The Chicago Bears were defeated 27-10 by the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football, dropping them to 1-1 and extending their losing streak against Green Bay to seven games.
It was an encouraging start for Chicago, which included an efficient touchdown drive by the offense and some nice pressure by the defense on Aaron Rodgers. But things quickly went downhill, and things got ugly as the Bears were outscored 24-3 in the final three quarters.
We’re breaking down the Bears’ loss to the Packers and what it means looking ahead.
First Down: Run defense has been atrocious
There were concerns about the run defense heading into Sunday night’s game, and it was another brutal showing against the Packers. After allowing 176 rushing yards to the 49ers in Week 1, the Bears gave up 203 yards on the ground.
Missed tackles were a huge problem against Green Bay, and the Bears’ defensive front was no match for Aaron Jones. Jones ran for 132 yards on 15 carries (averaging 8.8 yards per carry) and one touchdown. While AJ Dillon wasn’t as dominant as Jones, he had a solid outing with 61 yards on 18 carries (3.4 average).
The Bears have given up 379 yards on the ground through two weeks, which is cause for concern. They need to clean things up with some good running backs on deck in the coming weeks.
Second Down: Bears' passing offense is concerning
It was difficult to make any judgements about this Bears offense after they played an entire game in a monsoon. But following the loss to the Packers, it’s fair to be worried about the passing attack. Justin Fields threw just 11 passes against the Packers, where he completed seven for 70 yards and an interception.
Then there’s the fact that receiver Darnell Mooney and tight end Cole Kmet — Fields’ top weapons — have been non-factors for two straight weeks. That’s not exactly a recipe for success. Mooney caught one pass for -4 yards while Kmet dropped his only target. There are questions about why Luke Getsy isn’t finding ways to get Chicago’s top weapons more involved on offense.
The Bears ran the ball 27 times and passed the ball 11 times, and it’s hard to wonder why Getsy seems hesitant to let Fields throw downfield. The game plan was to run the ball down Green Bay’s throats, but you also have a young quarterback who is capable of airing it out. There’s plenty of criticism surrounding Getsy after a questionable game plan. Perhaps facing a bad Houston Texans team this week will help us get an idea of what this offense is supposed to look like, passing game included.
Third Down: Kyler Gordon's rookie struggles
Naturally, there are going to be growing pains with Chicago’s rookies. But cornerback Kyler Gordon, who played both outside and in the slot, had himself a brutal showing against the Packers. The expectation was Aaron Rodgers would target the young cornerback in this game, and that’s exactly what he did.
Rodgers picked on Gordon throughout the game, and he didn’t target CB1 Jaylon Johnson once on Sunday night. Gordon allowed 10 catches on 13 targets for 162 yards and a touchdown against the Packers. He was among the lowest-graded defenders by Pro Football Focus.
This game won’t define Gordon’s career by a long shot, but look for other teams to do the same and look to exploit Gordon’s inexperience. Next week will be big for Gordon, as we’ll see how he responds to adversity.
Fourth Down: David Montgomery carried the offense on his back
David Montgomery has been the backbone of this Bears offense since he arrived in 2019. So it was shocking to see him struggle on the ground against the 49ers with just 26 yards on 17 carries (1.5 average). His running mate Khalil Herbert gained 45 yards on nine carries (5.0 average), which had many people wondering if Herbert was going to take Montgomery’s job.
But Montgomery bounced back in a big way with a dominant effort against the Packers, where he was the lone bright spot for an otherwise abysmal offense. Montgomery had 122 rushing yards on 15 carries for a 8.1 average per carry. He also added two receptions for 14 yards.
Montgomery shined in Luke Getsy’s offense, which included facing eight missed tackles on his 15 carries. He also led all running backs with 90 yards after contact in Week 2, according to PFF. With Montgomery in the final year of his contract, he’s making a convincing argument about why Chicago should consider re-signing him.
Extra Point: Managing expectations for the 2022 season
It’s safe to say that confidence was high heading into this game following Chicago’s upset win over San Francisco in Week 1. The Bears certainly benefitted from less-than-stellar weather conditions and took advantage of the kinds of mistakes they committed in Week 2.
Heading into this season, expectations were reasonably low. While the belief wasn’t that the Bears were the worst team in the league, many expected Chicago would have a top-five draft pick by season’s end.
While it’s frustrating that the Bears got embarrassed by the Packers on national television — again — we knew this wasn’t going to be a season where Chicago were contenders for anything other than a high draft pick. Justin Fields’ development and cultivating this young roster remain the most important aspects of this 2022 season.
