Oh dear. I really thought the bye week would be our season’s magical, much-needed reset button, didn’t you? But I won’t waste your time with my woes, dear reader. Let’s talk football. After all, I missed you.
Same old Packers
I hate to say it, but after Sunday’s game, the Bears officially have a losing record. And yes, it stings even more that the Packers gave us the loss that put us over the edge, in the 199th meeting of the two teams. Tensions were high all around, with scuffles popping up every other quarter. Of course, Rodgers performed beautifully, so all in all, it was a pretty typical matchup against Green Bay, whether we loved it or hated it.
Defensive missteps
Speaking of defense, where were they? Statistically, the Bears defense is one of the strongest in the league, especially in the red zone. Before Monday’s game, we actually had the best red zone defense in the NFL. But can announcers keep praising Chicago’s defensive 11 after they let Green Bay score 41 points? I don’t think so. In my analysis, I’ve identified a few major trends that are holding them back.
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- Sloppy tackles. It doesn’t matter if Aaron Rodgers—or any other quarterback—chooses to pass to a receiver or hand off the football. If you’re tackling, you need to wrap up your man. Your opponents are going to run right through you if all you do is hit them with your shoulder or bump them with your chest. The Bears allowed too many first downs on Monday simply because the technique was lacking
- Too much time. After one of Rodgers’ many touchdown passes on Monday, the announcing crew timed how long the Bears gave Rodgers to complete those touchdown passes. Rodgers had just over six uninterrupted seconds to find his receiver, which is way too long in the pocket. In fact, the Green Bay offensive line was making light work of the Bears all game, protecting Rodgers from any and all sacks and hits. That’s a perfect offensive line performance.
Enter Mitch (again)
Well, well, well. The joke has come full circle. I’m sure all of you remember the flack that Bears head coach Matt Nagy received after benching quarterback Mitchell Trubisky after only three starts (three wins, I might add). But with his replacement Nick Foles out of commission due to injury, Nagy had no choice but to give Trubisky another chance.
Let’s be candid here. Did Trubisky throw two interceptions and fumble the ball three times? Yes. I’m not going to ignore that just because the Bears are my team. However, Trubisky was still a breath of fresh air after watching Foles for nearly eight weeks. Here’s the difference. Trubisky is not afraid of trying to make an aggressive play. Whether it’s escaping the pocket to run for the first down or airing out a pass for a potential touchdown grab, you can tell he’s hungry for the end zone. Foles, on the other hand, has less mobility and plays it way too safe. In the Vikings game, we didn’t even score an offensive touchdown. So, while Trubisky may make a couple more errors on paper, I would rather him start the rest of the season. The man had three touchdowns on Monday night. Take it or leave it.
All in all
All in all, we lost pretty badly. In the scoreless third quarter, it was 10-41 for a bit before Trubisky added two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The final result was 25-41, not what you want out of a division game. Luckily, we’ll get the chance to face Rodgers and the crew once more before the end of the season, but to me, it’s unclear what big changes can be made without cleaning out personnel. We need new leadership in Chicago, before we start losing some of our all-star players to other teams, like Allen Robinson.
Maddie’s Monster of the Game
I’m going to give it to my jersey buddy David Montgomery. He deserves it. On Monday, he not only scored a touchdown, but also ran for 57 yards in the second Chicago snap of the game — a career long. He runs hard and fast. A good combination.
Divisional round-up
It is what it is.
1st place: Packers
2nd place: Vikings (Won against the Carolina Panthers)
3rd place: Bears (Lost to the Houston Texans)
4th place: Lions (Won against the Washington Football Team)
A visit from Detroit
Next week, we have the chance to snap our five-game losing streak (ouch, right?) with a rematch against the Detroit Lions. If you recall, they were our first opponent of this wacky season and our first win. Remember winning? Hopefully we can reprise our victory at noon on Sunday, Dec. 6. Until then, mask up and Beardown. Hope you had a happy holiday.
