It’s times like these that Chicago Bears fans need to stick together.
The Bears were embarrassed 41-10 by the Kansas City Chiefs in a game that wasn’t even as close as the final score indicated. Chicago has now lost 13 consecutive games dating back to last season, head coach Matt Eberflus has utterly failed to rally his team following a tumultuous week, and many fans are close to coming to the bleak reality that Fields is not the team’s quarterback of the future.
Buy Bears TicketsEven though we’re only just approaching Week 4, the Bears have reached one of their lowest points as a football franchise, as have their loyal fans.
Let’s do it. Let’s take the plunge into the… good (?), bad and ugly from the Bears’ Week 3 loss to the Chiefs.
The Good
Yannick Ngakoue: Ngakoue was a tick too late on a couple of plays to get a sack, but he was the only Bears defender to put up much of a fight. Ngakoue made one play in particular where he quickly raced past the opposing tackle to force the Chiefs quarterback into throwing a bad pass that was intercepted by linebacker Jack Sanborn. I waited this long to tell you that QB was not All-Pro Patrick Mahomes but veteran Blaine Gabbert, but the point still stands. Many of general manager Ryan Poles’ free agent signings are struggling to make an impact, but Ngakoue is the one exception.
Roschon Johnson: The rookie running back continued to be a much-needed breath of fresh air on a team that reeks of malfunction. Johnson only had eight carries for 38 yards, but the runner carried the ball with fervor and intent; something the majority of the roster lacked yesterday. Johnson is one of the few players the fans can look to and get excited about his career with Chicago.
Bears get first takeaways of the season: Does creating turnovers mean much when your team is down by over 30, facing backups and the offense can’t capitalize? I’m grasping for straws here, so I’m choosing to believe that it was a positive. As previously mentioned, a great rep from Ngakoue resulted in Sanborn picking off a non-Patrick Mahomes pass, who proceeded to return it about 30 yards. On the very next Kansas City offensive drive, Gabbert attempted to fire a quick dart to receiver Rashee Rice, but it was quickly deflected into the waiting arms of rookie defensive back Quindell Johnson, who secured the pick.
The Bad
Luke Getsy: I don’t think anyone truly believed the reports of the team working out many of their offensive woes, but there was some optimism that offensive coordinator Luke Getsy would level with his players and draw up plays that utilize his offense’s strengths. After the offense’s woeful performance in yesterday’s game, it will be the last time anyone has a shred of hope that Getsy can be a competent playcaller.
The offense was only able to muster just over 200 yards of offense, with the majority of the yardage coming from a garbage time touchdown drive at the end of the game. The Bears once again lost the time of possession battle by 13 minutes, with Chicago having the ball for 23 minutes compared to Kansas City’s 36. Getsy didn’t allow his offense to play with any sort of rhythm or tempo, ruining promising drives with archaic concepts that didn’t work.
The only reason the infamous playcaller wasn’t placed in the “ugly” section is because he did try to run the ball and use the vertical passing game a bit more, but it came much too late. Getsy is yet another broken piece of Chicago’s malfunctioning machine.
Khalil Herbert: The Bears’ starting running back has done his work well below the radar through the first three games, but the ballcarrier finally reintroduced himself to the fans — in classic Bears fashion. Herbert took his turn in dooming yet another Bears’ drive, catching a short pass from Fields and promptly fumbling the ball right into the heart of the Chiefs defense. Chicago already made the decision to make another Herbert’s fellow running back D’Onta Foreman a healthy scratch. Giving up the ball is how Herbert will lose his starting role to rookie Roschon Johnson.
Missed tackles: This ties into the larger issue of the defense being one of the biggest disappointments of the young season, but it deserves a dishonorable mention. Chicago could not bring down anybody. You would’ve thought every Chiefs skill player was prime Barry Sanders the way Bears defenders would whiff on tackles. Much like Week 2, in the rare instances that the Bears would force the Chiefs into a third down, they would convert in an almost effortless fashion. Even when no receivers would come open, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes would dump off a pass to a running back and he somehow would slip one or two tackles and get to the marker.
Of all the systemic issues the Bears have had historically, a sound defense has always been something the fans could hang their hat on. This season’s revolting rendition of a Chicago defense is a slap to the face of that tradition.
Dropped passes: Fields certainly had his low points in the game, but the talent surrounding him certainly didn’t do him any favors. The offensive line wasn’t even the culprit this time around; the receivers quite literally dropped the ball for the offense. Getsy allowed Fields to attempt a couple of deep throws early, and they looked like sure winners. Star receiver DJ Moore got a step on a Chiefs cornerback going up the right sideline, and talented pass catcher Chase Claypool had a great attempt at a jump ball on another drive. Both passes ended up being dropped; an omen for how the rest of the game would play out. Chicago hasn’t had many opportunities to make big plays, and having the chance slip through their fingers is inexcusable.
The Ugly
Justin Fields: All of that talk about Fields getting back to playing like he used to and the offense working at their issues in the lead up to yesterday’s game was just that: talk. Fields posted another abysmal stat line following Sunday’s game, completing only 11-of-22 passes for 99 yards, throwing only one touchdown and an interception. Some fans may still try to play the blame game and point the finger at head coach Matt Eberflus, offensive coordinator Luke Getsy or the defense, but it’s time to face the music for Chicago fans. The Bears swung on what looked to be a home-run pick in Fields during the 2021 NFL draft, but it turned out to be an embarrassing strikeout for the organization.
Matt Eberflus: During the walloping the Chiefs gave the Bears, it occurred to me that the players shouldn’t be held solely responsible for the state of the team; the cohesiveness of the team is only as strong as its head coach. By that logic, Eberflus is the one who should be held accountable for the Bears’ performance on the field, and consequences need to be issued. It’s one thing to see a competitive unit go out there every Sunday and punch above their weight in a loss; it’s another to lose so badly that the opponent looks like they’re playing a whole different sport. Eberflus has preached his philosophy of flocking to a ballcarrier and trying to rip out the ball as a defensive unit, but has that practice been seen on the field through three games? No, his prized defensive unit goes through the motions and shows no passion.
If general manager Ryan Poles or team president Kevin Warren don’t recognize the red flag of a major disconnect between the coaching staff and players, then the new low of a winless season is within reach.
No defending the defense: Want to know the most irritating thing about the 2023 Bears defense? No, it isn’t the unit allowing the Chiefs to score over 40 points and, no, it isn’t even the group rolling over as Kansas City scores on six consecutive drives. The most irritating aspect of Chicago’s defense is the lengths Poles went to upgrade it and how much the defenders lauded themselves as a sleeping giant. Poles signed Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Yannick Ngakoue, DeMarcus Walker and more in an attempt to create a respectable defense, and what does the group show for it? Over 100 points allowed in their first three games. Even some of the defense’s cornerstones, like Jaylon Johnson, Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker, either can’t stay healthy or don’t have the same playmaking ability as they did last year. The defense was the biggest eye sore in a blowout loss, but it’s a microcosm of a much bigger problem.
