It’s back to reality for the 2023 Chicago Bears. After an exciting victory over the Washington Commanders in Week 5, the Bears followed it up with a stinker on the lakefront, losing 19-13 to the Minnesota Vikings to fall to 1-5.
Chicago had 10 days to prepare for their divisional opponent, but apparently that wasn’t enough time to recognize Minnesota’s numerous blitz packages that thwarted the offense on the first play from scrimmage. Quarterback Justin Fields had a rough outing, completing just 6-of-10 passes for 58 yards and an interception before exiting the game with a dislocated thumb.
Backup undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent entered in relief and didn’t fare much better, committing two turnovers that thwarted any sort of comeback. The offense totaled just 275 yards and failed to capitalize when they had excellent field position, which they had often thanks to a strong defensive performance.
The Bears defense contained the Vikings offense for much of the day. Minnesota scored 12 offensive points, totaled 220 yards, and converted just 2-of-13 third-down conversions. With a (mostly) healthy secondary back and improved play from the linebackers, the defense played well enough for the team to win. That wasn’t the case, though, and now the Bears have to navigate an uncertain immediate future with key injuries sidelining players such as Fields.
Here were our takeaways from Sunday’s all-too-familiar loss.
1. The Bears are who we thought they were
Today is the 17th anniversary of that famous line from the late Dennis Green after the miraculous comeback against the Arizona Cardinals, and it’s more appropriate than ever to include after Sunday’s loss. The Bears weren’t turning a corner with their recent offensive play. It was just an aberration due to playing poor defenses that couldn’t provide consistent pressure that also played man coverage. When Fields and the offense were faced with more of a challenge, they turtled. That was evident on the first play of the game when Fields was unable to recognize the blitz. He was dropped and the Bears were suddenly behind the eight ball like they had been all too often during the Matt Eberflus era.
Even when the rare moments of progress are found, they never last. A big win in prime time should have carried over this week when facing a divisional opponent who was down their best playmaker. It was a chance to actually take the next step and show there’s actually hope with this staff, who has yet to manufacture a two-game winning streak or defeat a divisional opponent. Instead it was much of the same, proving the Bears are who we thought they were. It was (kind of) a fun couple weeks, at least.
2. Justin Fields and the offense still struggle when facing pressure
Like the rest of the team, Fields crashed down to earth after a stellar two-game stretch. His play on Sunday was very reminiscent of the first three weeks of the season, where he struggled when facing pressure and looked lost in the pocket. Prior to his injury, Fields completed just 6-of-10 passes for 58 yards and an interception. He played into the third quarter with those stats. His running ability was on point as he carried the ball eight times for 46 yards, but it was his pocket presence the last couple weeks that had fans excited, believing he had flipped a switch. It turns out the switch was on a timer.
Make no mistake, this wasn’t all on Fields. The offensive line could not properly contain Minnesota’s pass rush, and, as always, there were questionable play calls in certain situations. The Bears allowed five sacks on the day and the tackles were overmatched multiple times. When it came to pressure, however, there were instances where Fields had no choice but to bail out of the pocket, one of which cost the Bears six points deep in the red zone. Early in the second quarter, Fields had Mooney open in the back of the end zone, but pressure was bearing down, and he had to tuck and run.
Last week, Fields made it a point to throw the ball out of bounds when the pocket began to collapse. That didn’t happen today, and it cost the Bears yards and precious downs. Who knows when Fields will get another shot, though, as he could be out a few games with his thumb injury.
3. The Bears failed at the center position
The Bears can play Cody Whitehair, go back to Lucas Patrick, or even try Dan Feeney at the center position. It doesn’t matter because they failed to get it right, and it’s costing the offense yards and sometimes points. Whitehair got the start at center for the first time all season and, like he’s done in the past, was erratic with his snaps. They were high, low, and everywhere in between, which caused plays to break down almost immediately. Prior to the preseason injury to Teven Jenkins, Whitehair was slated to be the team’s center anyway, so this problem would have persisted even earlier. But the fact is, despite having three—possibly even four—players capable of playing center on the team, none of them look like viable options.
The problems got worse when Fields exited and Bagent came in. Fields has that special athleticism to corral bad snaps and make something out of nothing. Bagent can’t do that, and it led to inaccurate passes and happy feet in the pocket. The quarterback-center exchange is so crucial, and errors can kill plays before they even start. Whitehair can’t snap properly, and Patrick struggles to block. Unless Feeney or Doug Kramer can magically prove they’re sizeable upgrades at the position, this will persist through the end of the season. General manager Ryan Poles felt confident in who they had in the building, and it was always a mistake given each player’s history. It’s only now being fully realized.
4. The linebackers showed out on Sunday
It took a few weeks, but the Bears defense finally had a good game. Maybe they just needed to get (mostly) healthy for that to happen. The defense allowed just 220 total yards, their lowest since Week 6 of the 2022 season when they played the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football. Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins struggled, and the offense was put in unfavorable third-down situations. It was a team effort, but the linebackers were the stars on Sunday.
T.J. Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds, and Jack Sanborn all balled out with consistent pressure, smart tackling, and heads-up plays that created takeaways. Edwards led the team with seven solo tackles, including one sack, and should have had a fumble recovery (more on that later). Edmunds, meanwhile, played his best game with six total tackles, one pass defensed, and a fumble recovery. Last but not least, Sanborn had five solo tackles (one for loss) and generated plenty of pressure up front. They finally looked like a cohesive unit and lived up to their respective reputations. All three were major reasons why the Bears contained Minnesota’s offense all day long.
5. T.J. Edwards was robbed on his fumble recovery and it would have changed the game
It was the play that could have changed the game. Cousins drops back, gets hit by Jaquan Brisker and DeMarcus Walker, attempts to flip the ball to Cam Akers, and it appears to be gathered by T.J Edwards for the turnover. Except the officials ruled the ball was out of bounds prior to the Bears linebacker getting hold of it. Instead of having the ball at the Vikings 33, the Bears got the ball at their own 20 and had to settle for a field goal.
It sure looked like Edwards had possession of the ball prior to anything going out of bounds. The would-be turnover would have given the Bears offense a short field to operate with, potentially setting up the first touchdown of the game. Even if it looked questionable, the initial call on the field was that Edwards had possession. The officials didn’t appear to have conclusive evidence to overturn the call, but they did anyway. It was a bad miss that could have changed the game early on.
6. Velus Jones has no business being on the roster
This might be seen as a small problem considering what else is transpiring with this team, but the mistakes continue to mount for second-year receiver Velus Jones, and it’s more than enough time to question why he deserves a spot on the active roster. Jones has been reduced to a kick returner with 1-2 snaps on offense per game. And he can’t even do that job well.
Jones still doesn’t know when to pick up the ball on kickoff returns. He let one bounce at the two-yard line and briefly go into the end zone before he picked it up and gained about eight yards. If it wasn’t for a technicality that erased that mistake, the offense would have had incredibly poor field position. When he did have a good return, there was a penalty that negated it.
Again, it feels somewhat unfair to pick on Jones for having just a sliver of the impact that others had in this loss. But that’s the problem. Jones wastes a roster spot for a very limited role and can’t even do that properly. Whether it’s Poles trying to save face for his draft selection last year or it’s the coaches believing they can still get something out of the receiver, his place on the roster should be severely questioned. The Bears could easily get someone else back there and get another receiver who can actually run routes. It might be a small problem, but it’s a problem that impacts more than just special teams.
7. Tyson Bagent will show where the problems on the offense lie
Depending on the severity of Fields’ injury, this could truly be the beginning of the end for him in Chicago, depending on how the rest of the year shakes out. But that’s a conversation for another day. There are still games to be played, and for better or for worse, we may finally get the answer to what ails this offense from putting together consistent production with Bagent (likely) taking over.
At this point, we know Fields’ strengths and weaknesses. He has a big arm and can use his athleticism to extend plays and keep drives alive. He also sometimes plays with a lack of urgency in the pocket and doesn’t trust what he sees. Having Bagent take over as the starter doesn’t mean the offense will be any better. It probably gets worse, but at least the problems will be more transparent. Is Getsy the overarching problem with his scheme and playcalling? Or is Fields not running it properly with how he operates within the pocket? Bagent played under Getsy at the Senior Bowl this past year and chose the Bears over numerous teams after the draft. In some ways, this is Getsy’s guy, and it will be interesting to see how the offense looks different with him under center.
8. It's sad to already be looking towards the draft
Week 6 of the NFL season is just wrapping up, and the Chicago Bears season feels like it’s already over. Sure, that’s been said in previous weeks, but this feels different. Fields could be out for the duration of the season, and if that’s the case, it’s hard to imagine he’s back as the long-term answer at quarterback. The team is 1-5 and squarely in last place in the division. It’s the middle of October, and fans are already making draft plans despite the fact that the season is not even half over. And they’re fully justified in that decision.
For two years in a row, the Bears season is only a means to the upcoming draft. That’s a sad reality for a team that has just 17 guaranteed games. Fans wait months for the NFL season to begin, but in the case of the Bears, it only takes a few weeks for the excitement to shift to anger before settling on apathy. That’s not how it’s supposed to be. Teams draft for the upcoming season. They don’t play the season for the upcoming draft. Not the Bears, though. We’re looking at an organization that hasn’t had a winning streak in almost two years. Eberflus is the only coach in team history to get this far into his tenure without one. This team is allergic to winning, and fans can only deal with it for so long before turning the page.
To be fair, the future is bright if certain things fall into place. Two top draft picks can turn things around in a hurry if they’re properly developed. But these conversations should happen in January at the earliest. Not before Halloween. Don’t blame the fans for going there, though. They need any hope they can get. Blame the Bears for not doing enough for fans to actually care about the current product on the field.
