The Jacksonville Jaguars kept it competitive in the first half against the Chicago Bears as they entered the half with the score at 13-10. However, the wheels fell off in the second half, and the result was a 41-17 beatdown.
The third quarter, in particular, was when the Bears came to life. With the first drive of the second half going to them, the Bears started things off with an 11-play drive of 77 yards. The drive was one that mostly featured former Jags receiver Allen Robinson, who was on fire for most of the game and finished the day with 10 catches for 103 yards. Once they found themselves in the end zone, quarterback Mitch Trubisky then took matters into his own hands and ran one in for six.
The next two Bears drives were also good for touchdowns. The drive that followed Trubisky’s touchdown mostly featured running back David Montgomery, who touched the ball five times in the eight-play drive. When the Bears got in striking range, he scored with a tough 6-yard score, which put the score at 27-10.
During the next drive, it only took Jags veteran quarterback Mike Glennon two plays to give the Bears the ball back as he threw a pick to linebacker Roquan Smith. The pick was his second by Smith, who played lights out on the defensive end.
Two plays later, Trubisky was able to hit tight end, Jimmy Graham, on a wheel route where he was able to get behind safety Josh Jones. The score then moved to a 34-10 figure with over two minutes remaining in the third quarter.
The Jags couldn’t get much going in their next drive, either, and ended up punting the ball once again. The Bears then answered with a nine-play drive for just under 50 yards. Running back Artavis Pierce was the one to ultimately end it by getting in on the success of the run game with a 3-yard score. Kicker Cairo Santos then connected with the point after attempt late in the fourth quarter to put Chicago up 41-10.
A few drives later, Glennon would connect with receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. with a nice pass where he split the safeties to put the game at its final score of 41-17.
Ultimately, the Bears finished with 391 total yards on the day while the Jags had 279. Glennon finished the process 24-of-37 for 211 yards, two touchdowns, and two picks. Running back Dare Ogunbowale, who started with James Robinson out, led the team in rushing with 14 carries for 71 yards.
In terms of receiving, D.J. Chark led the way with four catches for 62 yards. He also snagged one of the Jags’ two touchdowns in the first half with a highlight toe-tap reception on Bears rookie Kindle Vildor.
Defensively, cornerback Greg Mabin led the way with 10 tackles but they mostly came as a result of Robinson having his way with the secondary. Linebacker Joe Schobert wasn’t too far behind him with eight total tackles, a sack, a pass breakup, and a pick.
In the end, the score marked another embarrassing loss at home for Jacksonville, but the sting of getting ran out of their own stadium for the fans would only last for a little while. Moments later, the New York Jets, who played the Cleveland Browns, would eventually win their second consecutive game and hand the Jags the No. 1 overall pick.
With the Jags losing to the Bears and the Jets winning, the Jags could tie Gang Green’s record at the end of the season, but they won’t be able to surpass them as one game remains. If both the Jags and Jets finished with 2-14 records, the league’s tiebreaker rules would reward the Jags the No. 1 overall pick.
Of course, that put the Jags in the driver’s seat to draft Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who is thought to be the next Andrew Luck-type prospect. Now, fans of the Jags will have to endure the wait as he makes his decision, but many believe he will enter the draft.
As for the current Jags roster, one game remains and it will be against their divisional rivals in the Indianapolis Colts. The game will be a must-win for Indy as they try and land a wild-card spot, which means the Jags could potentially spoil things with a win. Kickoff for that game will be on Sunday, Jan. 3 at 1 p.m. EST.