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Here’s a rundown of what we know heading into the Bears’ preseason game against the Bills.
The Chicago Bears will face off against the Buffalo Bills in their second preseason game, where there will be plenty to watch and players looking to prove themselves worthy of a starting job or roster spot.
Here’s a rundown of what we know heading into Saturday’s preseason game against the Bills.
Move over, Mitch Trubisky. The Bears have a new revenge game as former Georgia teammates Justin Fields and Jake Fromm will face off.
We’re just under 24 hours until the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills get underway for Week 2 of the preseason. Naturally, Bills backup quarterback and former Bear Mitchell Trubisky is grabbing all of the headlines as he makes his way back to the place he called home for the last four seasons.
Trubisky’s return has sparked a lot of debate among Bears fans recently. Many are wondering if he’s going to be booed while others are interested to see how he performs against his former team as he gets the start in place of Josh Allen. Some are also calling his return a revenge game and can’t wait to see him go head-to-head against rookie phenom Justin Fields. But Fields likely has his eyes set on another Bills quarterback and nobody is talking about it.
When Trubisky eventually exits on Saturday, Fields’ former teammate Jake Fromm will take his place. Fromm and Fields were teammates back in 2018 at Georgia. Fromm was named the starter during Fields’ freshman year and led the Bulldogs to the SEC Championship game, where they lost to Alabama. Though Fields did see action from time to time, appearing in 12 games, head coach Kirby Smart ensured it was Fromm’s team.
After the 2018 season, Fields decided to transfer to Ohio State and Fromm remained the starting quarterback at Georgia. Fromm regressed during his final year at Georgia and missed out on the College Football Playoff. He decided to forgo his senior season and was selected by the Bills in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL draft.
Fields, meanwhile, became one of the best quarterbacks in college football, being named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in 2019 and leading the Buckeyes to the National Championship game in 2020 before falling to Alabama. He was considered one of the top quarterbacks in the nation for much of the last two years, totaling 79 touchdowns. Fields entered the NFL draft after his junior year, but fell to the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, where the Bears selected him.
Now, Fields and Fromm will meet for the first time since the two were teammate at Georgia. Though he had a tremendous amount of success at Ohio State, it doesn’t sound like Fields has forgotten the feeling of losing out to Fromm.
Shortly after getting drafted by the Bears, Fields was asked about having to wait to get his name called.
“I’ve gone through situations where I haven’t been chosen. I think the world has seen the outcome of that,” Fields told reporters in an obvious dig at Smart’s decision to stick with Fromm over him.
Even during Fields’ debut last week against the Miami Dolphins, Bulldogs fans were still irate over the decision to stick with Fromm after watching the Bears’ rookie light it up.
Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields completed 14 of 20 passes for 142 yards with two total TDs in his first preseason game.
He was so good today that Kirby Smart let him back up Jake Fromm at Georgia.
— RJ Young (@RJ_Young) August 14, 2021
We really let Justin Fields go for Jake Fromm 🥲🥲
— Chief Rocka (@_ZeemMeetsWorld) August 14, 2021
I still think we all deserve an explanation as to why Jake Fromm started over Justin Fields.
— Taylor Hughes (@oTAYLORMADE) August 14, 2021
Fans are pitting this game as Fields against Trubisky, the past against the future. But the Bears rookie likely has his eyes fixated on Fromm, which should make for an interesting reunion of sorts.
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Instead of booing Mitch Trubisky in his return to Soldier Field, maybe try cheering for Justin Fields, who is the Bears’ future.
The Chicago Bears are gearing up for their second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, where there are several things to watch, including the performances of quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Justin Fields and other position battles.
But perhaps the biggest storyline is the return of former Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who is now the backup quarterback for the Bills and will be making his return to Soldier Field for the first time since leaving Chicago.
It’s no secret that Trubisky’s stint with the Bears caused plenty of controversy, especially given Chicago passed on Patrick Mahomes. And given he never lived up to his No. 2 overall billing, fans are fed up the organization again botched the quarterback position.
Last week, Bears fans showered Nick Foles with boos when he threw his first incompletion. And given the tumultuous history with Trubisky, recent comments taken out of context and the fact he’s on the opposing sideline, it’s expected that there are going to be fans booing Trubisky. Not all of them, but there will definitely be boo birds.
Running back Tarik Cohen, and Trubisky’s former draft mate, had a message for any Bears fans who plan to boo him during Saturday’s preseason game.
“If you boo Mitch tomorrow you a lame and a weirdo,” Cohen wrote on Twitter.
If you boo Mitch tomorrow you a lame and a weirdo
— Tarik Cohen (@TarikCohen) August 20, 2021
Letting Trubisky walk in free agency earlier this offseason was exactly what Trubisky and the Bears needed. Trubisky gets a fresh start in Buffalo while the Bears get another shot at a franchise quarterback with Justin Fields.
So if you’re one of those fans who plans on booing Trubisky on Saturday, maybe try cheering Fields instead.
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On the eve of a new decade, we’re counting down the Bears’ best games of this past decade — including some real blasts from the past.
Between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2019, the Chicago Bears played 164 games, including three playoff games, compiling a record of 78-86. Surprising playoff runs in 2010 and 2018 were sandwiched around lengthy stretches of mediocrity from 2013-2017, and fans were treated to a below-average product for much of the decade.
Still, there were quite a few bright spots for the NFL’s charter franchise during the last 10 years, including memorable games that provided thrilling victories. As a disappointing 2019 season concludes, let’s look back on some of the better games and moments the ’10s had to offer.
To kick off the next decade as we enter 2020, here are my top 20 Bears games from the 2010s.
Bears 31 – Cowboys 24: Easily the best game of an otherwise disappointing season, the Bears offense came alive in primetime against the Cowboys, with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky accounting for all four touchdowns with his arm and legs in arguably his best game as a Bear. On defense, despite not creating a turnover, the unit frustrated the Cowboys offense all evening with QB pressures and excellent play from their secondary. The matchup was a pseudo-playoff game, with the Bears keeping their hopes alive for one more week in a complete-team win.
Bears 41 – Bills 9: While the Buffalo Bills weren’t a powerhouse in 2018, the Bears defense still made their offense look completely inept in a blowout. Forcing four turnovers, including three interceptions from quarterback Nathan Peterman, the Bears scored twice on defense thanks to outside linebacker Leonard Floyd’s pick six and safety Eddie Jackson’s fumble recovery, and limited the Bills’ offense to just 264 yards. The reason this game isn’t higher on the list is due to the Bears offensive performance, as they gained just 190 yards.
Bears 30 – Falcons 12: No, this wasn’t the Bears-Falcons matchup that saw the debut of quarterback Mike Glennon, this was the first game following the Bears heartbreaking loss to the Packers in the NFC Championship game. Led by quarterback Jay Cutler, who threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns, the Bears won convincingly against the reigning NFC South champions and held the Falcon offense to just six points. This game also featured an impressive performance from Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher, who had an interception and a fumble recovery for a score. The defense had a total of three takeaways and started the 2011 season with a bang.
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