Category: Regular Season

Bears sticking with Eddy Pineiro after two missed FGs vs. Rams

Despite missing two costly field goals in the first quarter of Sunday’s 17-7 loss to the Rams, the Bears remain committed to Eddy Pineiro.

Try as they might, the Chicago Bears haven’t been able to shake their kicker woes.

In a game where every point was important, kicker Eddy Pineiro missed two field goals — from 48 and 47 yards — against the Los Angeles Rams.

After starting the season 9-of-10 on field goals, Eddy Pineiro has now missed 4 of his last 7 field goal attempts.

In case you were wondering how thin Matt Nagy’s confidence was in Pineiro, he opted for his offense to go for it on fourth-and-nine rather than attempt a 49-yard field goal on Chicago’s second offensive drive.

When asked about what happened on his misses, Pineiro simply had this to say:

“Just missed it,” he said, via NBC Sports Chicago.

In spite of his struggles, Nagy insists that the Bears won’t be looking for a new kicker.

Pineiro’s job security comes into question with his struggles — even if Nagy insists that the Bears will stick with the beleaguered rookie kicker.

“You want to see field goals made,” Matt Nagy said. “You’re in a game like this, a defensive battle – points are at a premium. You want to be able to make those kicks.”

With the Bears’ playoff hopes all but extinguished after a sixth loss, Chicago has six more games to determine if they’re going to stick with Pineiro past this season.

“I’m not worried about anything right now,” Pineiro said. “I’ve just go to keep making kicks in practice, go back and see what I did wrong, and just try to make kicks.”

The Bears might’ve committed to Pineiro moving forward this season, but that doesn’t mean they trust him. That has to be earned.

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5 takeaways from the Bears’ 17-7 loss vs. the Rams

From missed FGs to finishing with a potential quarterback controversy, there was a lot to unpack in the Bears’ 17-7 loss to the Rams.

A de facto game to see who remains in the playoff hunt on Sunday evening took place as the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams squared off in primetime. After a back and forth game, the Rams landed the final blow, scoring a touchdown in the final few minutes to secure the win 17-7, effectively ending the Bears playoff hopes as they fall to 4-6.

It was the same old story for coach Matt Nagy’s squad. The offense continued to sputter when the team needed a spark, and their defense played well enough to keep the team in the game until the final minutes when Rams coach Sean McVay and quarterback Jared Goff orchestrated a 4 minute drive that resulted in a touchdown.

From starting out with two missed field goals to finishing with a potential quarterback controversy, there was a lot to unpack in this game. Here are my five takeaways from the Bears loss.

1. “Benching” quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was a cowardly move by Matt Nagy

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

You can call it a hip injury, but I’m calling it a benching. Down 10 points and following the Rams’ final touchdown, Trubisky was removed from the game in favor of backup quarterback Chase Daniel. The team sent out a memo, saying he was dealing with a hip injury and Nagy explained in his press conference he hurt it in the second half, but Trubisky says the injury occurred in the first half.

Those reports do not add up and the situation did not pass the eye test after seeing Nagy talk with his quarterback on the sideline and watching Trubisky walk off the field when the game ended. I could end up being wrong, but I’m not buying the injury. I saw a coach attempt to save his skin by playing his backup and a dejected (potentially former) starting quarterback look like someone told him his dog had died.

Benching Trubisky does nothing at this point in the season except raise more questions and create unrest in the locker room. Trubisky didn’t light it up tonight, but until the final couple of drives, he played alright and was plagued by drops from his receivers. Still, in my opinion, the decision to remove Trubisky with three minutes to go was the wrong move, and I’m not buying the injury excuse.

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Did the Bears bench QB Mitchell Trubisky?

The Bears benched starting QB Mitchell Trubisky after suffering a hip injury against the Rams. But was the injury legit?

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The Chicago Bears had to deal with more than a deflating 17-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night. They had to deal with what, on the surface, appears to be a quarterback controversy.

With the Bears trailing by 10 points and 3:24 remaining in the game, backup quarterback Chase Daniel entered the game as starter Mitchell Trubisky stood on the sideline, visibly upset.

It appeared Matt Nagy had pulled Trubisky in favor of Daniel, who wasn’t able to mount any sort of comeback in the final minutes of the game.

The Bears PR department said in the dwindling minutes that Trubisky had suffered a hip injury and was questionable to return.

“It’s definitely tough,” Trubisky said after the game, via NBC Sports Chicago. “You just want to be out there with your team. But if you’re not 100 percent, you can’t help the team. I’m not doing the team any favors if I’m not able to run around or throw the ball with accuracy because I’m throwing with all arm.

“So you just got to be smart … but I’m going to fight as long as I can to be out there with my guys. Hopefully it’s something that doesn’t prevent me from being out.”

But there are plenty of things that don’t add up when discussing Trubisky’s injury, including the fact that Nagy apparently wasn’t made aware of it until the fourth quarter even though the play in question happened on the final drive of the first half.

Then there’s the sideline conversation captured by NBC, which showed Nagy and an emotional Trubisky deep in conversation. It looked more like a coach telling his quarterback he was benched rather than an injury discussion. For the remainder of the game, the NBC cameras were glued on Trubisky, who looked visibly upset as he stood by himself.

Nagy said the conversation was him asking Trubisky to be honest about his injury, and that he was and that was the reason why he was pulled from the game — to protect him.

Trubisky said that he “really wasn’t telling anyone” about his injury because he’d hoped to play through it, as evidenced by Chicago’s 80-yard touchdown drive to open the third quarter.

“I’m not doing the team any favors if I’m not able to run around or throw the ball with accuracy because I’m throwing with all arm,” Trubisky said. “You’ve just got to be smart with that factor, but I’m going to fight as long as I can and try to be out there with my guys.”

But many are wondering if the hip injury is legit. How else would a head coach and play caller not know that his starting quarterback was hurt until the fourth quarter?

Trubisky, who said he was examined at halftime, was never in the blue medical tent on the sideline. Nagy said quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone mentioned that they needed to keep an eye on Trubisky a couple of series before he was pulled.

Nagy said he noticed Trubisky wasn’t using his lower body in his throws — that they were all arm — which indicated that his hip was bothering him and accounted for the lack of accuracy after that scoring drive.

Nagy insisted that he needs to “find out more because I didn’t find out the details yet from him, the play that it happened,” because he didn’t talk to Trubisky after the game.

We’ll see if Trubisky’s hip injury is minor enough that he can suit up in Week 12 against the Giants or whether it’ll sideline him again.

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Instant analysis of Bears’ disappointing 17-7 loss to Rams

The Bears suffered a 17-7 loss to the Rams which effectively ended any slim playoff hopes they had.

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It was a night of what could’ve been for the Chicago Bears, who fell victim to missed opportunities and self-inflicted mistakes in a 17-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Los Angeles.

The loss, which dropped the Bears to 4-6, effectively ended any playoff hopes. The Bears had two missed field goals, a dropped interception, a failed fumble recovery and numerous dropped passes.

The big story came near the end of the game. On Chicago’s final drive, Chase Daniel was in at quarterback. Bears PR announced that it was a hip injury for quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, but that didn’t appear to be the case from the sideline.

NBC captured footage from Matt Nagy having a conversation with Trubisky on the sideline during the commercial break, and it looked like a player being told that he was being benched. Trubisky was seen standing on the sideline alone and visibly upset for the rest of the game.

If this was indeed Nagy benching Trubisky, it was far from the right time. Trubisky wasn’t close to the problem in this loss, and he had a good — not great — game in less-than-ideal circumstances. He completed 24 of 43 passes for 190 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Then there was Eddy Pineiro, who proved that Chicago still has a kicker problem. Pineiro missed two field goals in the first quarter, from 48 and 47 yards. On the Bears’ second possession, Nagy opted to go for it on fourth-and-9 instead of letting Pineiro attempt a 49-yard field goal.

It’ll be interesting to see what the Bears do this week at kicker heading into Week 12 against the New York Giants and beyond.

The Bears defense came up with turnovers on Los Angeles’ first two possessions, but Chicago’s offense failed to capitalize on them. Rams running back Todd Gurley nearly put up 100 yards on the Bears’ defense, rushing 25 times for 97 yards and one touchdown.

Chicago’s defense failed to sack Rams quarterback Jared Goff, who only attempted 18 passes on the night.

There were high hopes and expectations heading into the 2019 season following a magical 2018. But those hopes were dashed with Sunday’s loss to the Rams.

The game encapsulated everything that’s been frustrating for the Bears in this season: failure to capitalize on opportunities, lack of discipline and just an utter disappointment.

And there are still six games left this season.

WATCH: Mitchell Trubisky finds Tarik Cohen for Bears’ first TD vs. Rams

After being held scoreless in the first half, the Bears marched down the field to score on their opening possession of the second half.

After being held scoreless in the first half, the Chicago Bears’ offense came alive in the second half with a touchdown drive on its opening possession of the third quarter.

The Bears put together a 12-play 80-yard drive, which was capped by a Mitchell Trubisky to Tarik Cohen 14-yard touchdown.

That touchdown marked the third consecutive game in which the Bears scored a touchdown on their opening drive of the second half.

Chicago didn’t have a third down until the final play of the drive, which resulted in the touchdown.

The Bears currently trail the Rams 10-7 with 4:50 left in the third quarter.

Bears held scoreless in first half for third time this season

The Bears failed to score any points in the first half for the third time this season, as they trail the Rams 10-0 at halftime.

With their playoff lives on the line, the Chicago Bears have come out flat in the first half against the Los Angeles Rams.

After forcing two turnovers on the Rams’ first two possessions — and getting into scoring position on their first three offensive drives — the Bears came away scoreless in the first half for the third time this season.

For reference, Chicago was held scoreless in the first half four times in John Fox’s three-year tenure.

The Bears were held scoreless against the Oakland Raiders in Week 5 and Philadelphia Eagles in Week 9.

Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has looked sharp, but he hasn’t been helped by his receivers, who dropped five passes in the first half.

He also hasn’t gotten some help from his kicker, as Eddy Pineiro missed two field goals in the first quarter alone, from 48 and 47 yards.

The Bears trail 10-0 at halftime.

Bears K Eddy Pineiro misses two field goals in first quarter vs. Rams

Bears kicker Eddy Pineiro’s struggles continued against the Rams as he missed two field goals in the first quarter.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: The Chicago Bears have a kicker problem.

Eddy Pineiro missed two field goals in the first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams, from 48 yards and 47 yards.

After starting the season 9-of-10 on field goals, Pineiro has now missed 4 of his last 7 field goal attempts.

In case you were wondering how thin Matt Nagy’s confidence was in Pineiro, he opted for his offense to go for it on fourth-and-nine rather than attempt a 49-yard field goal on Chicago’s second offensive drive.

You have to wonder if the Bears will turn elsewhere at kicker next week when they host the New York Giants.

WATCH: Bears’ defense forces pair of takeaways on Rams’ first two possessions

The Bears defense has forced turnovers on the Rams’ first two offensive possessions.

In a game that’s expected to a defensive showdown, the Chicago Bears got things started early.

On the first play of the Los Angeles Rams’ opening possession, Bears safety Eddie Jackson forced a fumble of Rams running back Todd Gurley on the Los Angeles 38-yard line. Safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix recovered the fumble, which gave the Bears the ball at the Los Angeles 46-yard line.

The Bears ran 7 plays for 15 yards and were unable to convert the takeaway into points. On fourth-and-nine, the Bears opted to go for it rather than kick a 49-yard field goal.

Kicker Eddy Pineiro had missed a 48-yard attempt on Chicago’s opening possession. Pineiro is 4 for his last 7 on field goals, and he missed an extra point last week.

On Los Angeles’ second series, they were driving down the field before linebacker Roquan Smith intercepted Rams quarterback Jared Goff at the Chicago 27-yard line.

That was Smith’s second interception of Goff in the last two meetings. He recorded an interception in last season’s meeting on Dec. 9, 2018.

The Bears and Rams are scoreless near the end of the first quarter.

Bears Week 11 Inactives: David Montgomery active vs. Rams

The Bears released their inactives ahead of tonight’s game against the Rams, and rookie RB David Montgomery is ACTIVE.

The Chicago Bears (4-5) released their inactives ahead of tonight’s primetime showdown against the Los Angeles Rams (5-4), and it’s good news regarding rookie running back David Montgomery.

Montgomery is officially active against the Rams. He rolled his ankle during Wednesday’s practice, and he was a game-time decision heading into a do-or-die conference game.

Bradley Sowell is also active against Los Angeles with the Bears thin at the tight end position. Last season, Sowell scored Chicago’s only touchdown of the game on a play dubbed Santa’s Sleigh. Could we see part two tonight?

Tight ends Trey Burton (who was placed on injured reserve Saturday) and Adam Shaheen along with linebackers Danny Trevathan and Isaiah Irving had previously been ruled out against the Rams.

3 keys to victory for Bears in Week 11 vs. Rams

The Bears and Rams will face off in a do-or-die prime time matchup where both teams are looking to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The Chicago Bears (4-5) are heading into a meaningful prime time game in November against the Los Angeles Rams (5-4), where both teams are looking to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The story for both teams are their struggling offenses, led by quarterbacks Mitchell Trubisky and Jared Goff. This game looks to be a defensive battle, and it might come down to which offense makes the fewest mistakes.

Let’s look at three keys to a Bears victory on Sunday:

1. Pressure Jared Goff

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When the Bears faced the Rams last season, they made Jared Goff uncomfortable from the get-go. What resulted was a four-interception performance, which resulted in a 15-6 victory for the Bears.

If the Bears are going to beat the Rams on Sunday, they need to generate pressure on Goff, who has been struggling mightily of late. It doesn’t help Goff that he’ll be operating behind a makeshift offensive line that’ll have to deal with Khalil Mack and the Bears’ pass rush.

Speaking of Mack, the Bears need their All-Pro linebacker to step up in one of the biggest games of the season. After starting the season with 4.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles in four games, Mack has managed just on sack over the last five games.

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