The Chicago Bears suffered a 27-24 defeat to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Despite a gutsy performance by quarterback Justin Fields, the Bears’ offensive line, special teams, and defense continued to underachieve as Chicago lost their fourth straight game to drop to 3-8 on the season.
Fields finished with 238 yards (153 passing and 85 rushing) and two touchdowns. The second-year quarterback played through an apparent hamstring injury and drove the Bears down the field to tie the game at 24-24 in the fourth quarter.
Fans would be right to question Chicago’s offensive gameplan, as Fields mentioned having sore legs earlier this week but had 14 rushing attempts by halftime. You have to wonder if continuing to run Fields in the game led to his hamstring injury.
Focusing on the offensive line, this was one of the year’s worst performances. Atlanta only averaged 1.3 sacks per game, and the Bears surrendered four to this defense. The Falcons haven’t had a four-sack game since week one and haven’t had more than one sack since week seven.
After taking a 17-7 lead, Chicago surrendered a 103-yard kickoff return touchdown to former Bear Cordarrelle Patterson. Then, after a 10-play drive, Cairos Santos missed a 56-yard field goal to extend the Bears’ lead.
Atlanta would tie the game at 17-17 before halftime and eventually take the lead in the third quarter. With the game tied at 24-24, the defense could not stop the Falcons, allowing Atlanta to take the lead after a 12-play, 40-yard drive that took more than six minutes off the clock.
Trailing 27-24, Fields ran out of magic, throwing an interception, and was clearly in pain during the final drive after suffering an apparent left shoulder injury.
Right now, the Bears are a horrible team. They are overly reliant on Fields running the ball. If he’s not using his legs, the offense is ineffective. The defense is terrible and has yet to stop a team from scoring 20+ points since week 7. Now, the special teams unit has gotten worse.
Next week the Bears are back on the road to take on the New York Jets and are still seeking their fourth win.
