The Chicago Bears dropped a 34-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football, where the only saving grace was the periodic appearance of hopeful franchise savior Justin Fields, who is more than ready to play in the NFL.
No one expected the Bears to beat the Rams, and yet there were opportunities to do just that. Unfortunately, Chicago squandered any chance to win with mishaps on offense and defense.
Despite only scoring 14 points against the Rams, the Bears offense was the least disappointing unit on the field for Chicago, which is certainly not something I expected to be typing.
The Bears offense looked efficient at times, where they were able to sustain drives and eat time off the clock, including a beauty of a 16-play, 81-yard scoring drive that lasted 9:38 to trim the Rams’ lead to 20-14.
For all the flack he’s received, quarterback Andy Dalton had a decent debut for the Bears, completing 27-of-38 passes for 206 yards with one interception and a 72.9 passer rating. His biggest blunder was an ill-advised interception in the end zone on Chicago’s opening series. But aside from that, Dalton was decent. But it’s difficult to imagine this Bears team winning with decent quarterback play.
As promised, Fields made his NFL debut against the Rams, where he made a handful of appearances throughout the game. Fields completed 2-of-2 passes for 10 yards and added a 3-yard rushing touchdown. While it wasn’t a dominant performance by any means — he simply wasn’t given an opportunity to do much — it left many wondering why Fields is sidelined while Dalton takes starting reps.
Dalton didn’t do enough to lose the job following Week 1, where the offense showed signs of promise. But you have to wonder if the losses start to add up just how long Matt Nagy can wait until he inserts his young franchise quarterback.
But it was running back David Montgomery who shined the brightest on offense, where he finished with 16 carries for 108 yards and a touchdown. Montgomery had 79 yards rushing in the first half, and he looked like someone destined for a breakout season.
While many expected the Bears offense would struggle against one of the best defenses in the league, the same couldn’t be said about Chicago’s defense. Sure, there were concerns in the secondary, which was a focal point when examining what went wrong on defense. But the Bears boast one of the league’s best front sevens, and they were expected to come through.
Sure, defensive tackle Akiem Hicks and outside linebacker Robert Quinn combined for a sack on Matthew Stafford. But the debut of Sean Desai’s defense was embarrassing to say the least. They gave up 34 points to the Rams, and it probably would’ve been more if not for Chicago’s offense sustaining drives. Tackling remains a huge concern, as do blown coverages. If the defense continues to play like this, it’s going to be a long season.
Stafford was near flawless in his Rams debut, completing 20-of-26 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns for a 156.1 passer rating. He was sacked just once. Rams receiver Cooper Kupp was the beneficiary of Stafford’s big day, hauling in seven receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown.
Then again, the Bears’ season opener didn’t show us anything we didn’t already know. Chicago isn’t going to contend this year, in which the most important thing is Fields’ development.
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