The Chicago Bears (0-2) were defeated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0), 27-17, where Chicago has dropped 12 straight losses dating back to last season.
The Bears had a chance to win this game against the Buccaneers, but Chicago continued to shoot itself in the foot en route to another loss. The offense, the defense, the coaches — there’s plenty of blame to go around. And the fact that things are already a complete disaster after two weeks is deeply concerning. Can the Bears turn things around, like the Detroit Lions did last season after starting 1-6? Sure. But it’s hard to believe that’s in the cards for Chicago given just how dire things have been during Matt Eberflus’ tenure.
Buy Bears TicketsHere’s a quick breakdown of what we saw during the game and how we graded the Bears in this loss.
Offense: D+
We’ll always have that first drive of the game, where the Bears methodically marched down the field to score a touchdown in a way that looked easy and natural. Then, Luke Getsy returned from his bathroom break, and it was all downhill after that.
Justin Fields continues to regress in his third season, where he looks more like a rookie than someone with 27 starts under his belt. He did have his moments, including his 20-yard touchdown to Chase Claypool and his connection with DJ Moore on the opening drive. But Fields also threw two interceptions, including the game-sealing pick-6, and fumbled twice.
The biggest concern to come out of this game is Fields’ development, which appears to be stunted. Watching Fields out there against the Bucs — failing to let it rip to open receivers and taking sacks because he couldn’t feel the pressure — he looked lost. What the heck happened to Justin Fields? While Fields continues to process at a slower rate, he hasn’t been helped by this coaching staff, most notably Luke Getsy, who has failed to put him in a position to succeed. Getsy is trying to make Fields a pocket passer, which he is not, it’s clear at this point. Getsy shouldn’t be calling plays: Where’s the play action? The designed QB runs? The run game? The creativity? He’s going through the motions back there and not taking any accountability for it.
Speaking of the run game, Getsy completely abandoned what was a successful run game with Khalil Herbert and rookie Roschon Johnson, who combined for 11 carries in the entire game. Herbert had seven carries for 35 yards (5.0 average) while Johnson had four carries for 32 yards (8.0 average). But they were forgotten in the mess, even with the game within reach. Getsy isn’t the answer in Chicago, and the hope is Matt Eberflus realizes it before it’s too late.
Defense: C-
Technically, the defense only allowed 20 points in this game (given Justin Fields’ pick-6 at the end of the game), which is progress. But it also doesn’t tell the whole story. The Bears defense continues to struggle with two main things: getting home on the quarterback and getting off the field on third down.
Safety Jaquan Brisker’s dropped interception on the first series of the game should’ve told us how this game was going to go. Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield had his way against Chicago’s defense, even on the few occasions where they actually blitzed him. Chicago recorded zero sacks against Mayfield, although there were opportunities to bring him down, they simply couldn’t. As a result, Mayfield shredded the Bears secondary, completing 26-of-34 passes for 317 yards with one touchdown, zero interceptions and a 114.5 passer rating.
Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans torched the defense with six catches for 171 yards and one touchdown. Granted, that 70-yard touchdown shouldn’t have happened given Evans had an egregious push-off against rookie Tyrique Stevenson on the play that wasn’t called. Still, the Bears struggled to contend with the likes of Evans and Chris Godwin, especially given they were down both starting safeties at one point.
Special Teams: A
Special teams put on a show at times during this game, which says everything about how dire things are right now. Kicker Cairo Santos remains a pillar of consistency, which included connecting on a 52-yard field goal to tie the game in the first half. The Bears also blocked a Buccaneers field goal attempt in the first quarter, where defensive end Rasheem Green got a hand on it to maintain Chicago’s early 7-3 lead.
Coaching: D+
Well, considering the Bears actually had a chance to win this game at the end deserves a bump from an F to D+. But when the team continues to shoot themselves in the foot and refuses to learn from their mistakes, you’re barely getting a passing grade.
Luke Getsy continues to be a detriment to this Bears offense, where he refuses to lean into the strengths of this team — the run game (where Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson combined for 11 carries) — and has seemingly broken Justin Fields, who looks like a shell of himself out on the field. Until Getsy takes accountability for the offense’s shortcomings, nothing is going to change and he’s going to be on his way out of Chicago.
With Alan Williams out due to personal reasons, Matt Eberflus took over play-calling duties on defense. The results were better, but the defense remains a huge concern, particularly on third down and getting after the quarterback.
Halas Hall appears to be in shambles, and it’s only been two games. The Bears are 3-16 under Eberflus, which simply isn’t good enough. It’s looking more and more like he isn’t the answer at head coach. And if this slide continues, it wouldn’t be a surprise to a coaching overhaul this offseason, among other things.
