The Chicago Bears fell 38-20 to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, which marks their ninth straight loss to the Packers. Justin Fields remains winless against Green Bay, Packers’ coach Matt LaFleur remains undefeated against Chicago, and now Jordan Love is 1-0 against the Bears.
This was an ugly game from start to finish, which took a turn for the worst in the second half. The Bears were only down 10-6 at the half, which is crazy to look back at. Chicago couldn’t get momentum going in the second half, their defense couldn’t get pressure, and Jordan Love led an impressive, three-passing touchdown showing to put the game out of reach.
Buy Bears TicketsThe Bears will have to wait until Week 18 to get a chance at beating the Packers. By then, both teams will be much different.
Here is everything we know about Chicago’s Week 1 loss to Green Bay.
Final Score: Packers 38, Bears 20
Keys to the Game
Jordan Love Era Begins: For the first time since 2008, the Packers had a new starting quarterback, not named Aaron Rodgers, to start the season. Many fans were expecting this to be a close, competitive game. But after halftime, it wasn’t. Jordan Love came out, threw three touchdowns, and blew out the Bears – something not many people expected, despite the now nine-game winning streak Green Bay has on Chicago.
Offensive Struggles: The stats don’t tell the real story. Justin Fields struggled to throw the ball past the sticks, but it wasn’t always his fault. The offensive line played worse than they looked on paper. Fields was under pressure and couldn’t seem to get the ball out quickly. Chicago didn’t have much of a chance to get their rushing attack going, as they fell down big in the third quarter. There needs to be a big scheme change if they plan on being competitive this season.
Defensive Struggles: Something that was called out all offseason was a lack of a pass rush from the Bears. That lack of a pass rush killed the Bears on Sunday. Love looked like a seasoned veteran, due to the lack of pressure he faced. Along with the lack of a pass rush, the Bears struggled to stop Aaron Jones, who totaled 127 yards and a touchdown, before he left due to a hamstring injury. This was all around a bad defensive showing by Chicago – something fans in the Midway aren’t accustomed to.
It was over when...
It was over when quarterback Jordan Love threw a 4-yard touchdown to wide receiver Romeo Doubs in the fourth quarter, to extend their lead to 31-14. That was the final dagger that deflated the Bears.
Before that score, the Bears scored a touchdown and were starting to show some life on offense. After that, they were deflated and only moved the ball late in the game during garbage time.
3 Duds of the Game
***Chase Claypool: Claypool was traded to the Bears last season, for what ended up being the 32nd pick in the 2023 NFL draft. He was unseen on Sunday, outside of a personal foul that was offset in the first half. The Claypool trade continues to be one of the biggest question marks. It looked fine on paper but continued to look worse as the days went by.
**Justin Fields: Fields struggled on Sunday. There’s no way of getting around it. Yes, it’s just Week 1, but there was a lot expected out of him, and he didn’t deliver. Fields struggled to hit open targets, threw a pick-six in double coverage and couldn’t seem to get in a rhythm. Fields’ stats look better than what was shown against the Packers. For all of the excitement, the talk from him of throwing for 4,000 passing yards this season, there’s a lot of work that still needs to be done if this offense is going to take the next step.
*Matt Eberflus: Eberflus didn’t have his team prepared at all. Sure, he doesn’t call the plays, he gives those duties to his coordinators (and both Luke Getsy and Alan Williams deserve blame). But he sets a game plan. The game plan that was set wasn’t executed. It was an embarrassing showing on Sunday, with his team looking like they were in a different league than the Packers. That needs to change going forward.
What's Next
Next week, the Bears will travel to Tampa to face the Buccaneers at 12 p.m. CT. It will be a game that looks much tougher now that the Bucs upset the Vikings and the Bears were blown out by the Packers. The last time these two teams played each other, Tampa Bay won, 38-3.
