The Chicago Bears may be piling up losses, but when it results in some of the greatest quarterback play in franchise history, it somehow feels okay. The Bears fell to the Miami Dolphins 35-32 on the lakefront on Sunday, but once again saw an offensive explosion thanks to quarterback Justin Fields. The second-year signal caller was sensational in a record-setting performance, totaling four touchdowns on the day.
While the offense continues to do its thing, the defense is becoming a shell of itself. The Dolphins were able to score at will against the Bears, having wide-open receivers and gaping holes for the running backs for much of the day. Despite those issues, however, the win was within reach for the Bears late, but a missed penalty and a brutal fourth-down drop ended those hopes.
If you ask any player, they’ll tell you there’s no moral victories in the NFL. But fans have a different perspective as they see a powerful offense for the first time in years that has the potential to carry the Bears for the foreseeable future. Here are our takeaways from Sunday’s game.
1
Justin Fields is a bona fide star
You can call him a special athlete, a franchise quarterback, a playmaker, etc. Whatever you call Fields, make sure you say he’s a star because he’s not only burst onto the scene, he’s staying and not going anywhere. Fields was electric yet again on Sunday, going 17-of-28 for 123 yards and three touchdowns through the air. He did most of his work on the ground, however, rushing 14 times for 178 yards and a score. His 178 rushing yards are the most in a single NFL game by a quarterback, breaking Michael Vick’s record of 173 yards 20 years ago. He’s also the only player in league history with three passing touchdowns and more than 175 rushing yards in a game.
There was no stopping Fields again on Sunday. No matter what defenses do, whether they stack the box or keep a QB spy back, he still makes them pay one way or another. He keeps checking off boxes in his proverbial quarterback report card, stacking impressive performances on top of each other and improving in areas that he once struggled in even a month and a half ago. He may not be the prototypical pocket passer yet, but that progress has been evident the last couple of weeks, including on Sunday. “Obviously a huge step for Justin Fields and the franchise today” head coach Matt Eberflus said during his presser. Simply put, he is must-see TV at this point and the Bears have a legitimate star at the quarterback position.
2
The Bears offense has found consistency
What’s better than the Bears scoring 30 points on offense? The Bears scoring 30 points on offense for the third week in a row. Consistency in the NFL is vital to success and the Bears offense officially can no longer be considered a fluke. They’re the real deal and they’re moving the ball effectively. The Bears totaled more than 360 yards for the third game in a row and are scoring on 53.1 percent of their drives in that time according to Rich Hribar of Sharp Football Analysis. Those numbers seemed impossible to reach over the last three seasons but we’re seeing it with our own eyes. The group as a whole is advancing in offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s offense, playing disciplined and smart football.
Much of that can be attributed to Fields, but the rest of the group is pulling their weight. The offensive line looks more cohesive, the receivers are getting open more easily, and the running game, while not as effective as previous weeks, still can get those key first downs in short situations. It’s taken some time, but we’re seeing the benefits of the hard work this group has done since the spring. The entire unit looks comfortable together and that’s dangerous for opposing defenses for the rest of the season.
3
The chemistry between Fields and Cole Kmet is finally paying dividends
Speaking of hard work finally paying off, how about the connection between Fields and tight end Cole Kmet? All offseason long, we heard about the growing chemistry between these two and we even saw it during training camp and the preseason. Fields was locking onto Kmet more often than not and it seemed like the tight end was going to have a big season.
That wasn’t necessarily the case early on, but Kmet is now getting more opportunities in the passing game and he’s turning them into big gains. Kmet saw a season-high six targets, catching five of them for 41 yards and two scores. He also added two rushes for nine yards. It was his best game as a Bear and he and Fields look to be on the same page, just like they were in camp. This connection probably isn’t the next coming of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, but having a useful tight end that can not only move the chains downfield but also be a scoring threat is a major development for this offense.
4
Velus Jones. Jr. is in trouble
Heading into Week 9, things were already looking bad for rookie receiver Velus Jones Jr. He fumbled away his punt return duties, wasn’t getting kick return responsibilities, and hasn’t been able to execute anything on offense that involves a route beyond the line of scrimmage. Now with the arrival of Chase Claypool, he lost his spot on the active roster. Jones was a healthy scratch on Sunday, with the Bears dressing five receivers in front of him. The team’s third-round pick is inching closer to bust territory, though his career is still very young.
Jones has lightning speed that was evident on a few end-around plays, but aside from that, he hasn’t been able to contribute positively anywhere on the field. General manager Ryan Poles made his feelings loud and clear when he acquired Claypool, indicating he wasn’t seeing enough from his receiving corps. Jones and Darnell Mooney were supposed to be the two receivers who would be counted on in subsequent years. Now, that’s very much up in the air for the former.
5
Chase Claypool's early involvement is a positive
Does Chase Claypool having the second-most targets on the team Sunday say more about how well the Bears think he’s grasping the playbook? Or is it a sign of just how desperate they are for receiving help that they needed to rely on him? Let’s choose to focus on the positive here. In all seriousness, the fact Claypool was as involved in the passing game just a few days after being acquired in a trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers is encouraging. It wasn’t the best debut, he did have a drop and only caught two passes for 13 yards. But you have to start somewhere.
Claypool played 26 snaps and will see more looks and routes as the second half of the season wears on. He was primarily used on screens, quick outs, or deep shots. One of which ended up resulting in a defensive pass interference and another should have as well. It’s going to take time, but Claypool and Fields will continue to grow their chemistry and by season’s end, will be making a huge difference.
6
The Bears need to do get more creative on defense
While the offense was stellar, the defense appears to have cratered over the last couple of weeks. Since the Bears began selling off their defensive playmakers, they’ve surrendered 42 and 28 points in back-to-back games. The Bears didn’t have an answer for the Dolphins playmakers as quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had wide-open players all day long. Granted, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are two of the best receivers in football right now, but the entire unit was worked over until the fourth quarter.
Much of that had to do with little to no pressure up front. The Bears defensive line has slowed down considerably after a decent start to the year, getting zero sacks and just two QB hits all day long. Tagovailoa had all day to pass in the pocket and he made the Bears pay. Defensive coordinator Alan Williams isn’t one to bring the heat often, but considering how ineffective the front four have been, perhaps it’s time to get more creative with his looks. Bring more corner and safety blitzes, disguise the coverages better. We finally saw some creativity in the fourth quarter with fake blitzes that wound up helping the Bears get the ball back on downs. Williams appears to be running a safe and conservative Cover 2 defense. They’ll need to take a few more chances to create takeaways and put the pressure on the quarterback.
7
Officiating contributed to this loss
For the first 50 minutes or so of gametime, the officials on the field called a fairly balanced game. In fact, penalties were low on both sides of the ball. But things took a turn in the fourth quarter when a trifecta of questionable calls helped seal the fate for the Bears. Early in the fourth quarter, the referees missed two calls on one play that included an intentional grounding and a holding penalty that would have put the Dolphins in an uncomfortable second and long. The very next play, they call pass interference on Eddie Jackson, despite the fact he and Waddle were playing the ball, that cost the Bears 47 yards. What should have been a third and long deep in Miami territory wound up being first and 10 within field goal range. The Dolphins were also able to bleed an additional three and a half minutes off the clock.
Thanks to the Dolphins getting greedy by not kicking a field goal, those calls didn’t hurt the Bears nearly as much as they could have. But on the Bears’ final drive, the officials missed one of the more blatant pass interference calls in recent memory when Dolphins cornerback Keion Crossen grabbed Claypool by the waist well before the ball arrived, but no flag was thrown.
The Bears didn’t lose because of the officials. There were mistakes that were made earlier on that cemented their demise, but to say the officials didn’t play some sort of role is just false. Blaming the refs feels like the easy way out and it feels lazy at times, but when calls are going one way and not reciprocated on much more egregious plays, it’s an issue. Swallow the whistle for both teams or call it fair. There’s no guarantee the Bears would have won the game, but it would have put them in a position to force overtime at the very least.
