Bears instant analysis – Syndication Server

Instant analysis of Bears’ 20-17 loss vs. Browns in Week 15

The Chicago Bears suffered a tough 20-17 defeat on the road against the Cleveland Browns. The game began as a defensive battle, with both teams exchanging punts early and often. However, in the second half, there was a momentum shift as Cleveland …

The Browns wound up taking the late lead, and the game ended dramatically as Darnell Mooney dropped a potential game-winning touchdown on a 45-yard Hail Mary attempt. This loss brings Chicago’s record to a disappointing 5-9, crushing any slim playoff aspirations.

The Bears had a promising start on offense with an early touchdown by Cole Kmet following an interception by Eddie Jackson. Unfortunately, that was the high point for the group, which struggled throughout the game. As a team, the Bears averaged 3.3 yards per rush, and Justin Fields averaged 4.2 yards per pass while battling a tough Browns defense.

Poor weather influenced the Bears’ game plan. Still, their conservative and ineffective approach led to nine punts or turnovers on ten possessions. It was a masterclass in offensive ineptitude.

The Bears defense initially kept the Browns’ offense at bay, allowing just seven points in the first half. They forced three interceptions, including a pick-six by linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. Chicago also constantly pressured quarterback Joe Flacco, sacking him four times. But a critical error in the fourth quarter allowed Amari Cooper to score a 51-yard touchdown, tying the game at 17-17.

With three minutes remaining, this play shouldn’t have decided the game. Still, the Bears offense failed to respond, ultimately leading to their defeat in the end.

Sunday’s game in Cleveland highlighted a recurring issue for the Bears: the inability to play complementary football. The defense has been formidable, forcing 14 turnovers in the last four weeks and producing a +9 turnover differential. However, during this time, the offense has only averaged 20 points per game. The Bears are 2-2 during this four-game stretch of elite defensive play and fail to translate it into more wins.

Next up, the Bears will host the Arizona Cardinals (3-10) at Soldier Field. The game kicks off at 3:25 pm CT.

LG Teven Jenkins left the game in the second quarter due to a concussion.

Instant analysis of Bears’ 33-14 upset win vs. Patriots in Week 7

The Bears snapped a 3-game losing streak with an impressive 33-14 win over the Patriots on Monday Night Football.

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Bill Belichick will have to wait another week before becoming the second-winningest coach in NFL history. The Chicago Bears (3-4) snapped their three-game losing streak with a 33-14 upset win on the road over the New England Patriots (3-4) on Monday Night Football.

The Bears notched their first road win of the season as quarterback Justin Fields went 13-for-21 for 179 yards, one touchdown, one interception, 82 yards rushing, and another touchdown on the ground. Now one game away from being back at .500, Chicago will head to Dallas to take on the 5-2 Cowboys.

No one predicted a Bears blowout, but the offense came out of the gate with a 10-0 lead over the Patriots. For a moment, it appeared New England was returning to the Bailey Zappe good-luck charm. The rookie fourth-rounder came in for Mac Jones and led two quick touchdown scoring drives.

After the Bears defense survived the Zappe substitution, Chicago held New England scoreless for the rest of the game while adding 23 more points with the help of kicker Cairos Santos and running backs David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert.

While it was exciting to see the offense score 33 points (the most this season), the defense played great and took the ball away from the Patriots four times with three interceptions and a fumble recovery.

Rookie safety Jaquan Brisker and cornerback Kyler Gordon both had interceptions, along with linebacker Roquan Smith. And defensive tackle Justin Jones recovered a fumble late in the first half.

There are still things the Bears need to clean up before heading to Dallas in Week 8. The offensive line struggled, allowing four sacks, and Chicago fumbled the ball four times. Offensive lineman Lucas Patrick also left the game with a toe injury and seems unlikely to play next week.

Despite the mistakes and the injury to Patrick, a blowout Bears win is not something anyone expected. Nevertheless, it’s going to be a fun few days.

Instant analysis of Bears’ 12-7 loss vs. Commanders in Week 6

The Bears suffered a brutal 12-7 defeat to the Commanders, where another fumble and red zone shortcomings doomed them.

The Chicago Bears suffered a brutal 12-7 defeat to the Washington Commanders, dropping them to 2-4 and extending their losing streak to three.

Once again, a fumble by Velus Jones Jr. cost the Bears the game. With Chicago leading 7-6 midway through the fourth quarter, the rookie muffed a punt, giving Washington the ball at the Bears’ 6-yard line. Two plays later, Brian Robinson barreled into the end zone to make the score 12-7.

It was an ugly game from start to finish. The Bears offensive line couldn’t protect quarterback Justin Fields, who took multiple hard hits. As the hits piled up, it seemed he would leave the game with an injury — luckily, he didn’t.

The Bears offense failed to score early in the red zone on fourth-and-goal, turning the ball over in the first half. The inability to score touchdowns in the red zone is becoming a trend for Chicago, and it’s a cause for concern.

Fields’ play was up and down. He’s still holding the ball too long, but he had flashes of brilliance. His 40-yard touchdown pass to Dante Pettis was a beautifully thrown deep ball. His 39-yard scramble on the final drive put the Bears in a position to win the game.

Unfortunately, Chicago couldn’t take advantage of that long run and turned the ball over on fourth-and-goal as Darnell Mooney failed to make the game-winning catch at the goal line.

Until Jones fumbled, the Commanders couldn’t move the football. QB Carson Wentz was 12-for-22 for 99 yards and took three sacks.

Defensively, it was one of the best games the Bears have played all year. The team went off script and repeatedly blitzed on third down. As a result, Chicago held the Commanders to 227 yards of offense. The Bears defense was even great against the run, only allowing 128 yards rushing to Washington.

But in the end, a rebuilding team found another heartbreaking way to lose.

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Instant analysis of Bears’ 29-22 loss to Vikings in Week 5

For the second straight game, a fumble cost the Bears a potential victory. But it wasn’t a demoralizing loss vs. Vikings, which is progress.

For the second straight game, a fumble cost the Chicago Bears a potential victory. This time, it was receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette getting the ball ripped out of his hands as the Bears were driving for the game-tying touchdown. The Minnesota Vikings preserved a 29-22 victory, dropping Chicago to 2-3 on the season.

There’s no such thing as a good loss, but this is as close as it gets for the Bears. Chicago overcame an 18-point first-half deficit to take the lead and were poised to drive down the field to force overtime with a touchdown.

Despite Smith-Marsette’s fumble, it wasn’t a demoralizing defeat. Weirdly enough, this loss felt more like a win than Chicago’s Week 3 victory over the Houston Texans. That’s because there was measurable growth, particularly with quarterback Justin Fields.

Fields had his best game this season, where he was impactful with his arm and his legs. Fields completed 15-of-21 passes for 208 yards, a season high, and one touchdown for a 118.8 passer rating. He was also the team’s leading rusher with 47 rushing yards on eight carries, not including a 52-yard rushing touchdown that was called back because of a questionable holding penalty.

Two of Chicago’s top playmakers in receiver Darnell Mooney and tight end Cole Kmet were involved in the passing game, combining for six catches for 97 yards. Kmet had four of those for 45 yards.

On defense, the Bears didn’t have an answer for the Vikings high-powered offense in the first half. Quarterback Kirk Cousins and receiver Justin Jefferson broke franchise records with their performances (including Cousins completing 17 consecutive passes and Jefferson making 10 catches for 138 yards.)

But, as has been evident all season, Chicago made the necessary halftime adjustments to get back in the ballgame — both on offense and defense. The Bears held the Vikings without a touchdown until the final minutes, when they scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 17-play, 75-yard drive. It was the first touchdown allowed by Chicago in the second half all season.

This isn’t a season of winning for the Bears. It’s a season for development in a rebuilding year under new GM Ryan Poles. And considering what we saw from Fields and this offense, as well as a short-handed, young defense, there’s reasons to be encouraged after a loss to a good Vikings team.

Instant analysis of Bears’ 29-3 win against Giants

The Bears are undefeated in 2022 after dominating the Giants 29-3.

The Chicago Bears are undefeated in 2022. Unfortunately, we’re still in the middle of the 2021 season, so it doesn’t mean much. Still, at this point of a losing season, it’s about celebrating the small victories. And Bears fans have certainly earned that.

The Bears dominated the Giants from start to finish in a 29-3 victory at Soldier Field that wasn’t even as close as the 26-point deficit indicated. It could’ve been a wider margin if Chicago’s offense had capitalized on some missed opportunities in the red zone.

But we’re not here to nitpick. We’re here to celebrate one of the most enjoyable games in an otherwise miserable Bears season. And it came courtesy of an even more miserable Giants team.

Chicago’s defense set the tone for this game from the first play, where outside linebacker Trevis Gipson recorded the first of two strip sacks on Giants — and former Bears — quarterback Mike Glennon. One play later, running back David Montgomery punched it in from two yards out to jump out to a 7-0 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

The Bears defense absolutely dominated the Giants in this game, and there was never a moment where they appeared to be in the game. The defense feasted on Glennon and forced New York to abandon the passing game. The Giants attempted just 11 passes compared to 40 rushing attempts, which netted 161 yards on the ground.

To quote CBS announcer Jay Feely: “Every time the Giants drop back, something bad always happens.”

And it was true. Glennon was sacked a total of four times, where he fumbled on each of them, turning it over twice, and tossed two interceptions. The Giants netted -10 passing yards, and it was exactly the kind of revenge game Bears fans were hoping to get against Glennon, the guy GM Ryan Pace once guaranteed $18 million to sign.

While it’s been a forgettable season for the Bears, outside linebacker Robert Quinn has given fans plenty of reason to remember it if only for a single moment. Quinn recorded his 18th sack of the season in the fourth quarter, surpassing Hall of Famer Richard Dent for the most sacks in a single season for the Bears.

The Bears offense was the direct beneficiary of the defense’s dominance, scoring 29 points — the second highest of the season. With rookie Justin Fields still sidelined with an ankle injury, it was Andy Dalton getting the starting nod. Dalton had a decent game, completing 18-of-35 passes for 173 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Chicago did remain committed to the run game, where David Montgomery totaled 22 rushes for 64 yards and two touchdowns. He also added two catches for 17 yards.

While this game doesn’t change anything in the grand scheme of things, it was an entertaining three hours that Bears fans don’t usually have the luxury to enjoy. Plus, there’s just one more game left of Matt Nagy’s tenure in Chicago.

Instant analysis of Bears’ 25-24 comeback win over Seahawks

It was a Christmas miracle for the Bears against the Seahawks, where Chicago notched a 25-24 comeback victory.

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It was a Christmas miracle for the Bears against the Seahawks on Sunday, which featured a success, yet daring, two-point conversion attempt by Chicago in the final minute to notch a 25-24 comeback victory over Seattle.

The Bears snapped a three-game losing streak and are now 5-10 on the season with games against the Giants and Vikings on the horizon.

Like most games this season, it was an ugly one for Chicago, which featured red-zone struggles, silly penalties, and poor offensive line play. At one point, it looked lies the Bears weren’t going to score more than David Montgomery’s first-half touchdown. But the worst passing offense was able to take advantage, at times, of the worst passing defense.

Third-string quarterback Nick Foles got the start in place of an injured Justin Fields and Andy Dalton, and he was solid, all things considered. Foles completed 24 of 35 passes for 250 yards and one touchdown for a 98.5 passer rating.

Montgomery remains Chicago’s best offensive weapon, and he was a contributor on the ground and in the passing game. While Montgomery only had 45 yards on 21 carries, he led the Bears in receiving with 61 yards on seven receptions, totaling 106 scrimmage yards.

Outside linebacker Robert Quinn recorded his 17th sack of the season, where he ranks second in the league behind Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt. Quinn tied Richard Dent’s record for the second-most sacks in Bears single-season history (in 1985), and Quinn is now one sack away from breaking Dent’s all-time record of 17.5 set in 1984.

Before the game, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport indicated that Chicago could fire Nagy after the game if they lost. While Nagy appears to have saved his job for another week, Bears fans will only have to worry about dealing with him for another two weeks, at the most.

Sunday’s win doesn’t change anything in the grand scheme of things — except the first-round draft pick the Bears gifted the Giants for Justin Fields — but it was certainly nice to enjoy a victory for once. Even if it was one bad team beating another bad team.

Instant analysis of Bears’ frustrating 17-9 loss to Vikings in prime time

It was the same old song for the Bears as self-inflicted mistakes and offensive woes doomed them in a 17-9 loss to the Vikings.

With the Chicago Bears down 14 players, including their entire starting secondary, and two coordinators, everyone was expecting the Minnesota Vikings to roll over the Bears with ease.

While that wasn’t the case — thanks in large part to a dominant defensive effort — there certainly wasn’t anything to celebrate as the Bears lost in frustrating and humiliating fashion 17-9 to the Vikings, falling to 4-10 on the season and officially eliminated them from playoff contention.

It was the same old song for the Bears as self-inflicted mistakes and offensive woes doomed them in a game that they had a chance to win. Chicago committed three turnovers — all fumbles — committed nine penalties and managed just nine points on five possessions inside the red zone. Granted, six of those points came on a final-second touchdown from quarterback Justin Fields to tight end Jesper Horsted.

The fact that Chicago beat themselves wasn’t a shock. It’s what we’ve seen all season. It was that the Bears defense dominated the Vikings without their entire starting secondary. Chicago held Minnesota to 193 total yards, where quarterback Kirk Cousins mustered just 87 passing yards and receiver Justin Jefferson had just 47 receiving yards and an early score.

The Bears defensive front played a huge role in their dominance, which included two-sack outings by defensive tackle Akiem Hicks and outside linebacker Robert Quinn, who was named to the Pro Bowl as a starter.

One of the pleasant surprises in this game was the performance of sixth-round rookie cornerback Thomas Graham Jr., who shined in his NFL debut with seven tackles and three pass breakups.

Oh, and by the way, Graham has been stashed on the practice squad for 14 weeks when he could’ve been on the field alongside Jaylon Johnson. Instead, we’ve been subjected to Kindle Vildor, Artie Burns and Xavier Crawford, just another indictment on this coaching staff.

The Bears offense continues to be a miserable mess, whether that’s their red zone struggles, penalties, turnovers or the fact they mustered just three points until the final second of the game.

Quarterback Justin Fields’ stat line looked good — 26-of-39 for 285 yards and a touchdown for a 96.6 rating — but he had a rough outing against Minnesota, where ball security remains an issue after he fumbled twice, losing one.

It’s not enough for concern about Fields’ future, especially given the circumstances of this season. But he has three games left this season to try and build on his past performances this season heading into a crucial offseason.

Next up for the Bears is a trip to Seattle to battle an underperforming Seahawks team. Like this game, it’s a winnable one. But it’s hard to believe Chicago can beat Seattle if they continue to beat themselves.

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Instant analysis of Bears’ brutal 45-30 loss to Packers in prime time

While the Bears made it an interesting 1st half, they collapsed in the 2nd half and lost 45-30 to the Packers in what was a familiar ending.

For one half of football, the Chicago Bears looked like a team that could compete with the Green Bay Packers, where they held a 27-21 lead at halftime.

But, unfortunately, Bears fans have seen that movie before. We all knew how it was going to end.

The Packers outscored the Bears 24-3 in the second half and defeated the Bears 45-30 to drop Chicago to 4-9 and eliminate them from NFC North contention.

It was a tale of two halves for the Bears, who contained the Packers offense for the first quarter and then were able to keep up with them in what looked to be a shoot-out in the first half of football.

Wide receiver Jakeem Grant, who Chicago traded for earlier this season, took over the first half with his impressive speed, which led to two touchdowns — a 46-yard catch-and-run score and an insane 97-yard punt return touchdown.

The Bears led 27-21 at halftime, and the mere fact that they were not only in the game but leading it after 30 minutes was a feat in itself.

But then, the second half happened.

Coming out of halftime, Bears head coach Matt Nagy told a sideline reporter that he had fun in the first half, so naturally everything was downhill after that.

Chicago went from leading by six points to losing by eight within a matter of a minute in the third quarter, where they were outscored 17-0. While things seemed to go their way in the first half, the opposite was true in the second half, including a muffed punt recovery that was negated by a questionable penalty.

All things considered, rookie quarterback Justin Fields had a decent game in a situation that went from bad to worse. The Bears offensive line struggled in pass protection all night, and they lost their best offensive lineman in Jason Peters early in the game, which thrust second-round rookie Teven Jenkins into the starting left tackle role. Unfortunately for Jenkins, it was a rough night.

As has been the case this season, the numbers weren’t pretty. Fields completed 18-of-33 passes for 224 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, including a pick-6 in the first half, for a 70.8 passer rating. But Fields made some nice plays and took some shots as he continues to heal from cracked ribs, and it’s hard not to be excited about his future beyond this season.

Sunday’s loss to the Packers was the perfect exclamation point on the Matt Nagy era in Chicago. Not only is Nagy 1-7 against Green Bay in four seasons, but this game was a reminder of why the Bears will part ways with him.

Nagy was out-coached, failed to make second-half adjustments, did nothing to help his rookie quarterback and coached scared, as evidenced by his attempt at a field goal down 18 points in the final minutes.

Unfortunately, there are still four games left in this miserable 2021 season. And given the Bears have never fired a head coach midseason, that means another month of watching Nagy drive this team into the ground.

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Instant analysis of Bears’ brutal 33-22 loss vs. Cardinals

The Bears committed too many mistakes and handed the Cardinals a 33-22 victory, which dropped Chicago to 4-8 this season.

The Chicago Bears hosted the top-seeded Arizona Cardinals Sunday at Soldier Field in a game that was wild from start to finish. But ultimately, the Bears committed too many mistakes and handed a 33-22 victory to the Cardinals.

No one gave Chicago a chance to beat Arizona, myself included. And yet, they were still in the game in the fourth quarter. With no help from the Bears’ offense, which committed four turnovers — all Andy Dalton interceptions — that led to 23 points for the Cardinals.

Much like Chicago tried to hand last week’s game to the winless Lions, Arizona tried to give this game to a bad Bears team, who committed too many mistakes to even stand a chance.

While Chicago’s defense had their share of struggles, they weren’t the biggest issue as their offense put them in bad situations all afternoon. All four of Dalton’s interceptions gave the Cardinals the ball inside Chicago’s 30-yard line.

Dalton silenced any potential quarterback controversy with a brutal outing against the Cardinals, where he threw four interceptions that led to 23 of Arizona’s 33 points. Dalton completed 26-of-41 passes for 229 yards with two touchdowns and those four picks for a 54.9 passer rating.

Despite a brutal loss, there was a bright spot on offense with running back David Montgomery, who had 21 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown. And perhaps receiver Jakeem Grant, who led the Bears with five receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown. But aside from that, it was ugly.

As quarterback Justin Fields nurses cracked ribs, the hope is the rookie will be ready to go against the Packers next Sunday night. With Chicago at 4-8, the only thing that matters right now is Fields’ development.

This isn’t the kind of game that will silence those “Fire Nagy” chants or do anything to salvage Nagy’s job at this point. And it won’t get any easier next week when the Bears head to Green Bay to battle the Packers on Sunday Night Football.

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Instant analysis of Bears’ 16-14 win over Lions on Thanksgiving

The Bears snapped their five-game losing streak with a 16-14 victory over the winless Lions on Thanksgiving.

The Chicago Bears snapped their five-game losing streak with a 16-14 victory over the winless Detroit Lions thanks to a 28-yard field goal by Cairo Santos as time expired to send the Bears to 4-7 on the season.

While Chicago won comfortably in their last meeting in Week 4, they needed some late-game heroics by their offense to secure a win over a Detroit team that held a 14-13 lead in the final three minutes of the game.

Rookie quarterback Justin Fields was sidelined with cracked ribs, which gave way for Andy Dalton to make his first start since Week 2. Dalton was solid in relief of Fields, completing 24-of-39 passes for 317 yards with one touchdown and one interception for a 85.1 passer rating.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff completed 21-of-25 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns, but the Bears were able to keep Detroit’s offense in check. Chicago held the Lions run game to just 76 yards, and the defense was able to do just enough to allow the Bears offense to secure the win.

While the Bears were able to get the win, it didn’t come without struggle or cost. Chicago lost linebacker Roquan Smith to a hamstring injury and receiver Marquise Goodwin to a foot injury.

Considering the Bears were facing a winless team, they weren’t able to put the Lions away quite like they’d hoped. But, when all was said and done, they were able to get the win.

While the Bears were able to snap their five-game losing streak against a bad Lions team, it doesn’t silence the questions surrounding the future of head coach Matt Nagy, who’s been a hot topic of conversation this week.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Nagy isn’t likely to get the axe midseason, but that doesn’t mean his job is safe by any means. Especially considering Chicago has the Cardinals, Packers and Vikings on deck.

This win might’ve temporarily calmed the speculation surrounding Nagy’s immediate future, but in the grand scheme of things, a close victory over a winless Lions team does nothing to save Nagy’s job.