New Year, Same Result: Bears Get Outplayed By Packers
September 12, 2023, 10:09 PM CDT
I cannot believe it. All the hope I had for this team just got flushed down the drain. The Bears just looked unprepared to play the Packers. All the hype coming into this game around the fanbase just to get smacked around once again. Even with Aaron Rodgers gone, we still cannot beat the Packers. From the start to the end, it was just awful. A horrible sequence on the first drive in which we were stopped on third and fourth down set the tone for the game. Green Bay got a touchdown next drive, and we would respond with two field goals on our next two drives. The Packers made it 10-6 with a field goal heading into halftime. You would think the Bears, who had resorted to screen passes most of the game, would make adjustments as that offensive strategy was not working. Pass more to DJ Moore, who had just two first-half targets. Let Justin run the ball more and let him throw it deep. Nope, that was all ignored by Luke Getsy when he was calling plays. It seemed like sabotage. The screens were getting blown up, and Cole Kmet, Chase Claypool, and Nate Davis not making blocks didn't help. While this was going on offensively, Green Bay figured out our defense and started picking it apart. This was because they made proper adjustments, and started using Aaron Jones. Eventually, it got to 24-6 before finally Fields decided to go against Getsy and audibled a play so he could sling the ball to Darnell Mooney for the Bears' first touchdown of the year. There was a slight amount of hope, but that quickly vanished as the defense failed to stop Green Bay, allowing another touchdown to make it 31-14. Fields then threw a pick-six on a throw over the middle to make it 38-14. You'd think the Bears would play with a sense of urgency, but nope. Getsy continued to call screen passes until we got down near the goal line late in the game. Roschon Johnson showed promise in this game, being one of the only bright spots along with Darnell Mooney and Kyler Gordon, and scored his first career touchdown on a two-yard run. Speaking of Kyler, he's out for at least the next four weeks with a broken hand. There's a lot more I could say about guys like Chase Claypool and Nate Davis, but I'm sure most of my readers have seen what has taken place on social media with those guys in the last few days. No need to waste more of my energy on those guys, they have to be better against Tampa Bay next weekend. If not, the season will very quickly be over.
This pick-six by Quay Walker solidified the Bears loss in Week One
Keys To The Game: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
September 16, 2023, 10:26 PM CDT
After the disappointment that was last week's Bears game, the team has an opportunity to reset this week and get their first win of the season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who enter this contest 1-0 after a surprising victory against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. However, Tampa Bay will be missing Starting Cornerback Carlton Davis and Starting Rookie Defensive Lineman Calijah Kancey. Both are key players on the Tampa Bay defense and are going to be factors in us having a better chance at this game now that they're out. But what else needs to go right for the Bears in order to pick up a victory this week? Here are my three keys to a Bears win in Tampa Bay.
1. Utilize Justin's Strengths
Last week's offensive game plan was terrible. Screen passes and dump-offs most of the game. Not even using Justin's best weapon, his legs, on a designed QB run outside of a failed draw play. I get everyone jokes about him being a running back, but come on you have to utilize his best weapon. Not to mention, his deep ball is his best throwing strength. He was one of the most accurate deep ball throwers in the league last year, and on Sunday was 2/2 with a touchdown on passes over 20 yards through the air. Especially with Carlton Davis out, we need Fields to throw the ball deep and gain big chunks of yards through the air (and also on the ground with his legs).
2. Put Pressure On The Quarterback
Last week we had two QB pressures all game. That cannot happen again this week. We let Jordan Love settle in, and look what happened in the second half. We got absolutely smoked on defense. Hopefully, with Alan Williams not being available on Sunday due to a personal issue, Matt Eberflus can call up some blitzes and help show Alan when he eventually gets back that blitzing and getting pressure on the QB will help our defense get off the field and prevent points from scoring. Baker Mayfield tends to get settled in after a while, so get to him early to make sure he doesn't get settled in and we don't get picked apart the whole game.
3. Improved Offensive Line
The Interior of the Offensive Line last week was terrible. Especially Nate Davis, who will be missing this game due to a reported death in his family. This family member was also the cause of his absences during camp, so my prayers go out to him and his family. Hopefully, he can return to what he showed in Tennessee after he gets back from this unfortunate situation. I feel bad for him with all the hate he's received over the offseason from fans who have called him lazy, meanwhile he's had this going on in his life since shortly after he signed with us. Replacing him will likely be either Ja'Tyre Carter or Dan Feeney. Carter showed great promise in the preseason, and Feeney has been serviceable throughout his career. More importantly, we need good games from Lucas Patrick and Cody Whitehair as well. This way we can protect Justin to help give him more time to throw, as well as open up holes for the three running backs to do their thing. And while he's not in the interior, Braxton Jones needs to have a better game, especially limiting penalties. As for Darnell Wright, he had a solid game on Sunday and the hope is for more improvement this week.
Score Prediction: Bears 26, Buccaneers 20
I really need the Bears to win this week. I think we will be able to pull this one off and improve to .500 on the year. Especially with the Chiefs coming up next week, we can't afford to begin the season 0-3. I'll also be at this game, so I want to see the Bears win. Let's hope they prove our new beliefs about the team wrong after last week's terrible showing and beat the Buccaneers on their home field.
The Bears need to get a win against Tampa Bay to get back on track
Bears Disappoint Again, Lose 27-17 To Bucs
September 18, 2023, 9:57 PM CDT
12 straight regular-season losses. It's getting really frustrating not seeing my team win football games, especially against teams that, on paper, they should beat. I also traveled out to Tampa excited to see this one in person, but I left sunburnt and disappointed. What makes it even worse is that we got off to a great start too. After allowing a field goal on the first defensive drive, DJ Moore caught two passes for big yardage and it set up a Fields play-action bootleg to give us an early 7-3 lead. However, after that drive, it looked like Fields just fell apart. He did well with a script on the first drive but failed to adjust for the second and third quarters. Hell, the second drive started on the 50-yard line after Rasheem Green blocked a Buccaneers Field Goal attempt. Yet Fields' biggest flaw, holding onto the ball for way too long, came back to bite him as he got sacked and had to punt it away. The next Bucs drive changed the momentum as well after a blatant Offensive Pass Interference on Mike Evans was missed by the refs, and he went 70 yards on that play to help set up Rachaad White for a Buccaneers rushing touchdown to take a 10-7 lead. After both teams punted their next two drives, the Bears tied it up on a Cairo Santos 52-yard field goal at the two-minute warning. However, the Bucs were able to take the lead with a 25-yard field goal as the clock expired to go up 13-10 at the half. After another Bears punt to begin the 3rd Quarter, mostly thanks to a missed block by Braxton Jones resulting in a sack, the Bucs drove downfield before the Bears forced a fumble to make it 3rd and 14. Of course, Baker Mayfield would throw a dime to Mike Evans for a 32-yard touchdown and extend the Bucs lead to 20-10. Both teams traded off punts on each of their next two drives before finally, the Bears began to rally in the fourth when Justin Fields led an 8-play, 90-yard drive in 3:53 that was capped off by Chase Claypool's first touchdown as a Bear. Claypool, who had meetings with the Bears front office, coaching staff, and players this week, showed much more effort in this game and was rewarded with his touchdown. He finished with 3 catches for 36 yards, but the touchdown is a huge confidence booster that will hopefully get him into rhythm. The defense was able to force the Bucs to punt, and Justin Fields got the ball with 2:24 left in the game with the opportunity to lead his first game-winning drive in the NFL. On the first play, he got lucky with an offsides that gave the Bears some breathing room after starting on their own 7-yard line. The 1st and 5 play from the Bears' 12-yard line was the same screen play they were running on the original 1st and 10 that was called offsides. Khalil Herbert brought it 9 yards to the 21, but a Claypool Offensive Pass Interference penalty (which shouldn't have been called if the Evans OPI wasn't called) moved the Bears back to 1st and 11 at their own 6. The Bears lined up in the same formation as the first two plays, and as Lavonte David put it, "everyone knew what was coming." This allowed Shaq Barrett to be ready for the screen, and he picked off Fields and brought it into the endzone to kill any hopes of a Bears comeback. 27-17 Bucs. Fields threw a desperation pass to Chase Claypool on the next drive that went right off his fingers and was picked as well. Baker Mayfield, who threw for 317 yards on our defense, kneeled to finish off another disappointing Bears loss. With the Chiefs coming up next week, it is very possible and very likely we start 0-3. We need Fields to improve next week. He was holding onto the ball for way too long on multiple instances in this game, which cost the Bears points at times. Those points would've been crucial to a Bears win. But alas, we can't go back and change the result. We can only look forward. Fields needs to learn to mix both dump-offs and deep passes, he needs to trust his receivers to go get the ball, and he also needs to run the ball. I know he has many people calling him a Running Back, but his legs are his best weapon. Use them. Also, utilize the actual Running Backs more. Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson combined for 11 carries for 67 yards. Only 11 carries. That cannot happen again next week if you want even the slightest chance to beat the Chiefs. Something needs to change in practice this week. Please. I just want to win football games.
The Bears fell to 0-2 after a loss to Tampa Bay
Keys To The Game: Kansas City Chiefs
September 24, 2023, 12:09 PM CDT
It was a wild week at Halas Hall. From Justin Fields' press conference to Braxton Jones going on IR to the whole Alan Williams debacle, there was a lot of chaos surrounding the Bears this past week. And to top it all off, the Bears have to close out their week playing the defending champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. It's a game that not many, if anybody at all, will be picking us to win. We've looked terrible the first two weeks of the season on both sides of the ball. And with all the chaos that occurred this week, it would be easy to rule us out of this one. However, maybe the chaos is what we need to help turn this thing around. Here are my three keys to this game that can maybe give us a sliver of hope of pulling off the upset.
1. Play To Justin Fields' Strengths
This was my first key for last week's game against Tampa Bay, and I'm going to use it again for this one. If we want any chance of keeping up with the Chiefs, it is going to have to come from a big performance by Justin Fields. He has struggled the first two weeks, with many calling into question whether he can be the long-term solution at Quarterback for the Bears. However, after everything that went down with him and the coaching staff via his Wednesday press conference, I have a feeling this is the game where Luke Getsy finally goes back to utilizing his legs as the main weapon for Fields. Not only will it help keep the Chiefs' defense on its heels, but it will also help Fields to get the ball to his receivers more as he can now play off instincts rather than trying to hold the ball for too long. If Luke Getsy designed this week around Fields' strengths, we may see more of that Week 7-11 2022 offense where we were scoring a ton of points each game.
2. Neutralize Travis Kelce
The Chiefs' wide receivers aren't the greatest this season. We all saw Kadarius Toney's terrible drops in Week One. But who they didn't have in that game that they got back last week was Travis Kelce. Mahomes will be relying a lot on Kelce to move the ball through the air. The secondary is going to have to step up today. Eddie Jackson is out with a foot injury. Jaquan Brisker needs a big game against Kelce to give us a shot at stopping the Chiefs from getting big yardage through the passing game.
3. Get The Running Backs Going
Last week, Bears running backs tallied 67 yards on 11 carries. This included a big run from Roschon Johnson, who was subsequently not used for the remainder of the game. You need to keep using the ground game to move the ball. If it's working, like it was on Sunday, don't avoid running the ball. Keep using Herbert and Roschon. Who knows, one of them may break free and go for a long touchdown run.
Score Prediction: Bears 14, Chiefs 45
Until the Bears can actually win a game, I'll be predicting them to lose every week from here on out. I've learned from the first two weeks. You can never bet on the Bears, because they'll somehow find a way to disappoint.
The Bears last played the Chiefs in the 2022 preseason, picking up a win
Chiefs Slaughter Bears 41-10
September 24, 2023, 10:12 PM CDT
The Bears got embarrassed today. After a week of controversy surrounding the organization, some thought "How crazy would it be if the Bears won this game." Well, that was certainly not the case. This game was ugly from the start. Somehow we held the Chiefs to just seven points in the first quarter. The wheels fell off in the second quarter, however. Turnover after turnover for the Bears eventually led to the Chiefs jumping out to a 34-0 halftime lead, scoring 13 points in the final 2 minutes of the half alone. Travis Kelce caught a third-quarter touchdown to make it 41-0, and that made Taylor Swift happy in the booth. Thank god people were distracted by Fox showing her every second than the Bears because my god that was terrible. We finally started doing something in the 4th Quarter after the Chiefs put their backups in. Cairo Santos hit a field goal and the Bears' defense got not one, but two(!!) interceptions, one by Jack Sanborn and the other by Quindell Johnson, one of our waiver claims a few weeks ago. Justin also hit DJ Moore for a touchdown. I would say that is the first of many between the two, but at this point, we'll be on track for Caleb Williams or Drake Maye this offseason. This team has to get better, I can't watch this level of football for the rest of the year.
Jerick McKinnon scores a touchdown
Keys To The Game: Denver Broncos
October 1, 2023, 11:51 AM CDT
The Bears now sit at 0-3 after getting blown out by the Chiefs last week. However, they take on maybe the only team that has been worse than them this year so far, the Denver Broncos today. It's a perfect opportunity to get a win and turn this thing around. How can we beat Denver, though? Here are my three keys to the Bears picking up their first win of the season today.
1. Justin Regains Confidence
Go back and watch Justin Fields' highlights from the 2021 game in Pittsburgh. It's almost like watching a completely different player. He was confident and was getting the ball to his receivers with great throws and reading the defense well. Now, it seems like his confidence has been completely destroyed. We have to hope he regains that confidence from that Pittsburgh game, and really the confidence from his rookie season, and balls out today to finally secure his 6th NFL win as a starter and the first Bears win in almost a full calendar year against the worst defense in the league.
2. Pressure Russell Wilson
With our secondary being almost completely depleted (missing Jaylon Johnson, Eddie Jackson, and Kyler Gordon), we need guys like Yannick Ngakoue to get to Russell Wilson in order to keep him from exploiting those rookie and backup DBs we have playing today. Hopefully, Jaquan Brisker can step up as well and keep the Broncos from letting Russ cook.
3. Linebackers Step Up
It's no secret that the linebackers have struggled early this season, with TJ Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds looking non-existent at times. Luckily, Jack Sanborn got a pick last week to help those guys out, but we need to see more from them today. Especially with a mostly backup secondary, we need the linebackers to step up and keep the Broncos from moving the ball. That way, we can keep the offense on the field against the Broncos worst defense in the NFL.
Final Score:
Bears 35, Broncos 38
While I do believe the Bears can win this game, I am not going to predict them to win until they actually show they can win a game. The Broncos have the worst defense in the NFL, and the Bears have the second worst defense, which is why I think it will be a high scoring affair. But in the end I think the Bears lose to Denver and start the year off at 0-4.
The Bears beat the Broncos when they last played in 2019
Bears Choke To Broncos, Somehow Lose 31-28
October 1, 2023, 8:13 PM CDT
Are you kidding me? Like no are we being serious? HOW DID YOU CHOKE THAT? The Bears were FINALLY about to secure a win, and then they decided to give up 24 unanswered points and squander a 28-7 lead to lose 31-28 to another 0-3 team. An 0-3 team who, mind you, had just surrendered 70 POINTS last week. At halftime, Justin Fields had 3 touchdown passes (one to DJ Moore, 2 to Cole Kmet), and just one incompletion, with that being on a Hail Mary! Hell, even after the third we still had a strong lead, as Khalil Herbert scored but the Broncos answered with a touchdown late in the quarter. So what happened to the offense in the 4th? Well, we experienced another Justin Fields choke. After not doing anything with the ball up 28-21, Fields got the ball to try and put together a nail-in-the-coffin drive. Instead, a blown block by Larry Borom led to Fields getting hit, fumbling, and the Broncos scooping and scoring to tie the game at 28. The offense once again got the ball, and this time they managed to drive down the field and get to 4th and 1 deep in Broncos territory. They elected to pass on the field goal (some people are mad at this, I am not) and try and get the first to run more clock and score the winner later. Instead of running the tush push play that the Eagles are extremely successful with, they line up out of shotgun and Khalil Herbert gets blown up. Broncos ball. Justin also could've and should've kept the ball as he had a wide-open first down. Of course, the Broncos drove down the field to kick the go-ahead field goal. So the ball comes back to Justin Fields and the Bears offense with 1:46 left to try and get down the field to either tie the game with a field goal or win it with a touchdown. What happens? Fields throws a pick to Kareem Jackson, and the Broncos get their first win of the year while the Bears fall to 0-4. It's going to be a long season, and I'm losing hope that Justin can be the guy going forward.
DJ Moore had an incredible game, but it was all for nothing
Keys To The Game: Washington Commanders
October 5, 2023, 6:33 PM CDT
It's time for another Bears game. This one is a Thursday Night matchup in Washington against the Commanders. We hosted them on Thursday Night last season, losing a heartbreaker 12-7. We won the week after that, but haven't won since. Now, we hope to beat them to snap our long losing streak. Here are my three keys to finally snapping the losing streak and getting into the win column for the first time this season.
1. Keep The Offense Cooking
Through the first three-quarters of last week, the Bears offense was cooking. Justin Fields was 23-24 (the only incompletion was a hail mary) for 285 yards and 4 passing touchdowns. Khalil Herbert also had his best game of the year. However, the offense stopped cooking after the third and we couldn't respond to the Broncos as they chipped away and ultimately took the lead and won. We need to keep going on offense through all four quarters if we want to beat a Washington offense that has been very good this season.
2. Mix Up The Coverages
Eddie Jackson said that Sam Howell has a problem reading coverages. The issue is, we really only run Cover 2. It will be so easy for him to read our defense and pick it apart. So Matt Eberflus, I beg of you, switch it up tonight. We've allowed 25+ points in 14 straight games. Please, mix it up and keep the Washington offense on their heels. Please.
3. Win It For Dick
Just about an hour ago, it was announced that Bears legend Dick Butkus passed away in his sleep today. He has been around the team a lot these last two years, even taking over the Bears' Twitter (or I guess it's now "X") account for a day. They even put him on the field for Week 1 before the game. Hopefully the guys will take this as motivation, say screw the tank, and win this game for Dick Butkus.
The Bears look to avenge their loss to Washington last year tonight
Bears Finally End Losing Streak, Beat Commanders 40-20
October 5, 2023, 11:04 PM CDT
THE BEARS HAVE FINALLY DONE IT! They have won a game for the first time in almost a year, getting their revenge against the Commanders from last year's Thursday Night game with a nice 40-20 win. The offense is finally clicking, and even the defense was able to play a great game today, racking up 5(!!!) sacks today. Let's go ahead and recap today's game in its entirety.
The Bears ended up winning the coin toss but chose to receive the ball instead of kicking it away to start the game. The result of this decision was a 6-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a DJ Moore 20-yard touchdown reception. Moore had also caught another pass earlier in the drive that went for 58 yards. The Bears stopped the Commanders on their first drive and then took it downfield on 11 plays to set up a 22-yard Cairo Santos field goal to make it 10-0. After another Commanders 3 and out, the Bears offense took the ball 69 yards on 6 plays that resulted in yet another DJ Moore touchdown from 11 yards out. See what happens when you get the ball to your playmakers? After trading off field goals right before halftime, Sam Howell took the ball with 2:24 left in the second looking to drive the Commanders downfield right before the half. His first snap was picked off by Greg Stroman though, and the Bears got to work on another touchdown drive, this one coming from a Fields 4-yard pass to Cole Kmet. Boos started coming down at FedEx Field as the Bears took a 27-3 lead into the half.
Despite leading 27-3, we knew that no lead was safe, especially after last week. The Commanders exposed these worries by immediately going 75 yards on 5 plays to open the second half with a touchdown and two-point conversion. 27-11. After a Bears punt, we started to get worried. That was until Terell Smith, a rookie corner out of Minnesota who has been playing due to injuries in our secondary, forced a fumble to give the Bears the ball in solid field position. However, the OLine didn't do its job on the next drive, as Teven Jenkins was taken out of the game for some reason and Ja'Tyre Carter didn't play well at all in his limited snaps. After the Bears punt, the teams once again traded field goals before Washington would embark on yet another 75-yard touchdown drive, with Howell completing a pass to Curtis Samuel to finish it off. The two-point attempt failed though, and it remained a two-score game. The Commanders, down 30-20, went on another long drive and got the chance to kick a 46-yard field goal with 5:14 left in the 4th to make it a one-score game. Joey Slye missed it wide right, however, and the score stayed the same. The Bears went to chew clock the next drive, running with Khari Blasingame on first and second down. All three of our active running backs (Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson, and Travis Homer) got hurt in this one which is why Blasingame was getting snaps out of the backfield. On 3rd and 2, the Bears and Commanders both gambled. Fields threw it up to DJ Moore, who caught it over Kendall Fuller, and had green grass the rest of the way, and called game with a 56-yard touchdown, Fields' 4th on the day and Moore's 3rd. Outside of the 3 touchdowns, Moore caught a total of 8 passes for 230 yards. In my 2 Fantasy PPR leagues in which I started Moore in both, he dropped 49 fantasy points. Pretty good if you ask me. The Commanders turned it over on downs, the Bears kicked a field goal, and then the clock ran out to finally give the Bears the win they'd been looking for.
If the Bears can keep this momentum going, they definitely have a shot at winning their next couple of games. Minnesota is up after the mini-bye, followed by the Raiders, Chargers, Saints, and Panthers. It's not impossible to think that the team could win three of those games if they play like they did today. Plus, you never know what momentum can do for a team. Our whole season could be flipped just by winning today. And hey, it makes it even more special knowing you won this game for a Bears legend like Dick Butkus.
DJ Moore celebrates during his big night against Washington
Keys To The Game: Minnesota Vikings
October 15, 2023, 10:09 AM CDT
The Chicago Bears are back in action today after their mini-bye helped them rest and regroup following a big win against the Commanders last Thursday that snapped their 14-game losing streak. It will help them even more today if they can secure a win over the Minnesota Vikings, which is very possible. The Vikings have had a slow start to the year, and have dealt with some injuries, including to star Wide Receiver Justin Jefferson, who will be out for the next 4-6 weeks with a hamstring injury. With that all in mind, here are my three keys to a Bears victory over the Vikings today:
1. Keep Fields and Moore Cooking
The Bears have finally been getting DJ Moore the ball over the last two weeks, and we've seen Justin Fields' numbers in that time. It even led to DJ's 3 TD NFC Offensive Player of the Week performance against the Commanders. Now that the offense is in a groove, they need to keep it that way in order to beat the Vikings. Minnesota's defense isn't that good, and now that Teven Jenkins is back at Left Guard full-time, Justin Fields will have even more help at keeping a clean pocket and getting the ball out before he gets hit. Don't count out Darnell Mooney today either.
2. Lockdown Secondary
The Vikings are losing Justin Jefferson for this game due to his injury. We are gaining Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon as they both return today. While Jaylon won't be hindered, it is likely that Gordon will have some form of protection on his hand that he recently had surgery on. With Jefferson out, the Vikings will now look to Jordan Addison and TJ Hockenson as their pass-catching threats. So not only do Jaylon and Kyler need to help, but the safeties Jaquan Brisker and Eddie Jackson, who is also returning from injury this week, need to step up and help guard Hockenson and their other wideouts. If we can keep Kirk Cousins from getting into a rhythm, we've got a serious chance of shutting down their offense today.
3. Get Pressure On Kirk
Not only does the secondary need to step up, but the DLine needs to as well. They had 5 sacks against the Commanders last week after having just 2 all season coming into that game. On the interior, we need to see more of Gervon Dexter and Andrew Billings. Those two both had really good games against Washington and we need them to keep it up. Yannick Ngakoue is facing one of his old teams today, so hopefully there's an extra sense of urgency to get to the Quarterback today from him. If we can keep bringing Kirk down in the backfield before he can even throw, or even just pressure him into making bad throws, we will have a great shot at winning our second straight game today, the first time we would be doing that since 2021.
The Bears look to improve to 2-4 today against Minnesota
Fields Gets Hurt, Bears Lose 19-13 To Vikings
October 15, 2023, 6:08 PM CDT
Well, it's back to our losing ways. This time, our QB1 is now out for what could be an extended period of time! Just wonderful. Losing a division game hurts, especially when you thought you had a good chance at winning. The Vikings were missing Justin Jefferson, and the Bears were coming off a big win against Washington. So you'd think the Bears would be able to win, right? Nope, Justin Fields reverted back to his old habits of holding onto the ball for too long, which ultimately got him injured in the 3rd Quarter. Even if he didn't get hurt, I'm not sure we win this game. His right thumb is reportedly dislocated, so I would expect him to miss at least next week as well. Tyson Bagent took over and was decent, but he did throw a bad pick to lose the game. Maybe if the offense had continued to play like they did against Denver and Washington, and not only scored 6 points in the first half, we would have won this game with ease. The defense did its job, only allowing 12 points, all of which came in the first half. The other 7 points came on a fumble-six on Bagent's first drive. Even after that play, Bagent looked to be getting us back into the game. On his second-to-last drive, he led the offense down the field in nine plays before scoring his first career touchdown on a QB sneak. Even on his last drive, he was moving the ball, until he underthrew a pass to the end zone on a first and 10 from Minnesota's 35-yard line, being picked off by Byron Murphy to seal the game. I am honestly excited to see what he can do with a full week of preparation, especially with Jimmy Garopolo leaving the Raiders game with an injury. Maybe Bagent can shine and lead us to victory over a potential backup QB for Las Vegas. If that were to happen, Fields would need to turn around and ball out real quickly. This may be his last chance, as the Bears are nose-diving toward the number one (and number two) picks in the 2023 Draft. And Caleb Williams will be right there for the taking if the team even has the slightest bit of doubt in Fields' ability long-term.
Tyson Bagent celebrates his first NFL touchdown
Bagent, Bears Snap Home Losing Streak, Beat Raiders 30-12
October 22, 2023, 4:35 PM CDT
It finally happened. The Bears have won a game at Soldier Field for the first time since Week 3 of 2022, which coincidentally happens to be the first time we won on a Sunday since that game. This means we will finally be celebrating a Victory Monday tomorrow. And hopefully, we can celebrate one next Monday too. But for now, let's just focus on this game. It was a dominant performance from the start. Not many people expected much from the Bears in this game. Tyson Bagent was making his first NFL start, which was the big story. He did exactly what he needed to do, complete quick passes to avoid pressure and move the ball downfield. He threw for 162 yards, a 72.4 completion percentage, and a touchdown in his first start, a decent game for an undrafted rookie out of Shepherd University. The man who should get all the respect though is D'Onta Foreman. After being a healthy inactive from Weeks 2-5, Foreman has made the most of his opportunities since the running back room got banged up. He rushed for 89 yards a 2 touchdowns today, adding on another 31 yards and a touchdown through the air. Roschon Johnson could be back from his concussion next week, but I would expect Foreman to continue to get the majority of carries as he has the hot hand right now. Foreman's three touchdowns carried the Bears to a fourth-quarter 24-6 lead. That's when Jaylon Johnson jumped a bad throw from Brian Hoyer and snagged his second career interception, returning it to the house before doing the "make it rain" celebration to the camera. That was the Bears' second interception off Hoyer, as Tremaine Edmunds snagged one in the second. As everyone was processing the pick-six, Johnson tripled his career interception in this game by picking off Raiders rookie Quarterback Aidan O'Connell, who replaced Brian Hoyer after the Johnson pick-six. It took about five minutes of real-time for Jaylon to go from one career interception to three. As he seeks a contract extension from the team, those picks go a long way to earning more money. The Raiders would get a garbage time touchdown before failing the two-point conversion, and that was it. The Bears ended their losing streak at home and jumped to 2-5 on the year. They head to SoFi Stadium next week to face the Chargers on Sunday Night Football. There's a chance Justin Fields could be back by the time that game rolls around, but it seems likely that Tyson Bagent will start that game. Who knows, maybe he can snap our losing streak on Sunday Night Football, which has been going on since we beat the Rams in 2018.
Tyson Bagent led the Bears to a win in his first NFL game
Bears Lose Again On Sunday Night, 30-13 Against Chargers
October 29, 2023, 11:30 PM CDT
The Bears' woes continue on Sunday Night Football as we continue our losing streak that started after our 2018 win against the Rams. I already didn't have much hope coming into this game, apart from Brandon Staley possibly calling a horrible game, but that didn't happen. The game started with a lot of promise too, after Bagent connected on a deep ball to Darnell Mooney that (should've) been a touchdown but instead was ruled down after a gain of 41. The drive, of course, immediately stalled and the Bears punted. The Chargers immediately began their gameplan of screen passes, which of course worked against us despite literally no screens working for us apart from that one in the preseason. Austin Ekeler decided to make Bears defenders pay for not knowing how to tackle, and he scored from 39 yards out on a screen to get the Chargers on the board. The game was basically over after the Bears went 3 and out on the next drive, and the Chargers immediately drove down to extend their lead to 14-0. The second quarter wasn't much better, as the Chargers scored a field goal before we finally put a drive together. Darrynton Evans scored his first touchdown as a Bear on an 11-yard run, but the drive could've been over a lot sooner if Velus Jones hadn't dropped a 40-yard dime in the endzone. At this point, it might be time for Ryan Poles to admit his mistake and cut Jones. The Chargers hit the two-minute drill and scored with four seconds remaining in the half to make it 24-7. Scoring quieted down from there, with each side putting up six points in the half. The Chargers got theirs on two field goals, while Tyson Bagent got in on a QB sneak but missed the two-point conversion. Hopefully, Justin Fields is back next week as evaluating him is all we have left this season as we are now 2-6.
Austin Ekeler was doing damage against the Bears tonight
Turnovers Cost Bears in 24-17 Loss To Saints
November 5, 2023, 5:12 PM CST
Man, the Bears were close to winning this game. But 5 turnovers don't usually result in wins, especially when a lot of those turnovers are late in the game. Honestly, I don't think they lose this game with Justin Fields, but you never know, as Bagent's three interceptions could've been replaced with three Fields fumbles and I wouldn't have been surprised. That's what he needs to also work on when he gets back, ball security. Back to the game, it was pretty neck and neck through the first three quarters. Cole Kmet caught two first-half touchdowns, including one where he mossed Tyrann Mathieu on the first drive of the game. The Saints scored two touchdowns of their own in the first half, and the teams went to their locker rooms level at 14-14. The Bears actually could've had the lead at half, but Cairo Santos missed a 40-yard field goal. When Cairo is missing, something is wrong. That something was four of the five turnovers coming in the second half. After both teams exchanged field goals in the third quarter, the Saints scored a touchdown early in the 4th to go up 24-17. Bagent immediately threw an interception, and the Saints got the ball with great field position. However, they turned the ball over on downs after failing to convert a 4th and 1, and it was our turn to try and go tie this game up. Bagent proceeded to throw another interception, giving the Saints the ball right back. New Orleans punted after only gaining one yard on the ensuing drive, but the punt pinned us back deep. After we had to punt when we did nothing on offense, and the Saints got the ball at our 36 after the refs gifted them a facemask penalty, it seemed like the game was over. However, their kicker missed a 47-yard field goal, and somehow we again had a chance to go down and tie the game. The drive immediately fell apart after a holding call against Darnell Wright, and then a Tyson Bagent fumble that the Saints recovered, finally putting an end to the game. The Saints keep their playoff hopes above water, and we fall to 2-7 and closer to Caleb Williams territory. Speaking of Quarterbacks, Justin Fields should hopefully be back against Carolina, though the team could decide to hold him until we play Detroit in two weeks.
Cole Kmet mossed Tyrann Mathieu en route to a 2 touchdown game in a losing effort vs the Saints
Bears Equal 2022 Win Total With Victory Over Panthers
November 9, 2023, 11:40 PM CST
The Bears have picked up win number three on the season with a 16-13 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Thursday Night Football. It wasn't a pretty win whatsoever, but they were able to pull it off in the end. Justin Fields missed his fourth straight game, leaving Tyson Bagent to once again get the start. He wasn't bad, but he wasn't great either. He went 20/33 for 162 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions. D'Onta Foreman was the bulk of the offensive production in this one. He rushed 21 times for 80 yards, and the Bears only touchdown. DJ Moore and Cole Kmet each caught 5 passes, and the rest of the Bears scoring came from three Cairo Santos field goals. Normally 16 points isn't enough to win a football game, but we played the worst team in the league. Former Bear Eddie Pineiro went 2/3 on field goals, the miss coming on a 59-yard try that would've tied the game late. The only other score from the Panthers came on an Ihmir Smith-Marsette punt return touchdown, but the defense held Bryce Young to just 185 yards passing. Montez Sweat, while not getting a sack, registered 8 pressures on Young, a key point in keeping him from doing anything offensively. The Pineiro miss finished off an ugly 16-13 Bears win to match our 2022 win total, and it improved our record to 3-7. The win also helped our draft position as Carolina now goes back to having the first pick over Arizona. We should be getting Justin Fields back next week against Detroit, and the offense could use his versatility to help get more points on the board. You never know, maybe the Bears find a way to pull off an upset and beat the Lions.
D'Onta Foreman celebrates a touchdown against his former team
Bears Collapse Late, Lose 31-26 To Lions
November 19, 2023, 8:37 PM CST
I should currently be writing about a stunning Bears victory. One that left the rest of the division, and league, in shock. Alas, that is not the case as the Bears once again choked a game where they had a multi-possession lead. The fact that they even got a multi-possession lead against Detroit was shocking. But that can happen when your Defense/Special Teams force four turnovers. Tyrique Stevenson, Tremaine Edmunds, and TJ Edwards all intercepted Jared Goff, and Stevenson also forced a fumble on a kickoff return that the Bears recovered. Not only did the team have a 26-14 lead with four minutes left in the game and the four turnovers they forced, but they also had over 40 minutes of possession. They are the first team in NFL history to have a +3 turnover margin and 40 minutes of possession and still lose. How did that happen? Simple, when the Lions started moving the ball quickly, the Bears had no answers. Not only did they give up 17 points in the final four minutes of the game, but they also let the Lions drive very quickly down the field at the end of the first half for a touchdown. That cannot be happening. Little mistakes also contributed to the loss. Tyler Scott had a horrible game. He fumbled in the second quarter to set up the Lions' first touchdown drive, and he mistimed a Fields bomb late in the fourth that would've sealed the game, resulting in a Bears punt. If you go back to the Lions' first touchdown drive, when the Bears were up 7-0, Jaylon Johnson dropped an interception on the goal line that he would've easily taken to the house, and the Lions scored the next play. He dropped another interception later in the game, though that one was a tough ball to catch and it didn't matter much in the grand scheme of things. I'm not even going to get into coaching either, but they were probably the biggest reason we lost this game, especially Luke Getsy's late-game playcalling. Instead, let's focus on the good from this game.
Justin Fields returned this week, and while he wasn't perfect, he looked much improved in the passing game. He wasn't afraid to throw the ball, he avoided taking sacks outside of two where he had no chance of doing anything with it, including the last play where he was stripped by Aidan Hutchinson before he even finished his dropback. Outside of those two plays, he ran the ball well and was finding open receivers. My favorite play was the touchdown to DJ Moore, he stepped up in the pocket and delivered a dime right to Moore in the endzone. The other touchdown for the Bears came from D'Onta Foreman, who later left the game with an ankle injury. It was good to see Khalil Herbert back out there, and Roschon Johnson had some nice runs as well. On the defensive side of the ball, you had the four turnovers, but two of those were forced by Tyrique Stevenson who made plays all game. Maybe this is the game that begins his turnaround from the rocky start to the year he's had into a decent corner. Jack Sanborn had some good plays, including a sack, and Montez Sweat finally recorded his first sack as a Bear. Finally, Cairo Santos went 6/6 on kicks today, 4 of which were field goals. So while there were a lot of negatives that came from today's game, at least we were able to take away some positives. Still, losses like these are the ones that hurt the most, when the game is in your grip and you just lose it so quickly. I don't want any more of these losses for the rest of the season, hell I'd rather take getting blown out than lose like this again.
Justin Fields dropped a dime to DJ Moore for a go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter
Bears Squeeze Out 12-10 Win Over Minnesota
November 27, 2023, 10:58 PM CDT
Matt Eberflus has finally won a game in the NFC North. Despite not scoring a touchdown, the Bears were able to scrape by Minnesota on Monday Night Football and win by a final score of 12-10. Another ugly win, but a win is a win, especially against a division opponent. This win marks our first division win since Thanksgiving 2021, and our first win against Minnesota since late 2020. The defense really carried us tonight with four interceptions and two sacks. Montez Sweat was credited with 1.5 sacks, with Jaquan Brisker being the other contributor on the second sack. Brisker also snagged his first interception since Week 7 of last year, and he was joined in the pick column by Jaylon Johnson, TJ Edwards, and Kyler Gordon. Johnson had a shot at a second interception, but he ended up dropping it. Despite these four turnovers, the Bears could only score three points off of them, which is why the game ended up being so close. The first touchdown of the game didn't come until there were five minutes and fifty-four seconds remaining in the game when Josh Dobbs found TJ Hockenson for a 17-yard touchdown and gave Minnesota their first lead of the game. This touchdown drive was led after Justin Fields fumbled inside of Field Goal range which could've put the Bears up 12-3. Fields fumbled on the next drive too, and it seemed like the game was over. However, the Bears' defense was able to make a stop, and the Bears finally began moving the ball on offense. The game plan was, for some reason, designed around screen passes again. However, the Bears actually began throwing the ball downfield on the final drive. Fields has not been able to lead game-winning drives in his career. Finally, though, he connected on a strike downfield to DJ Moore for 36 yards and set up a chip shot Field Goal for Cairo Santos to win the game. That pass to Moore also meant that DJ eclipsed 1000 yards on the season. Santos overcame a missed Field Goal on the first drive and hit his next four attempts, including the 30-yard game-winner. He went 4/5 on Field Goals and is now 23/25 on the season to go along with being 21/22 on extra points. He is a Top 5 kicker in the game, and I'm so glad we signed him when we did and that he solved the kicking problem that has been an issue since the departure of Robbie Gould after 2015.
Montez Sweat records a sack as the Bears finally win a divisional game
Bears vs Lions Game Preview
December 10, 2023, 8:09 AM CST
It's probably the final week for the Bears to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. If they win today, they'll likely get to Week 18 at Lambeau Field sitting at 8-8. If not, they'll be heading for a second high pick in this year's draft. It's a do-or-die situation for the team as they host the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field today. And it's also a revenge game, as they lost to Detroit in gut-wrenching fashion three weeks ago after choking a late 26-14 lead. Both Cole Kmet and DJ Moore have said the goal is to run the table and win out. Detroit will be the toughest game we have until Week 18. And they will be missing key guys, especially Alim McNeill, their Defensive Tackle who was dominating our Interior O-Line in Week 11. He was placed on IR after suffering an injury against New Orleans this past week.
Bears Injuries
The Bears will likely be without three wide receivers today. Tyler Scott and Equanimeous St. Brown both got injured in practice this week, and Velus Jones is feeling ill. Scott and Jones are listed as questionable while St. Brown has already been ruled out with a pectoral injury. The team has elevated Collin Johnson from the practice squad as he joins DJ Moore, Darnell Mooney, and Trent Taylor on the Bears game roster as healthy receivers. Johnson has previously played with the Jaguars and Giants in 2020 and 2021, catching 29 passes for 377 yards and 2 touchdowns across those two seasons. Everyone else on the team is healthy apart from Yannick Ngakoue, who is questionable with a knee injury. Tyrique Stevenson, who missed the game against Minnesota with an ankle injury that he suffered in practice, will return today to face the team he caught an interception and forced a key fumble against. D'Onta Foreman will also return from his ankle injury today.
This week is My Cause My Cleats week for the Bears. Players will be wearing special custom cleats designed to support an organization important to them to represent. The initiative was launched in 2016 and this year took place in Weeks 13 and 14. As the Bears had a bye week last week, this is their week to support their organizations. For example, Khalil Herbert will be supporting Heartland Animal Shelter this week, and TJ Edwards will be supporting the Greater Chicago Food Depository. It's not just them, as every player will be wearing cleats supporting an organization that is important to them.
It's a do-or-die game for the Bears
Bears Get Their Revenge, Beat Lions 28-13
December 10, 2023, 4:31 PM CST
The Bears have won back-to-back games for the first time since 2021! After a nice bye week, in which they were able to get almost everyone back and healthy, the Bears took on and defeated the Lions, shutting them out in three out of four quarters while using a strong second half to avoid the embarrassment of Week 11 and close out our fifth win of the season. It is also our first win against Detroit since Thanksgiving 2021 when we finished off the sweep of a then-winless Lions squad on a last-second Cairo Santos field goal. Crazy to think how different things are from just two years ago. The team outplayed the Lions in all but the second quarter, showing off the potential we thought they had coming into this year. The Bears held a 10-0 lead after the first quarter thanks to a DJ Moore touchdown run out of the wildcat on the first drive and a Cairo Santos field goal. The Lions scored twice in the second quarter thanks to Jahmyr Gibbs and Josh Reynolds, though they missed one of the extra points and only held a 13-10 lead at halftime. Momentum was on their side coming out of the half, however, the Bears' defense stepped up in the second half and made sure they didn't score again. The Bears took advantage of a stagnant Lions offense with a Cairo Santos field goal to tie the game at 13, and then on a 4th and 13 free play, Justin Fields threw a dot to DJ Moore for a go-ahead 38-yard touchdown. Jared Goff fumbled on the next drive, giving the Bears the ball in great field position. That resulted in a Justin Fields 11-yard touchdown run (the two-point try was unsuccessful) and the Bears extended their lead to 25-13. The Lions turned the ball over on downs after Jack Sanborn stuffed Jahmyr Gibbs, and Cairo Santos hit a field goal to put us up by 15. After moving the ball a little, Montez Sweat sacked Jared Goff to set up a 4th and 17 that the Lions failed to convert, giving the Bears the ball back. After a punt, the Lions tried to drive quickly to get back to a one-score game. That failed thanks to sacks by Montez Sweat and Justin Jones, before the Bears finally sealed the game as Goff's pass on 4th and 24 was intercepted by Tremaine Edmunds, who celebrated with fans along with the rest of the defense after the play. The Bears ran out the clock and snatched a huge victory from Detroit to get us to 5-8. While the record may seem like we're out of it, that is not yet the case. The Bears will travel to Cleveland next week before coming home to face the Cardinals and Falcons. If they beat the Browns, they should take care of business against Arizona and Atlanta to set up a possible playoff-clinching game in Lambeau Week 18. If they can make a run to the playoffs and finish 9-8, that would be an incredible turnaround after starting 0-4. It's not over for Matt Eberflus and Co. yet. They have momentum, now is the time to capitalize on it.
Justin Fields celebrates a touchdown en route to the Bears first win over Detroit since 2021
Bears Suffer Heartbreaking 20-17 Loss To The Browns
December 17, 2023, 9:22 PM CST
Why can't we lose normally? Why can't we close out games? Why do we have to go out like this? What a terrible loss for the Bears today. The offense, like the last time we were in Cleveland, was practically non-existent. The only reason we were in this game was because of our defense. Montez Sweat with 3 sacks was nice, but interceptions from Eddie Jackson, Tyrique Stevenson, and a pick-six by Tremaine Edmunds should've been enough to get us the win. But no, in typical Bears fashion, they find a way to lose in the worst way possible. Another choke. After securing a 17-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter, thanks to the Edmunds pick-six and an earlier Cole Kmet touchdown that was set up by the Eddie Jackson interception that was nearly a pick-six in itself, the Bears somehow found a way to lose. The first play of the fourth quarter came in Cleveland territory, and the Bears went for it on a 4th and 1 which resulted in Justin Fields getting tripped up and falling mere inches away from the first down marker and all but securing the win. The Browns would quickly get a field goal to make it 17-10, and both offenses would stop for the next nine minutes before Joe Flacco hit Amari Cooper for a 51-yard touchdown to tie the game up with 3:08 left to play. The Bears punted after going 3 and Out, and the Browns embarked on a Field Goal drive, during which they converted a 3rd and 15 because of the Prevent defense. Always remember that Prevent Defense prevents winning. The Bears, of course, could not go down easy and instead had to make it hard on fans when, on the Hail Mary, Darnell Mooney had the ball in his hands for the win but could not secure it as he was falling. The ball hit off his body, kicked off his leg, and was intercepted. The Browns won 20-17, and the Bears' hopes of winning out and finishing 9-8 were wiped out. There's still a small chance they can make the playoffs at 8-9, but they would need a LOT of help to do so. For now, the only thing left to take from this season would be beating Green Bay. It would be cool if you could get to 8-9 in the first place and eliminate the Packers from playoff contention, and that's still very plausible with the next two games being at home against Arizona and Atlanta. But the attention will soon turn towards next year, where we hope to be much improved and make the playoffs. I'm not even going to address the Justin Fields vs Caleb Williams debate right now, let's just wait until the season is over and hope to stack a couple more wins before it's all said and done.
Montez Sweat had a big game today, but it wasn't enough to get the Bears a win