After the Chicago Bears’ uninspired, inexcusable and unacceptable loss to the Green Bay Packers last Sunday that effectively ended their season, I wrote in my Thoughts column following the game that that loss sealed John Fox’s fate: He would be fired at the end of the season.
The reasons why are well documented and have been harped on repeatedly all year long. The only objective remaining for this season is developing Mitch Trubisky and the rest of the Bears’ young core. And their first shot to see (hopefully) better results was today against the Detroit Lions.
Now that the actual game outcomes mean very little consequentially (unless you love draft positioning for whatever reason), I wanted to see a few things from today’s game. I wanted the defense to step up and atone for last week’s embarrassment against Brett Hundley (!) and get back to looking like a Top 10 unit. I wanted Dowell Loggains to learn a thing or two and start throwing the ball more on first and second down, and start scheming his players open a bit better. And I wanted to see Trubisky take yet another step in his upward trajectory and put together a few touchdown drives, considering the Bears offense had scored just two touchdowns in their last 13 quarters entering this game. No, that’s not a typo.
The #Bears have 2 offensive TDs in their last 13 quarters. https://t.co/zFS4ILBa9i
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) November 14, 2017
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And of course, as a fan, I wanted to see them beat a divisional foe, given their 0-3 record so far this year against the NFC North. Yet, the Bears squandered a big opportunity to get back on track with a third consecutive frustrating-as-hell loss. Here are my thoughts and observations from this game:
0. Pre-game Thought: Danny Trevathan being out again with a calf injury after having not practiced since the New Orleans Saints game is majorly concerning, but also fascinating. He finished that game with seemingly no issues, and then the Bears went on their bye week. And Trevathan hasn’t practiced since. The Bears clearly missed his presence last week against the Packers run game. Though the Lions don’t have a good running game, I still expected that the Bears would miss him again against Ameer Abdullah. He needs to get healthy quickly to boost this defense back to what it was before the bye.
1. The Bears started throwing (!) on their first possession. Finally! They dropped back on their first three snaps, going incomplete on the first two, before a pass to Daniel Brown picked up a first down. We saw some zone-read, moving pockets, jet sweeps — stuff we had not seen all year. The drive ended with a field goal — the first points Chicago had scored on its opening possession all year. It seems John Fox and Dowell Loggains are finally willing to mix it up and open it up. At last!
This first possession is some of the best play calling I've ever seen from Dowell Loggains. Something new, something different. Mixing it up. FINALLY! #Bears
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 19, 2017
2. The Lions were driving on their opening possession, thanks in part to a bad missed tackle from Kyle Fuller on a play he read perfectly. But the Bears got to Matthew Stafford on a 3rd-and-8 — Stafford lost the ball and Akiem Hicks recovered. Great to see a takeaway forced early on from this defense.
3. Jordan Howard — what a beast. Varied play-calling on the opening possession surely opened up that draw play for a 50-yard run on first down. Great burst by Howard, too. Two plays later, Trubisky threw a beautiful pass to Adam Shaheen to put Chicago up 10-0. Dowell Loggains was on his game, and it’s great to see the Bears take advantage of a turnover from the defense and actually punch in a touchdown.
Baby Gronk came to play! Going to love watching Trubisky to Shaheen for years to come. #Bears
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 19, 2017
4. I think last week’s all-timer challenge failure made John Fox gun shy. On the Lions’ second possession, Stafford “completed” a pass for a first down on a comeback route to TJ Jones, but replays showed the ball hit the ground and bounced up into Jones’s lap. It was an obvious challenge, but Fox didn’t throw the flag. I get his hesitation from last week, but don’t agree with it whatsoever.
5. After the Bears’ best first quarter of the season, they opened the second quarter disastrously. Kyle Long committed an unnecessary roughness penalty to bring back a Trubisky run for a first down, and then Trubisky fumbled the ensuing snap that was returned for a touchdown by the Lions defense. Just like that, a 10-0 lead with a chance to take true control of the game became a 10-7 lead. The Bears aren’t good enough to overcome mistakes like this. The Bears seem unable to play a complete, disciplined game. Again, a coaching issue. Rinse, lather, repeat.
6. I am still in shock by this play-calling and creativity from Dowell Loggains in the first half. Where the hell was this last week? Or all year, for that matter? We know he’s capable because he got a lot of production last year from nobodies!
I am thrilled to see this energy, play-calling and creativity in the first half of this game.
I am trying to figure out where the hell this was last week? #Bears
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 19, 2017
7. The Bears are awful at third-and-long defense. Why? Why is it hard to defend 3rd-and-15? This really needs to be cleaned up for next year. It’s inexcusable. Pass defense has been brutal. Marcus Cooper, especially, has been awful.
8. Bears had a 10-0, and then a 17-7 lead in the first half, and both times those leads were wiped out by stupidity. The first one thanks to the offense, and the second one thanks to the defense. All of a sudden, Bears found themselves losing at halftime and going back on defense to start the second half. Shooting themselves in the foot and being unable to take control of games — something we’ve gotten all too familiar with these last three years.
9. The Bears defense forced a punt on the opening possession of the second half, and the Bears got the ball at midfield to start. And they went three-and-out. Wasting that kind of field position is inexcusable. Trubisky struggled with accuracy on a couple throws on that possession, but it had more to do with his footwork. I’m not worried about it. As he continues to get the footwork down, the accuracy will come. That’s his strength.
10. Adam Shaheen is emerging. After flashing last week in the first quarter and then not being targeted again all game (thanks, coaches), Shaheen established himself as a pass-catching target for Trubisky going forward. His play-making ability is apparent, and I’m excited to watch him continue growing the rest of this season. It’s clear Trubisky trusts him, and that’s huge.
11. Two dropped interceptions from the Bears defense, after Kyle Fuller dropped an early chance against Brett Hundley last week, which then set the (bad) tone for the rest of the game. They need to take advantage of their opportunities, especially against a quarterback like Stafford.
12. I guess I should have added “staying healthy” to the list above of what all I wanted to see. Leonard Floyd is likely lost for the season after that awful collision between him and Kyle Fuller — it was reminiscent of Cam Meredith’s injury in the preseason. This team is snake bitten. One of their young building blocks will have to fight to be healthy for next season now. Just awful. I wonder what’s going on in Ryan Pace’s mind right now.
Leonard Floyd being carted off. Why even bother playing the games anymore? Just add a critical starter to IR every week like clockwork. Awful. Get well soon, Floyd. #Bears
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 19, 2017
13. Why does Tarik Cohen keep taking returns out from deep in the end zone? I understand he’s an explosive playmaker and wants to make plays, but be smart. Field position matters for a team like the Bears. You can’t start behind the eight ball every time.
Tarik Cohen probably needs to start taking knees in the end zone. #Bears
— Aaron Leming (@AaronLemingNFL) November 19, 2017
14. If that Lions rookie pass rusher would’ve injured Trubisky on that cheap shot low hit that was flagged for roughing … oh man. I think I’d have launched a campaign to throw him out of the league. Hey if the owners can do that to Jerry Jones … OK, yes, overreacting to the Leonard Floyd injury. But that was ridiculously scary.
15. It’s clear the Bears will need to double, maybe even triple dip in the OLB position this offseason. It was already a big need, with Pernell McPhee clearly a shell of himself, Willie Young’s injury, and Sam Acho not much of a pass-rushing threat. And the injury to Floyd makes it even more of a pressing need.
16. Trubisky led two fourth-quarter game tying drives. Until Connor Barth kicked his way to the street come next week. The Bears have their quarterback, but they don’t have a kicker. Barth has one job. One god damn job. Bears deserved better.
Mitch notched two game-tying 4th quarter drives, until Barth blew the second one. #Bears have a quarterback, folks. In case you were still somehow unsure for whatever reason.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 19, 2017
17. This was a very frustrating loss. The Bears had control of this game early, had a chance to stomp on the Lions’ throats, and choked it away. The Packers, after stunning the Bears last week, got destroyed on their home field by the Ravens, whom the Bears beat on the road. Just a poor coaching job after the bye so far from John Fox has this team on the cusp of another Top 10 finish in draft positioning. Add to it the sobering loss of Leonard Floyd, and the Bears lost way more than just the game today.
Bonus Thought: Check out the GIF quoted in my Tweet that I’ve shared below. This is absolutely hilarious and well worth your time.
This is the best thing I've ever seen. 😂😂😂😂 #Bears https://t.co/8UFLBfasWF
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 20, 2017
