Hicks, Jon Alexander
Velus Jones Jr During His Punt Return
What We Learned From The Bears Win Over The Browns
August 27, 2022, 9:46 PM CDT
And preseason comes to a close. The Bears have gone undefeated in the preseason for the first time since 1994, a year they made the playoffs. Fields looked amazing tonight, throwing 3 touchdown passes. More touchdowns than interceptions. The three TDs went to Ryan Griffin, Dante Pettis, and Cole Kmet, as we jumped out to a 21-0 lead. We almost gave it up, barely scraping by with a 21-20 win. So, let's talk about 3 more things we learned from this nail-biting victory.
1. National Media Is Going To Regret Their Takes On The Bears
The Bears are not the worst team in the NFL. They won't go 3-14. People think the Bears got lucky as they played the Browns second stringers, but forget that we started guys like Nsimba Webster in this game. National media better take back their takes, or else Bears fans will have plenty of receipts to pull up come the end of the year.
2. The Offensive Line Is Strengthening, A New Culture Is Developing
Last year, when Justin Fields was knocked out of bounds by the Vikings on a arguably late hit, Teven Jenkins ran up and protected his QB. Only to get scolded seconds later by Germain Ifedi. When Fields took a hit to the helmet today, Sam Mustipher ran up into him. Jenkins came in again. Lucas Patrick was yelling from the sideline. A new culture is being built in the O-Line room. We've seen the line do much better this preseason. Teven Jenkins has been impressive at Right Guard. Braxton Jones was a steal in the fifth round. Even guys like Ja'Tyre Carter and Lachavious Simmons, who many expected to be a backup/practice squad guy, have been performing. Overall, the new regime has brought in a new era in the trenches for the Bears. Let's see how they hold up against San Fran.
3. The Team Is Going To Have To Make A Lot Of Tough Decisions With Roster Cuts
The Bears had plenty of guys play well, and guys play poorly. Some of those will be easy cuts, others, not so much. Especially with the receivers, the team will have to make plenty of hard decisions when cutting these players. Remember, they could add guys off waivers as well, meaning they need to cut more players. There will be outcry by the fans, but in the end, I trust Poles and his mission in building a contender.
With that, the Bears preseason is over. The real thing has begun. Two weeks from tomorrow, we open up at home against the 49ers to begin the regular season. Bear Down!
Justin Fields rolls out and delivers a pass against the Browns
Bears Use 2nd Half Surge, Weather To Beat Niners 19-10
September 11, 2022, 4:31 PM CDT
Da Bears are back! In a game many predicted us to lose (even get blown out), the Bears proved all the haters wrong by stealing a 19-10 win over the 49ers. The weather contributed a good amount to this game for both sides. Go watch what happened after Khalil Herbert's touchdown, you practically couldn't see the field on TV. Fox had to broadcast fake yard markers to help fans know what was going on. But in the end, Matt Eberflus gets his first head coaching win in his debut, and the Bears start out the year 1-0. Now, it wasn't always looking good for the Bears. The offense looked terrible through the first half. Both teams went scoreless in the first quarter. Jaylon Johnson made a peanut punch and Jaquan Brisker recovered it in the first however. Fields also threw a pick in the first. The Niners struck first at 4:49 into the second quarter, as Deebo Samuel ran in a 6 yard touchdown, and it was 7-0 Niners. It would remain that way through the half. However, a very controversial penalty occurred at the end of the half. Cairo Santos lined up for a Field Goal to make it 7-3, but a 15 yard penalty was called on Trenton Gill for bringing a towel onto the field. Yeah, that's why we had to punt and went into half down by 7. Santos would later miss 2 extra points due to wet field conditions. The Niners opened up the half with a Robbie Gould Field Goal, and it was 10-0. After a few plays for the Bears, Fields was pressured and forced to roll out. He found Dante Pettis wide open (thanks to Monty for pulling DBs off of him) and Pettis took it 51 yards to the house. 10-7. That pass was Fields first completion of the game to either a WR or TE. The other three up to that point were to Monty. The Niners punted their next drive, and the Bears went on a ten play drive. That was capped off by a touch pass to Equanimeous St. Brown, and the Bears took a 13-10 lead (remember the Santos missed PAT). Trey Lance threw a pick the next drive. The person who took it away? Eddie Jackson, his first pick since 2019. The Bears drive again and Khalil Herbert finishes the drive off with a TD to make it 19-10. The torrential downpour and wind set in immediately after that (great timing) and the Niners couldn't move the ball. Bears win and stun everyone in national media (outside of Adam Rank). Attention turns towards the bad boys up north. Let's go in to Green Bay and stun them on Sunday Night Football.
OPOTG: RB Khalil Herbert - 9 Carries, 45 Yards, 1 Touchdown
DPOTG: DE Dominique Robinson - 7 Tackles, 2 QB Hits, 1 TFL, 1.5 Sacks
Khalil Herbert runs in a TD in rainy conditions vs the Niners
A Review Of The Sloppy Win Vs San Francisco
September 13, 2022, 9:36 PM CDT
Now that we are a full two days after the conclusion of the game versus the Niners, we can now reflect on the game without the emotions in the heat of the moment. I mean, emotionally the sport impacts us fans a lot. Although some people deny it, this sport determines our mood for the next 6 months. And for Bears fans, its a good mood that we will have tomorrow morning. It's Victory Monday! Now, it wasn't all pretty (the play and the weather). But we did show flashes, both on offense and defense. I felt the best way to review this game was a quarter by quarter breakdown. And so, that is what I will do. Review this game, diving into the bad, and then the good. So without further ado, let's take a look at this Opening Game win versus the Niners.
Quarter 1
The first half was extremely sloppy on the offensive side of the ball for the Bears. You could tell that this was a brand new offense. And hey, nobody should've expected them to score 5 touchdowns in the first half. Everyone should've known that they would have their struggles. Granted, I don't think anyone expected Fields to only complete three passes, and none to a WR or TE, in the first half. We punted on 5 of 6 drives. Granted, that one drive we didn't punt was an interception in the first. And we'll get to another case in the 2nd Quarter. The one thing that did look good in this one was the defense. The Niners had momentum going on their first drive, before Jaylon Johnson pulled a classic Peanut Punch and knocked the ball out of Deebo Samuel's hands, and Jaquan Brisker fell on it to save a risky red zone possession. We held the Niners to punts in the rest of their first quarter possessions, thanks to help from Dominique Robinson picking up a sack.
Quarter 2
The Niners struck first on their opening drive of the second quarter. They were able to take a big chunk of yards thanks to a wide open RayRay McCloud gaining 20. This comes after having great field position. The Bears tried their best, but Deebo Samuel got the better of Eddie Jackson on a run to score the Niners opening points. The Bears held the Niners to a punt their next drive, and then went on a long drive of their own. They reached the San Francisco 29, and with 38 seconds before half, Cairo Santos lined up to try a 46 yard field goal. But then, Trenton Gill got an unsportsmanlike conduct for bringing a towel onto the field to wipe down a wet playing surface. The penalty knocked them back 15 yards and out of field goal range. There has been a lot of controversy over this play, with people saying there should've been no penalty and that the rule is dumb (which I agree with) and that the play should've been brought back just 5 yards. Either way, the Bears punted and didn't score. Niners 7, Bears 0 at half.
Quarter 3
The Niners opened up the second half with a field goal to make it 10-0, and it looked like they were well on their way towards a win. However, Justin Fields made magic happen on a 3rd and 10 the next drive, rolling out as the pocket collapsed and delivering a dime to a wide open Dante Pettis, who used a block from Equanimeous St. Brown to score a 51 yard touchdown and get the Bears back in it. The next drive, the Bears were able to contain Trey Lance and force a punt. Fields began a drive as the 3rd Quarter came to a close.
Quarter 4
A make or break drive for Fields and the Bears offense. Score and you either tie it or you take the lead. Thanks to a Niners unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, the Bears got into prime scoring position. It was on 3rd and 2 where Equanimeous St. Brown, who just made a big contribution on the Dante Pettis tuddy, got open as Fields delivered a perfect touch pass to him to give the team the lead. Cairo Santos missed the PAT. Any momentum the Niners had was killed. They needed to get it back. Lance began to lead his men down the field to try and tie it or regain the lead, but Eddie Jackson said no, as he caught his first interception since the founding of this page. This set us up in great field position, and Khalil Herbert scored 5 plays later. Another Santos missed PAT kept it at 19-10. It wasn't just Santos this week by the way. Kickers around the league were awful on Sunday. Kickers went 51/56 on PATs (one miss was by Chiefs S Justin Reid, who filled in as emergency kicker), and 43/54 for field goals. An awful Sunday for the NFL kicking department. Anyways, after the Herbert touchdown, the elements really started to set in. Rain had been coming down all game, and it was impacting the field conditions. But nothing like what happened after the Herbert touchdown. You couldn't see anything on TV, the cameras were covered in water droplets. Things got so bad on field that Fox had to put up fake yard markers. Anyways, the Niners turned the ball over on downs twice, and the Bears took the kneel to end a surprising win over the Niners. And of course, they celebrated in the endzone, using the flooded scoring area as a slip and slide.
What's Next?
Next up, a matchup that will be heated. The Bears take on the Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday Night Football. The elements shouldn't impact the game much. Just two tough teams on the gridiron, hungry to beat each other. Who will have what it takes? I think this Bears team might have the best chance out of any team in a while to win. The Packers are not who they've been in years past. This Bears team is much more disciplined than any team in the Nagy era. 3 penalties on Sunday. None on offense. One on the towel rule. One intentional DOG penalty. Discipline will win you ball games. And although I will predict a Packers win, the Bears have the discipline to go into Lambeau and beat the Cheeseheads. This is a huge trap game for Green Bay. They better watch out.
The Bears offense uses the flooded Soldier Field endzone as a slip and slide following the win
Keys To The Game: Green Bay Packers
September 18, 2022, 7:56 AM CDT
The Packers will never be an easy team to beat. As long as they have Aaron Rodgers, you can bet on them to be favored in almost every Bears-Packers matchup from now until Rodgers retirement. That includes tonight's matchup. Despite a nice win in Week 1 vs a supposed "Super Bowl Contender," the Bears are still 10-point underdogs. This is to a team that didn't even score 10 points in Week 1. Look, we know Rodgers will probably be "angry" after that loss, but think of all the players that have had to deal with him the last few years. They are angry at him. It cancels out. Green Bay this year is not the contender they've been in years past. This is the best opportunity to strike for the Bears. So let's see what we need to do to take down the foes from Brown County.
1. Neutralize the Run Game
Aaron Rodgers does not have that number one guy anymore. DaVante Adams is gone. Christian Watson dropped a pass and wasn't targeted again in Week 1. Allen Lazard is mid (he's nothing special, unlike what Green Bay fans claim). What Adams would do is he would be locked up so much that Rodgers had wide open guys like Lazard and MVS for scores. Even Adams could beat double-coverage. But GB doesn't have a guy like that anymore. They may need to rely on run game to eat up a good chunk of yards. And what team has had historically good run defenses? Da Bears! Green Bay also has an o-line that has been plagued by injuries. Bakhtiari might be out. Elgton Jenkins and Jon Runyan might also be out. If we can capitalize on all these, Green Bay won't end up scoring much. And if you can't score, you can't win.
2. Lock Down The Receivers
As I briefly touched on in Key #1, Green Bay is missing a top receivers. What they have is a lot of role players. Like the Bears, one of them has to break out. However, that cannot happen today. The Bears DB's had an excellent game in Week 1. If they can keep up their Week 1 performances, it shouldn't be too hard to limit Rodgers from throwing the ball, because we all know what can happen when Rodgers takes a deep shot down field. And like I said, if you can't score, you can't win.
3. Let Justin Cook
Last week, the Bears played in wet conditions, making it hard to throw the ball in the first half. However, once Fields settled in, he started to cook. He began to trust himself more. And what happened? We scored touchdowns on 3 straight offensive possessions and made a comeback. This time, letting Fields cook early is a must. If he gets hot in the first half, we could go into halftime up by a lot. And from there, just follow Keys 1 and 2 to maintain the lead.
Score Prediction:
As much as I want to say the Bears will win, I have to pick Green Bay officially. With Rodgers, you never know what can happen. And it seems that every time I pick the Bears to win against the Packers, they end up losing. So while my heart, gut, and mind say that the Bears will win, I am officially picking the Packers to win this game.
Bears 25, Packers 27
David Montgomery runs the ball at Lambeau Field
Review and Recap of the Loss to the Packers
September 20, 2022, 11:12 PM CDT
Once again, the Bears lost to the Packers on Primetime at Lambeau Field. It is getting old at this point. Consistently losing to them over and over again. I really need us to turn it around soon, because all I want to do it beat Green Bay. It's a successful year if we go 2-15 but our only wins are against the Packers. I just need Fields to beat Rodgers before he retires. Fields also needs to start cooking as well. Getting into the actual game, we saw Fields complete numerous passes and move the ball well. He eventually ran in for the opening score for the Bears, but that was about all we could do offensively. Immediately after we ended the Quarter up 7-3 (thanks 1st Quarter defense and offense), Rodgers took over the game. Well, Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon more like. Jones scored on the first play of the second quarter. He scored again later in the quarter on a receiving touchdown. Allen Lazard caught a tuddy on Green Bay's final drive, taking a 24-7 lead into the break. The worst part is that our defense came back to life in the second half. We just couldn't stop them in the 2nd Quarter. Kyler Gordon got picked on many times by Rodgers, and he couldn't handle it. He's not ready to be an elite corner yet, he still has stuff to figure out. To be fair, he's being asked to do a lot, playing both outside and inside. Speaking of corners, Kindle Vildor has to go. He was decent his rookie year, but he's been straight garbage these last two years. If you want to keep him on special teams, that's fine, but don't start him. One positive, Jaylon Johnson is an island. He has not been targeted once in the first two games. Why? Quarterbacks know it isn't going to go well if they throw it his direction. The defensive line has played well, Justin Jones and Dominique Robinson have had decent starts. But the edge rushers. Oh boy the edge rushers are insanely good. Trevis Gipson had two sacks on Sunday. He's back. Quinn had a sack. The aforementioned Robinson has been moved all over the place on the line, making pressures. Al-Quadin Muhammad can bring pressure. Point is, these guys are getting to the QB. They are providing us opportunities to win the ball back. However, the linebackers. Oh man Roquan, you need to step it up. Poles is amazing for not giving him $100 million. Because Roquan is nowhere close to that level of production at this point. Step it up. Other complaints, Luke Getsy. He's young, so I can't blame him for playcalling mistakes. But man, you've got to let Fields cook. Our top 2 receiving threats are supposed to be Mooney and Kmet. They have a combined 2 catches for 4 yards in the first two games. Now, Mooney has been getting open as we've seen on the All-22. Fields, you need to hit him when he's open. Kmet has also helped a lot in the blocking so I can slack on him too much. Speaking of blocking, Mustipher and Borom are liabilities on the line. Borom would do well as a Swing Tackle, which should happen when Leatherwood returns from mono. But Mustipher can't be starting at center. Too many snapping mistakes. Once Patrick can snap again, we can end the rotating nonsense at Right Guard. Patrick has been decent, but oh boy the Teven Jenkins we expected out of college is here. Thank god we kept him. He's working his ass off for his spot and he's winning it. What a first few games out of him. For how camp started, what a turnaround. Credit to the coaching staff for getting him up to speed. With him playing at a high-level, it's opened up the run game a lot more. Monty is back, with over 100 rush yards in the game. He was making a lot of angry runs. Look at that one second and 20, taking the ball all the way for a first down. Great production out of him in a contract year. One final offensive takeaway, Equanimeous seems to be the best signing so far. He's played better than expected so far, and I'm glad to see it. He's the receiver out of the bunch of depth we have that is breaking out. Maybe he can earn himself a multi-year deal if he keeps it up.
Also to the kick returners, learn how to take a knee in the endzone on kickoffs. And to Pat O'Donnell, why couldn't you punt the ball 70 yards when you were a Bear? Just why?
Jaylon Johnson prepares to tackle RB AJ Dillon, who is also being chased by Justin Jones
Keys To The Game: Houston Texans
September 25, 2022, 11:14 AM CDT
I first started this series late in the 2020 season, when the Bears played the Texans in the midst of a 6 game losing streak. Matt Nagy's Bears were looking to keep their at the time slim playoff hopes alive against Romeo Crennel's Texans. And that they did, winning three straight and making the playoffs as the 7th seed. Now, we face a whole new Texans team, led by former friend Lovie Smith. He looks to get the Texans their first win of the year, and Matt Eberflus looks to lead us to our second win of the season. Jaylon Johnson is out, so guys like Kyler Gordon need to step up in the secondary against Davis Mills. Here are my 4 Keys to winning today.
1. Get Mooney and Kmet More Targets
It's no secret the top 2 targets on the Bears offense have been quiet through two games. In order to get back on track, Mooney and Kmet need more targets. Mooney's been getting open, he just needs to be found. And Kmet needs to make some catches and prove he can be a good pass catcher. His hands are really his biggest weakness, but getting him game targets should help that. Please Getsy, give some targets to these guys.
2. Feed Monty
Monty had a really good game against the Texans in 2020. He ran for an 80 yard score in that game, with over 100 rush yards. He also ate against Green Bay last week. So, he should be keeping that up against a Texans defense which really isn't great against the run. Feed Monty, and the offense will do well.
3. Trevis Gipson Should Play A Majority of the Edge Snaps
Trevis Gipson had 2 sacks last week, which proved he is still one of the best pass rushers on this team after having 6 pressures and no sacks in Week 1. He's better against the pass than Muhammed. You've got to play him in most of the snaps. He's the guy now. I know Quinn is still here, but Trevis will be that number one rusher soon. Rotate him out with Robinson when he's tired, but it should be Gipson-Quinn for the top two rushers.
4. Roquan/Kyler Gordon Bounce Back Games
Roquan Smith has not played like a $20 million linebacker these first two games. And it's shown, our LBs have not been good this year. He needs a big bounce back today, and maybe he can help out Jack Sanborn, who will likely get playing time today with Matt Adams out. And with Kyler Gordon, he needs a big game. With Jaylon Johnson out, it's time for Gordon to beat the bust allegations.
Score Prediction:
Texans 20, Bears 24
Darnell Mooney scores a touchdown against the Texans in 2020
Review and Recap of the Bears Win Over the Texans
September 28, 2022, 10:10 PM CDT
You ask any Bears fan who watched that game what their thoughts were. I guarantee most of them would say that we did not deserve to win that game. Fields had his worst game as a professional. I'm being serious, none of the games last year compared to his play today. I actually think he's taken steps back each week this season. Something has got to change in his play. He's overthrowing receivers, not finding open receivers. You can't even blame the O-Line anymore, they are giving Fields time to throw. He's just holding onto the ball too long. Now, we knew he might struggle coming into this year in a new system. However, nobody could've predicted this. He was bailed out by Khalil Herbert, who ran all over the Texans to essentially be credited as the man who won us the game. Don't forget about Roquan Smith on defense. 16 tackles with a couple for loss, and oh yeah, a clutch interception late in the fourth that set up the Cairo Santos walkoff field goal. Eddie Jackson also got another interception, thanks to Kindle Vildor deflecting a pass. Vildor quietly had a good game after the first quarter. His first was bad, but it went up from there and he had his best career game. In other corner news, Kyler Gordon continues to struggle. The 39th pick has struggled early on as he tries to learn two positions. Don't give up on him yet though. Corners can take time to adjust, so getting the bad stuff out early will help him later in his career. Jaquan Brisker however, he's really good. Ninth best safety by grades in the first three weeks. He even said it himself, he thinks him and Eddie Jackson are going to be one of the best safety pairings to ever do it. Wrapping up the defense, Joe Thomas had a nice game after being elevated as an injury replacement. And because of his performance, he was just rewarded by being signed to the active roster. Byron Pringle suffered a calf injury in the game and heads to IR, which means he could return in 4 weeks. Back to offense, Mooney had some drop issues today. So he went out after the media sessions and caught jugs on the field for another hour or so. We'll see if he can show that work next week. Equanimeous St. Brown also showcased his value on Sunday, showing off his run ability on an end around that he took 43 yards. Cole Kmet got his first two catches of the year. Oh yeah, David Montgomery suffered a leg injury and is day-to-day. So Khalil Herbert might get another chunk of carries on Sunday against the Giants if Monty can't go. Also in the backfield, Khari Blasingame has proven to be an excellent addition to the blocking department, joining an already excelling offensive line in helping to block whenever Herbert or Monty get carries. Ryan Poles offseason work has shown to be better than people have expected early on, and hopefully the new guys can continue succeeding moving forward as they have so far to start the year.
Eddie Jackson and the Defense Celebrate an Interception in the 1st Quarter
Bears vs Giants: A Rant
October 2, 2022, 5:37 PM CDT
Decided to do something new for this weeks postgame. This game was not good, not good at all. It wasn't in really bad range, but it's bad enough to where it deserves a rant. Ok, so the Bears have beaten the Giants the last 3 years. Hell, last year was a 29-3 blowout. And in just a few months, this happens? A 20-12 loss where the playcalling on offense was extremely incompetent? Like come on. Not even Matt Nagy was this bad. Now I get it, Luke Getsy is a young playcaller. But you'd think he would've learned from some of the failures of the last few weeks. In the first quarter, he let Fields take a deep shot on a play-action pass to Darnell Mooney. A 56 yard gain. Did Fields get that chance to do that again? No, no he did not. Now, its not all playcalling. The O-Line was atrocious today. Lucas Patrick needs to move to Center. Sam Mustipher isn't cutting it there, and Patrick isn't cutting it at guard. Especially with Whitehair leaving today's game, if he can't go next week, maybe consider switching Sam and Lucas and seeing what happens. Oh yeah, and the receivers outside of Mooney forgot how to catch passes apparently. Now, I do want to look at some positives on the scoring offense. With Cairo Santos out with his personal reason, Michael Badgley stepped in and did a great job in replacement of Cairo. He went 4-4, scoring all 12 of our points. There's a reason he was called the "Money Badger" during his time with the Chargers whenever he kicked from inside 50 yards. And don't get me wrong, the offense was good enough to get to kicking range. However, we have to score touchdowns. The pass offense was better today, but not a whole lot better. Now let's flip to the defense. The positives, the safeties are great. Brisker and BoJack are going to run the league these next few years. Eddie already has 3 interceptions on the season, the most he's had since 2018. Yeah that's right, in 4 games this year, Eddie has more picks than he had between 2019-2021. He's back, and he's ready to run the league with the Brisket. Kindle Vildor has been upgraded from "trash" to "mid." He's done a decent job these past two games, and hopefully he can keep this up if Jaylon Johnson is out for an extended period of time. But the linebackers, oh it was bad. Roquan and Morrow were not as good as they were last week. The defensive tackles are terrible. Robert Quinn and Trevis Gipson were non-existent. We adjusted in the second half, but it was still bad. Up until then, the team could not stop Daniel Jones running. He scored two touchdowns, which cost us in the end. We couldn't stop Saquon. I know they've changed regimes too, but come on man. This game should've been ours. We are about to get destroyed by Minnesota next week. Getsy needs to get Velus involved in the offense as well. He did not get a single offensive snap. Instead, he was the return man. Unfortunately, he muffed a punt late in the 4th that salted away the game. He needs to get involved in the actual offense next week. Please Luke, he's got talent. Don't waste it.
Jaquan Brisker after making a stop against the Giants
Bears Comeback Falls Short, N'Keal Harry Activated
October 10, 2022, 11:04 PM CDT
Yesterday, the Bears played the Minnesota Vikings on the road. It was not good in the first half. We could not stop the Vikings offense, and we could not move the ball either. This resulted in us going down 21-3 shortly before half. After Darnell Mooney made an incredible one handed catch inside goal to go territory (see picture) the Bears capitalized and took it to half down 21-10 thanks to a David Montgomery rushing touchdown. As Fields gets more comfortable, so does Luke Getsy's playcalling. He called a nice drive that capitalized with Velus Jones Jr taking a Jet Touch Pass into the endzone for his first career touchdown. After a missed 2-Pt conversion, a Vikings field goal that Kyler Gordon would block, and 2 Cairo Santos field goals, suddenly the Bears held a 22-21 lead. However, the Vikings wasted a lot of clock, and scored with just over 2 minutes to play. They got the 2-Pt Conversion to make it 29-22. Fields, who played a great game Sunday (arguably the best of his career) marched the team down to try and tie it up. Ihmir Smith-Marsette, a former Viking, made a catch and juked out Cam Dantzler for a first down. However, he tried to do too much instead of getting out of bounds, which allowed Dantzler to get up and rip the ball out of his hands for the game winning turnover. A tough break for ISM, who moments before got called for a block in the back (block was to the side and clean) on a Justin Fields 52 yard touchdown run that got called back. Had that not been called back, things would've been completely different. He owned up to the mistake however, and at least he caught the ball. But he tried to be the hero and instead became the villain.
In other WR news, the Bears activated WR N'Keal Harry off IR today. Harry, a former Patriots first round pick in 2019, was acquired by the Bears this offseason for a 7th round pick in 2024. He should play on Thursday, barring any setbacks. Also, CB Jaylon Johnson said he expects to play Thursday, and he was a full participant in practice today. Jaylon Jones has struggled a bit trying to fill in for him, and Kyler Gordon is finally starting to come around. But the main man the past few weeks who has helped fill Johnson's gap has been Kindle Vildor. Vildor has been lockdown these past three weeks, including an interception yesterday, the first of his career. He's finally getting praise by the fanbase instead of the hate that he's received after a bad year in 2021.
Darnell Mooney makes a spectacular one handed grab at the end of the first half
Keys To The Game: Washington Commanders
October 13, 2022, 5:35 PM CDT
The Bears play their second primetime game of the year tonight, as they take on the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football. Tonight the team will also debut their alternate orange helmets with the orange jerseys they've used in the past. They will wear them this week and again in two weeks when we travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys. It's a winnable game tonight, with the Commanders coming in at 1-4 after a slow start to the year. They haven't won a game since Week 1. The Bears have won both their contests at Soldier Field this year, and look to keep that streak going tonight. But how will they win this game? Let's find out.
1. Let Fields Cook
After a slow start to the year, Justin Fields has progressed the last two weeks, with the start against the Vikings being arguably the best game of his career. He works best when we throw intermediate range passes. That's how we move the ball downfield. If we get him going, I doubt Carson Wentz will be able to keep up.
2. Run Game Bounce Back
The last two weeks have been down for the run game. Last week was bad for the running backs, as Fields was our top rusher with under 50 ground yards. This could be attributed to the losses of Cody Whitehair and elite run blocking WR Byron Pringle. N'Keal Harry is a good run blocker though, and with him back, maybe our run game can get going.
3. Edge Rushers, Please Come Back
Robert Quinn has been bad this year. He's nowhere close to the level of play he was at last season. From 18.5 sacks to 1 sack through 5 weeks. He needs to step it up. And they need to get Trevis Gipson more involved as well. Luckily, today we have a chance to do that as Washington's two tackles are bad. And guess what, both are former Bears. Charles Leno and Cornelius Lucas will make their returns to the Windy City, and hopefully the edge rushers can have a feast and completely shut down Carson Wentz's running ability. And from there, shut down their offense.
Final Prediction:
Bears 31, Commanders 10
The Bears will be debuting their orange helmets tonight
The 2022 Bears Are The Greatest Comedy Show On Earth
October 13, 2022, 10:30 PM CDT
I actually thought we were going to win 31-10 tonight. How did I not see this coming. The Bears came into the game with high expectations, as they had shown much offensive improvement in the second half of last weeks game. Little did we know how much of a fluke that was. Justin Fields was the only player to show up on offense tonight. Braxton Jones, who had played really good in his first 5 games, was eaten alive by Montez Sweat. Sam Mustipher continuing to start at Center baffles me. Teven Jenkins was and has been our best offensive lineman, only guy to show up tonight outside of Lucas Patrick for a few plays. Fields was taking hit after hit, somehow getting the ball away. He moved the ball well early, but threw a pick off a defensive lineman's helmet in the first quarter, and failed to convert a fourth and goal from the goal line in the second quarter. These mistakes would prove to have costed us the game. Despite the defense's best efforts, we couldn't do anything on offense. The Commanders scored a late first half field goal to make it 3-0 into halftime, and Dante Pettis caught a Fields deep ball to make it 7-3 Bears. Commanders scored a field goal early in the fourth quarter to make it 7-6. As the Bears prepared to get the ball back on a punt, Velus Jones muffed his second return in three weeks, and the Commanders got the ball. They capitalized with Brian Robinson's first NFL touchdown, and it was 12-7 after a missed 2-Pt try. We were able to get a chance but failed a 4th and 16. After a missed Washington field goal, we had a chance. A Fields 39 yard run set us up at the 5 yard line. But, in Bears fashion, we blow it. On 3rd and Goal, Dante Pettis almost came down with a catch on a play that should've been DPI. I should mention the refereeing was terrible tonight and gifted Washington multiple calls. On 4th and Goal, Fields found Mooney at the goal line, but Mooney juggled it and came down just outside of the endzone. Turnover on Downs. A Carson Wentz sneak out of the endzone ended the game. Fans, I invite you to watch the Greatest Comedy Show on Earth next week on ESPN, as the Bears take on the New England Patriots.
Justin Fields warms up in the all orange jersey/helmet combo
Fields Cooks, Bears Snap Skid On Primetime Against Pats
October 24, 2022, 10:53 PM CDT
The football gods finally blessed Bears fans with the performance we've been desperately needing for a longtime on Primetime television. I have so many thoughts that it all can't fit into one article today, I have to write a second tomorrow. The Bears came into this game not knowing what to expect from the Pats offense, as it was a mystery whether Mac Jones or Bailey Zappe was going to start this game. It ended up being the 2021 15th overall pick Jones, who was picked four spots lower than Fields and was regarded as the best rookie QB last season. What we saw tonight though showed that Fields was miles better than him. Coming off the mini-bye, the refreshed Bears team went to work, not only coming up big with three picks on defense, but Justin Fields also cooked as well. He passed for 179 yards and a touchdown, while adding 82 yards and another tuddy with his feet. Darnell Mooney was the top receiver with 3 catches for 53 yards, and Equanimeous St. Brown was close behind him with 4 catches for 48 yards. In N'Keal Harry's first game as a Bear, he caught just one pass for 14 yards, but has a great impact in run blocking as well. Him and EQ showed their blocking abilities off nicely today. David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert each had 62 rush yards as the Bears had 243 total rushing yards in this one. We had a hot start to this one, jumping out to a 10-0 lead with the peak at that point being the Jaquan Brisker interception that pulled Jones out of the game for Bailey Zappe. The Patriots then had two quick scoring drives to take a 14-10 lead on us. The offense quickly adjusted, and a Khalil Herbert screen TD and a Santos field goal made it 20-14 at half. We got the ball back to start the half as well, which was another Santos field goal drive. The other scoring drive was yet again a Santos field goal, this one his longest of the day from 50 yards. David Montgomery ran in a fourth quarter touchdown as we held on defensively to win. Both Roquan and Kyler Gordon got picks after the Monty touchdown, which just capped off a perfect night in Foxborough. As I said, more thought to come tomorrow reflecting on this 33-14 victory.
Jaquan Brisker gets his first INT of his career against the Patriots on Primetime
Fields Breaks Records, But Bears Lose Shootout 35-32 To Fins
November 6, 2022, 9:43 PM CST
I don't know how Bears fans can hate on Justin Fields anymore. This offense has arrived, and we just proved today that we can hang in there with the best in the league. The Miami Dolphins came into Soldier Field, and if they weren't bailed out late by some blatantly missed PI calls, we would be talking about a Bears comeback victory right now. Instead, anything the refs could've done to help the Dolphins beat us was done. Multiple missed intentional grounding and holding calls, a terrible PI call on Eddie Jackson (when he wasn't even looking at Jaylen Waddle and was making a play on the ball), and the missed PI on an intended pass downfield to Chase Claypool all cooked up a combination that resulted in a Bears loss. Oh yeah, the defense needs to get better for the Bears if we want any chance at beating elite offenses. Tua did so well in this game because almost every snap he had someone wide open, whether it be Tyreek Hill, Waddle, or Mike Gesicki. That has to change. Too much zone defense and guys being ten yards off on 3rd and short. We have to play man coverage against teams like this. If our offense didn't play the way they did, this would've been a blowout. However, something has clicked with the offense after the mini-bye after the Commanders game. The offense is keeping us in games. Not the defense like it's been the last few years. All this offseason we only heard from the players about how smart of a coach Luke Getsy was. After a rough start to the year, Getsy has come out of the mini-bye with some of his best play calls yet. Stealing plays from other teams playbooks, having a better knowledge of your players and their skillsets, and calling the right plays in the right situations have led to what we have started to call, "Let Getsy Cook," or also, "Let Fields Cook." Getsy was smart to take plays from the Ravens playbook (as said by Justin Fields) because Fields is an elite running quarterback. There is a serious conversation about whether Fields or Lamar is the best running QB in the NFL today. Those two are miles ahead of everyone, and todays game solidified Fields right into that conversation with Lamar. I mean, Fields broke the record for most rush yards by a QB in a single game with 178, breaking Michael Vick's record of 173. Every run play, especially that 61-yard touchdown run, was amazing from Fields. Oh man is he an amazing improvisor. Go watch that touchdown if you haven't yet, it's special. Another offensive player who made an impact today was Chase Claypool. The box score won't say he did (2 catches for 13 yards), but you could tell that he was unlocking guys potential just like I thought he would. The Dolphins immediately put their top guys on Claypool, which opened up Darnell Mooney to get his first touchdown of the year, and Cole Kmet had the first two touchdown game of his career. This was all thanks to Claypool taking top DBs off those guys and letting them get open. The Dolphins were so paranoid that they had to literally hug him to stop him from making a crucial catch late in the game (which was somehow not called DPI and would've changed the course of the game). Either way, watch out for Claypool next week against the Lions after he has a full week of practice and he develops more chemistry with Fields and the other receivers. He's already learned a lot of the playbook, which we can thank Darnell Mooney for as he invited Claypool over to his house to learn the book and catch with Mooney's JUGS machine. Those two could be a dominant duo moving forward. We also need to keep N'Keal Harry involved. After 51 snaps against Dallas, he was only in 21 today. We have to keep him in the game, since I believe he has the potential to be WR3 in this offense. Finally, Cole Kmet. As I mentioned earlier, Kmet had a two touchdown game today, something we were hoping to see. He's finally getting open in scoring positions, which has resulted in three touchdowns in two weeks. He will be my offensive All-22 review for this week, as his 72 snaps will be a lot to go through, but I can do it. I'll reveal my defensive review as Jack Sanborn, as I would like to see over film how he did at starting linebacker today. Overall, if we can keep this offense up and build an elite defense again, Super Bowl contention is not that far away.
Justin Fields 61-yard touchdown run vs Miami
Refs Cost Bears Another Game As We Fall 31-30 To Lions
November 13, 2022, 9:04 PM CST
What do we have to do to please these damn refs. It's insane how many calls the other team gets while we get zero calls. It all has to come down to gambling. Even if the refs don't gamble themselves (which is illegal in the NFL), they still likely have friends and family who gamble, which causes them to fix games. Back to back weeks we've seen the same thing happen. Last week, it was the Claypool no call PI. This week, it's an "illegal hands to the face" call on Jaylon Johnson. Johnson had his hands on his shoulders and the Lions defender flopped. This brought back a Jack Sanborn interception while up 14, and completely changed the complexity of this game. The Lions scored a touchdown, and then got a pick six off a Justin Fields screen pass to tie it up at 24. Fields came back the next drive to break one of his own records. Last week, he ran for the longest touchdown by any Bears QB ever (61 yards). This week, he surpassed that with a 67 yard touchdown run to put us up by 6. Cairo Santos missed the PAT, which ended up being the final reason we lost the game. The Lions ended up scoring a few drives later, as the defense collapsed late, and they took a one point advantage. A missed illegal contact call on the final drive also put a nail in the coffin, and Fields being sacked on 4th down ended the ballgame. I haven't mentioned his name yet, but Cole Kmet is amazing. Another two touchdown performance today, one from the redzone and another on a 50 yard touchdown catch. The offense is here, and this is the way Bears fans want us to lose. Exciting games that are close and show progress in Justin Fields' development. However, the refereeing is not how we want to lose. With this loss, I can safely say that our hopes of making the playoffs are dashed. All I care about from here out is showing signs of improvement, getting a good draft pick, holding on to the All-Time Most Wins Record, and beating the Packers on December 4th.
Justin Fields and Darnell Mooney after Fields 67-yard TD run
Bears Lose 4th Straight With 27-24 Loss To Falcons
November 20, 2022, 10:31 PM CST
Will the Bears win another game this season?
I'm sure that's the question a lot of you are wondering right now. We suck. It was evident today that a lot of work still needed to be done to fix this team. Starting with the defensive line. It's a bad unit. We need one of Will Anderson or Jalen Carter in the first round. We can't be good on defense without a good line. Stopping the run has been our biggest weakness all season. We put no pressure on the QB, and when we do, it's typically weak and they can escape it. On the flip side, the O-Line still has a ways to go before it is a good unit. Four sacks allowed today, plenty of TFLs on runs. We need a new Center, Right Tackle, and more depth at the Guard position. It will give Fields more time to run and open up new opportunities for the running backs on the team.
The offense still has things to fix outside of the line. After the last few weeks, everyone believed Fields could not be stopped. The Falcons didn't really stop him. What got Fields was the aforementioned O-Line, and fatigue. Luke Getsy calling back-to-back designed run plays with under 2 minutes left in the game, while Fields was dealing with cramping in his hamstrings from running so much the last couple weeks. It was a disaster waiting to happen. What was the disaster? A Fields interception on third down. Oh yeah, he's also injured. His left shoulder took a beating on a no-call late hit, and the status of it is unknown. We do know he took a cart from the field to the locker room after the game however. Monty looked decent, Mooney made a nice catch. We still have to get Chase Claypool more involved however.
Special teams it started out great. Velus Jones was active for the first time in two games today. He was taking Khalil Herbert's spot, with the RB on IR due to a hip injury sustained last week. His first return went for 50 yards. The Falcons didn't kick to him after that. A punt by the Bears later would result in DHC knocking the ball loose, and the Bears recovering. Surely nothing could go wrong on special teams. Except, it all came crashing down. Cairo Santos put a 56 yard field goal short (we lost by 3), though it would've broken his career long so you can't fault him too much. The big killer was right after we took a 17-7 lead, Cordarrelle Patterson returned the ensuing kickoff back to the house to make it a 3 point game. From there, it all came crashing down, and the Bears lost their 4th straight game since beating the Patriots on Monday Night Football.
Who's Next? New York Jets
Velus Jones Jr on his 50 yard kick return
Injuries Plague Bears In Loss To Jets
November 27, 2022, 5:30 PM CST
Get rid of the turf. Like, now. I'm glad Fields didn't play because if he got tackled just once, his shoulder would be done for. The injuries kept piling up. Fields was officially listed as inactive today, and Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker both were out with concussions. As the game went on, we saw Eddie Jackson leave with a non-contact foot injury. Darnell Mooney left, although that was more because a Jets player rolled onto his leg than it was the turf. Larry Borom, Riley Reiff, and Dane Cruikshank all left with injuries as well. Equanimeous St. Brown was shaken up at the end of the third quarter. It was insane. The NFL has to do something, because it's evident the turf at MetLife and other stadiums is ruining players games and seasons.
With Justin Fields out, it was up to Trevor Siemian to lead us in this game. Nathan Peterman, called up from the practice squad alongside DeMarquis Gates and Darrynton Evans, would serve as the backup. However, shortly before kickoff it was reported that Trevor had injured his oblique, and Peterman would start now with Siemian being the backup. David Montgomery was the emergency QB. The chaos didn't stop there though as it was reported just five minutes prior to kickoff that the Bears were still hoping Trevor could start regardless of the injury, which ended up happening. And to be honest, he looked good his first two drives. Check down ball actually worked with Darrynton Evans taking one 33 yards to get inside goal to go range. This came after the Jets marched down the field for an opening drive touchdown. Unfortunately, we had to settle for three. We forced the Jets to go three and out, and Siemian went back to cooking. He completed a deep ball to Chase Claypool for 31 yards, and Byron Pringle would end up catching his first touchdown as a Bear, going over a defender to grab the slick, underthrown ball. 10-7. The Jets drove the length of the field again, but the field goal try resulted in a botched snap and the Bears had the ball with a chance to go up two scores. That did not happen, and after we punted, the Jets scored on their next drive. Side note, that touchdown was the play Eddie Jackson got hurt on, and if he didn't get injured he would've stopped the touchdown from happening. The Jets would get the ball back before half and kick the field goal to go up 17-10. We got the ball back after the break, and went 3 and out. The Jets also went 3 and out. Great, now let's give the ball to David Montgomery for a 14 yard gain. And then proceed to get nothing the next 3 plays. We punted again, and the Jets next possession resulted in a score. Another Bears punt, and a Jets 32 yard rush touchdown made it 31-10. We then turned the ball over on downs the next drive, and the Jets once again drove down the field. They missed the 57 yard field goal, and it remained 31-10. With a chance for some garbage time points, we got the ball into goal to go range. But Siemian threw an interception, and that was that.
The Bears next matchup is against Green Bay. Currently, we hold the number two pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. However, we must beat our rivals. We can stop the tank for this week to beat them. But, I only see us having a chance if Fields plays. Rodgers is hurt, he's playing with a fractured thumb. If Brisker and Gordon come back, we can hopefully deny their receivers. Also, let's hope Eddie Jackson's and Darnell Mooney's injuries aren't too serious and they can play. There's a lot riding on this game. If the Packers lose to the Eagles tonight, than the winner of this game will have sole possession of the all-time most wins record. A record that at least a share of which has been held by the Bears for over 100 years.
Byron Pringle catches a touchdown against the Jets
Bears Choke Early Lead, Lose 28-19 To Packers
December 4, 2022, 10:15 PM CST
The Bears have once again lost to the Packers. This time, I don't really care as much as I have in years past. We looked good for the first three quarters. But I don't want to talk about what happened in the 4th Quarter. After an insane N'Keal Harry catch and a blocked Cairo Santos Field Goal attempt, we didn't get close to scoring again and wound up losing this one by two scores after having a two score lead at the end of the third. Giving up 18 points in the final quarter is not the recipe for victory. A good first drive of the game went down for the Bears, but we had to settle for three. After the defense finally made a stop and denied Aaron Rodgers, Justin Fields gave us some magic that we missed last week with a 56 yard rushing touchdown to put us up 10-0 early. Green Bay decided to march the ball downfield, but a redzone stand by us forced them to kick. First play of the next drive for Chicago? Fields launches a bomb downfield which Equanimeous St. Brown torched Jaire Alexander to make the catch and a 56 yard gain. David Montgomery finished off the final seven yards, but a missed Santos PAT meant the game stood at 16-3. To end the half, the Packers drove downfield but we stopped with the clock moving short of the goal line. For some reason, the Bears used a timeout instead of forcing the Packers to hurry up or use one of their own, resulting in Rodgers finding Christian Watson open for a touchdown. Green Bay, despite receiving the ball in the third, wouldn't score in the quarter. Instead, it was a Cairo Santos 28 yard field goal that put the Bears up by 9. The Cheeseheads would quickly drive downfield and score to open up the fourth quarter on an AJ Dillon 21 yard run. The Bears responded with another deep ball, this one going 49 yards to N'Keal Harry, who once again beat Jaire Alexander. The Bears then ran the ball three straight times for some reason, making them kick the field goal. The kick was blocked, and that missed PAT would be real impactful here as Mason Crosby hit a chip shot field goal and Green Bay took a one point advantage. Fields was marching us downfield, but Jaire picked out Fields after EQ ran a bad route. The Packers would score again on a Christian Watson 46 yard run, and they would smartly go for two and make it a two score game. Fields was picked off late in garbage time, and we lose. With the loss, the Packers take over as the winningest franchise in the NFL. The Bears also were eliminated from playoff contention as the Giants and Commanders tied today. At this point, we are in lose out mode. Nothing to play for but a high draft pick. Number one is still in play, if we lose out and the Texans win two more games. Than, we can choose whoever we want.
Insane angle of N'Keal Harry's Catch in the 4th Quarter