The Chicago Bears are a bad football team. Never mind being owned by Aaron Rodgers or getting blown out by Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bears just got embarrassed in a 33-22 loss by a San Francisco 49ers team that had lost four straight games.
Just when you think things can’t get any worse, Chicago always manages to deliver. But the good news is that the offense finally showed signs of life. Even though the defense has gotten worse with each passing week.
The lone bright spot from this loss was the play of rookie quarterback Justin Fields, who has the best game of his young career. While many will point to a late-game interception that bounced off receiver Darnell Mooney’s hands, anyone who watched Fields could see that he took a big step forward in his development.
Fields has the potential to be a truly special player in this league, and he showed why against the 49ers. Fields looked the part of a franchise quarterback, where he utilized his strengths as a passer and runner to keep Chicago in the game.
Fields completed 19-of-27 passes for 175 yards and one touchdown, as well as added 10 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown on the ground — including this sensational 22-yard scramble for a score. Fields became the first Bears quarterback to rush for 100-plus yards since Bobby Douglass in 1973.
Rookie running back Khalil Herbert also continued to shine, where he had 63 rushing yards in the first half and finished with 23 rushes for 72 yards.
While the offense has been a concern all season, it’s the defense that’s been the most concerning over the last couple of weeks. And they struggled mightily against a 49ers offense that had been struggling over the last four weeks.
Look no further than the defense’s performance in the second half, where they gave up four consecutive scoring drives, including three touchdowns and a field goal.
The Bears were up by seven points in the third quarter and had the 49ers pinned in their own end on a third-and-20. But Deebo Samuel turned a check down into a 83-yard run that set up Jimmy Garoppolo’s 1-yard touchdown run, and the momentum completely changed.
Matt Nagy or not, this is a bad Bears football team. But at least Fields took a step forward today, right?