The Chicago Bears (3-6) suffered a 35-32 loss to the Miami Dolphins (6-3), where quarterback Justin Fields had a record-setting performance.
Just as many expected, Chicago’s defense had no answer for Miami’s high-powered passing offense, where Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle feasted. But it was the Bears offense that stole the show, particularly Fields. Chicago has scored more than 29 points in each of its last three games, and the offense put on a clinic. That included the run game, where they rushed for 220-plus yards for the fourth straight game.
There were no shortage of standout performances — both good and bad — in this loss, including some impressive outings on offense.
We’re taking a look at the studs and duds from the Bears’ Week 9 loss to the Bears:
STUD: QB Justin Fields
Justin Fields was the MVP of this game for the Bears, where he continued his hot streak with a breakout performance in a shoot-out loss to the Dolphins. Fields completed 17-of-28 passes for 123 yards and three touchdowns for a 106.7 passer rating. But Fields really killed the Dolphins with his legs, where he made history with 178 rushing yards, the most by a quarterback in NFL history. That included an impressive 61-yard touchdown that left people in awe. This is now three straight impressive outings for the second-year quarterback, who is becoming a star before our very eyes.
STUD: TE Cole Kmet
Good things happen when the Bears get Cole Kmet involved in the passing game, as evidenced by his performance against the Dolphins. Kmet was one of Fields’ favorite targets, catching five passes for 41 yards and two touchdowns. He also had two rushes for nine yards. Kmet now has three touchdowns in the last two games, and the hope is he’ll continue to be involved in this passing game moving forward.
STUD: OC Luke Getsy
Just as Justin Fields has improved drastically before our eyes, Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has developed in his first season as an NFL play caller. Getsy called a fantastic game against the Dolphins, where he utilized Fields’ mobility and he got creative in his play designs. Getsy continues to play to the strengths of his quarterback, which has made for some impressive offensive outings for the Bears over the last few games.
STUD: WR Darnell Mooney
Darnell Mooney didn’t have a flashy performance against the Dolphins, but he continued to show his value to this offense and, particularly, Justin Fields. Mooney led the Bears with 43 receiving yards on seven catches and one touchdown. He certainly benefitted from the addition of new Bears receiver Chase Claypool, who drew attention from Miami’s defense.
DUD: Bears pass defense
The defense’s biggest struggle was containing the high-powered Dolphins passing game that featured quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. And it ended up being the defense’s downfall, as they had no answer for them. Tagovailoa shredded the Bears secondary, completing 21-of-30 for 301 yards and three touchdowns. Hill and Waddle combined for 228 yards and two touchdowns (Hill, 143 yards; Waddle, 85 yards).
DUD: Bears pass rush
The Bears pass rush has been bad all season, and that continued against a Dolphins team that hasn’t allowed a lot of sacks on its quarterbacks. Chicago managed zero sacks on Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who had a clean pocket for most of the game. And it allowed Tagovailoa to absolutely shred the Bears secondary. It’s not completely unexpected after Chicago traded its top pass rusher in Robert Quinn.
DUD: RB Khalil Herbert
Khalil Herbert has emerged as a top option for the Bears run game over the last couple of weeks, but this is a day to forget. Herbert had 23 yards on seven carries on offense. But it was one special teams play that earned him a spot on our duds. Herbert missed a block on a Trenton Gill punt, which was blocked and returned 25 yards for a touchdown. It’s Herbert’s struggles when it comes to blocking that have many concerned about him potentially being RB1 next season.
DUD: WR Equanimeous St. Brown
It’s clear the Bears need to surround Justin Fields with receivers who can actually catch the ball, as evidenced by Equanimeous St. Brown’s lackluster outing. St. Brown had zero catches on two attempts, including one on fourth-and-10 with the game on the line, where he simply dropped the ball. That’s not the kind of play that’s going to make him a contender to be re-signed next offseason.
DUD: Officiating crew
You never want to blame a loss on the officiating, but the refs were downright atrocious in the fourth quarter, and there’s an argument to be made they cost Chicago a chance to win this game. There was a blatant pass interference no-call against Chase Claypool in the final two minutes that would’ve set the Bears up inside the 25-yard line with a chance to tie or win the game. It’s made even more painful by the fact that the refs called pass interference on Eddie Jackson, which certainly wasn’t as egregious as the no-call against Claypool.
