The Chicago Bears are undefeated for the first time since 2013. But it doesn’t feel like it. Not when this football team could very easily be 0-2 if not for a dropped pass in the end zone and a couple of last-second deflected passes to hold off two winless teams.
But, a win is a win. And those are hard to come by in the NFL.
Although when you look at things, the Bears are a 2-0 team that has played just three solid quarters of football against two bad teams and survived some last-second rallies.
When Bears had coach Matt Nagy was asked about his team’s 2-0 start, he was honest in his assessment saying his Bears are “just OK right now.”
And he’s right. Aside from some fourth-quarter heroics and a dominant first half, the Bears have pretty inconsistent — and lucky — in their first two games.
Matt Nagy on his 2-0 #Bears: "I would say we're just OK right now."
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) September 20, 2020
Chicago’s offense got off to the kind of fast start that has eluded them dating back to last season. They marched 82 yards in 12 plays, which ended with a 28-yard touchdown from quarterback Mitchell Trubisky to running back David Montgomery. They added a field goal on their following possession, after Robert Quinn had a strip-sack of Giants quarterback Daniel Jones.
On their final drive of the half, the Bears drove 80 yards in 11 plays to score their second touchdown of the half — a beauty of a touchdown from Trubisky to rookie receiver Darnell Mooney.
But it was all downhill after that for the offense, that did manage to find success on the ground in the second half. The Bears were shut-out in the second half while the Giants scored 13 unanswered points. While the Bears were able to get off to a fast start, they couldn’t carry that momentum into the second half, which nearly cost them the win.
The Bears defense was much better than last week, where they were able generate pressure on Jones, sacking him four times and forcing two turnovers. They also held the Giants to just 75 yards on the ground. Granted, running back Saquon Barkley suffered what’s feared to be a torn ACL in the first half. But the Bears defense looked more like themselves in Week 2.
The Bears are undefeated, but there’s still plenty of work to be done if they’re going to continue to win. Because, eventually, they’re going to play against teams that aren’t going to let them get away with playing one solid quarter or half of football.