The Chicago Bears were defeated by the Indianapolis Colts, 24-17, in a game where Bears starters didn’t play. That allowed more opportunities for players further down the depth chart to impress, including one rookie in particular.
The biggest storyline to come out of this game is undrafted rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent, who made a strong case to unseat P.J. Walker for the backup QB job. Bagent has impressed all summer, especially during his one series against the Colts in the second quarter. He orchestrated a 17-play, 92-yard scoring drive, completing 7-of-8 passes for 61 yards and a 2-yard rushing touchdown.
There was plenty to break down following Chicago’s loss to Indianapolis, especially the sudden QB2 controversy. Our Bears Wire staff is sharing their thoughts following the Week 2 preseason outing.
The Bears’ Week 2 preseason loss vs. Colts
Alyssa Barbieri
For a game that was so excruciating for most of its duration, I never thought QB2 news would be the thing to spark so much excitement and breathe life into the Bears, if only for one series. Welcome to the Tyson Bagent Show. It’s Bagent’s world, and we’re just living in it. Honestly, things were so lifeless with P.J. Walker leading those first two, quick series that I felt like I was watching a completely different game when Bagent stepped in. There was an immediate difference in offensive execution – Bagent looked poised, in command and marched the Bears 92 yards down the field for a touchdown.
The fact that Chicago pulled Bagent after his truly one series and put Nathan Peterman in for the entire second half could speak volumes. Have they seen all they need to see? Are they comfortable making him QB2? Or, at the very least, legitimately giving him a chance to win in? This isn’t just one preseason game where Walker struggled and Bagent shined. Ask those who have attended every training camp practice: This has been happening all summer, and we’re just now seeing it manifest in preseason. Matt Eberflus said that the QB2 job is an open competition and he’d be open to having Bagent in that role. Walker better not get too comfortable there in that QB2 spot. Because Bagent is coming for his job with one preseason game remaining.
Elsewhere, Terrell Lewis continued to make a strong push for a roster spot, and I feel like there’s no way doesn’t make the 53-man roster at this point. He’s been making plays since the spring, and he’s carried that over into the summer.
The other thing I wanted to discuss was Eberflus’ decision not to play the starters. While there’s no denying that joint practice reps are valuable, there’s just no substitute for live-game experience. Don’t get me wrong, it felt good to not have to worry about Fields in this game. But when the best quarterback in the world, Patrick Mahomes, is playing in the preseason, it goes to show you that every quarterback needs those reps. Even if it’s just one series. Eberflus wouldn’t say if the starters will play in next Saturday’s preseason finale, but at this point they really need to.
Brendan Sugrue
It isn’t hyperbole to say that this Bears preseason game against the Colts was the most boring one since before the COVID-19 pandemic. You could have told me we traveled back in time to when teams still played four games and we were watching the final matchup that normally features the Browns and I wouldn’t have questioned it. With no starters for either team, it was a slog to get through. And worse yet, the Bears lost. But for two drives late in the first half, there was plenty of excitement thanks to Tyson Bagent.
The undrafted rookie slowly but surely climbed his way towards relevancy throughout training camp and flashed last week against the Titans. Bagent built on that performance this week and led the Bears on a 17-play scoring drive that spanned 92 yards where he completed 8-of-9 passes for 61 yards. He capped the drive off by diving into the end zone for the score. Bagent looked calm, cool, and collected in the pocket and could be making a case to push P.J. Walker for the backup quarterback spot. Someone needs to because he’s been dreadful the entire summer and it hasn’t improved.
Walker started the game in place of Justin Fields and completed just 1-of-4 passes for six yards. He looked lost on the field and couldn’t get the offense going in any way. It wasn’t until Bagent and Nathan Peterman took over that overall play improved. But they weren’t enough to stop the Colts in the second half.
Indianapolis took advantage of an undisciplined Bears team and orchestrated three consecutive scoring drives in the fourth quarter to take and cement the lead. The Bears had costly penalties that kept the chains moving on defense and committed a turnover on offense to end any comeback bid. Even in a preseason game, that’s uncharacteristic for a team under Matt Eberflus, who saw his perfect preseason record vanish.
Thankfully there’s only one more preseason game left and hopefully Fields and the starters see playing time. With three weeks still to go until the regular season begins, the starting offense or defense shouldn’t wait that long before seeing game reps. We’ll see what Eberflus decides, though.
Lucas Hunt
Well… it wasn’t last week, that’s for sure.
The Bears failed to come out with energy in the opening quarter of play, and the second stringers were unable to get much going at first. Then, rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent stepped onto the field, and the offense did a complete 180. Several backups, such as Bagent, running back Roschon Johnson and receiver Daurice Fountain made some big plays which in turn instilled the defense with some fire.
Defenders like defensive back AJ Thomas, defensive end Terrell Lewis and linebacker Mykal Walker came up big in holding the Colts to only 10 points through three quarters. The team did seem more out of sorts yesterday, however, committing eight penalties in the game.
It isn’t necessarily time to hit the panic button on the Bears, since Chicago held out most of their starters. Still, it became apparent that the roster is a bit weak past the starters, and the players have to be more disciplined if they are to avoid penalties.
Ryan Fedrau
Another week, another question at backup quarterback. I’m not too concerned about the loss, I’m more concerned about who the backup would be in an emergency situation. P.J. Walker is not the answer and we’ve seen the Nathan Peterman experiment in multiple different situations around the league.
Back-to-back weeks, Tyson Bagent has impressed and potentially has made a case for a roster spot. In my eyes, despite the inexperience, Bagent should be Justin Fields’ backup. He has been the best backup quarterback, which counts for something. He has one more week to prove his worth as a roster spot, and hopefully not be put on the practice squad, where another team could potentially steal him.
