8 takeaways from the Bears’ familiar loss to the Vikings

The Bears are who we thought they were after the 19-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Here were our takeaways from the game.

It’s back to reality for the 2023 Chicago Bears. After an exciting victory over the Washington Commanders in Week 5, the Bears followed it up with a stinker on the lakefront, losing 19-13 to the Minnesota Vikings to fall to 1-5.

Chicago had 10 days to prepare for their divisional opponent, but apparently that wasn’t enough time to recognize Minnesota’s numerous blitz packages that thwarted the offense on the first play from scrimmage. Quarterback Justin Fields had a rough outing, completing just 6-of-10 passes for 58 yards and an interception before exiting the game with a dislocated thumb.

Backup undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent entered in relief and didn’t fare much better, committing two turnovers that thwarted any sort of comeback. The offense totaled just 275 yards and failed to capitalize when they had excellent field position, which they had often thanks to a strong defensive performance.

The Bears defense contained the Vikings offense for much of the day. Minnesota scored 12 offensive points, totaled 220 yards, and converted just 2-of-13 third-down conversions. With a (mostly) healthy secondary back and improved play from the linebackers, the defense played well enough for the team to win. That wasn’t the case, though, and now the Bears have to navigate an uncertain immediate future with key injuries sidelining players such as Fields.

Here were our takeaways from Sunday’s all-too-familiar loss.

Report: Bears QB Justin Fields suffered dislocated thumb on his throwing hand

Fields will have an MRI Monday to determine the severity of the injury.

The right-hand injury to Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields is becoming a bit clearer. According to FOX NFL insider Jay Glazer, Fields suffered a dislocated thumb in the 19-13 loss against the Minnesota Vikings. Fields was brought down hard in the third quarter and exited the game. According to Glazer, he popped his thumb back into place but was unable to grip the football and went to the locker room. He was ruled out shortly after.

Head coach Matt Eberflus confirmed that in his press conference, saying Fields tried to re-enter the game. Prior to the injury, Fields completed 6-of-10 passes for 58 yards and an interception. It was a far cry from his previous two outings, where he threw eight touchdowns and over 600 yards.

Fields will have an MRI on Monday to determine any additional damage. If he’s unable to play next week against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Bears will likely stick with undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent, who took over for Fields on Sunday. Bagent went 10-of-14 for 83 yards and an interception. He also ran for a touchdown and lost a fumble.

Bears fans are back on tank watch after 19-13 loss vs. Vikings

Another Bears loss has fans looking toward the 2024 NFL Draft.

The winning vibes were fun while they lasted. The Chicago Bears were unable to create a winning streak, falling 19-13 in a sloppy game against the Minnesota Vikings. Chicago fell to 1-5, while Minnesota improved to 2-4 on the year.

The Bears’ potent offense ran dry after two games of putting up at least 28 points. They couldn’t muster a touchdown until the fourth quarter and had no answers for the Vikings ferocious pass rush. That pass rush eventually cost the Bears their starting quarterback, as Justin Fields was lost for the game with a hand injury. Tyson Bagent took over in relief and provided a few big plays, but had two costly turnovers that didn’t allow the Bears to complete a comeback.

Defensively, Chicago improved quite a bit, holding Minnesota to just 12 offensive points. The Bears defenders were flying and did enough to keep them in the game, but it didn’t matter in the end. The Bears are now back at the bottom of the standings, and the fans are officially looking toward the future with the draft.

At the moment, Chicago holds picks No. 1 and 2 in the 2024 NFL Draft. Two elite prospects would be available for the Bears to jumpstart their rebuild, and fans are all for it after this loss.

Bears QB Justin Fields exits game with hand injury vs. Vikings

Undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent is now under center for the Bears after Justin Fields suffered a right hand injury.

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields left the field with a hand injury after taking a hit vs. the Minnesota Vikings.

In the third quarter, Fields dropped back to pass and scrambled to try and make a play. He a took a hit after getting rid of the ball on third down and appeared to suffer an injury to his throwing hand.

Fields went to the blue injury tent for a moment before exiting the field to go to the locker room. Undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent will take over under center going forward unless Fields can come back. If Fields’ day is done, he went 6-of-10 for 58 yards and an interception, while also carrying the ball eight times for 46 yards.

UPDATE: Fields has officially been ruled out.

4 bold predictions for Bears vs. Vikings

A big day for D’Onta Foreman and Tyler Scott’s first NFL touchdown are among our bold predictions for Bears vs. Vikings.

It’s been over a week since the Chicago Bears (1-4) were last on the football field, but the wait is finally over this Sunday when they welcome the Minnesota Vikings (1-4). It’s a division game that will give one team their second victory of the season, while the other will remain at the bottom of the NFL standings.

The Bears might be on the verge of breaking out, so to speak, though. They’re coming off their first win of the season after defeating the Washington Commanders 40-20 thanks to a suddenly potent offense led by quarterback Justin Fields.

The Vikings, meanwhile, have played their opponents close this season but have just one win to show for it. Last week, they fell in a close one to the Kansas City Chiefs, losing 27-20. They lost much more than the game, though, as Justin Jefferson was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury after getting hurt in the game. Quarterback Kirk Cousins will be without his top target for at least the next four games.

With conditions likely to be wet and rainy at Soldier Field on Sunday, this could be a sloppy game all the way around. But big moments will always happen in an NFL game, no matter what. Here are our bold predictions for Bears vs. Vikings.

Bears unveil jersey patch honoring Dick Butkus

The Bears will wear the No. 51 patch honoring Dick Butkus for the rest of the 2023 season.

The Chicago Bears are doing their part to honor legendary linebacker Dick Butkus for the remainder of the 2023 season. The team announced on Friday they will wear a special patch on their jerseys beginning this weekend to honor Butkus, who passed away at the age of 80 on October 5th. The patch consists of Butkus’ No. 51 inside a football.

Bears chairman George McCaskey told team senior writer Larry Mayer that he wants the team to think about Butkus and his legacy every time they put on the uniform. “The purpose of the patch is, every time they pull on the pads, they’ll take a moment to think about Dick and his approach to the game,” McCaskey said.

Butkus was drafted in the first round of the 1965 NFL Draft, played eight seasons with the Bears, and is regarded as one of the greatest linebackers of all time. Butkus made the Pro Bowl in every season, earned five First-Team All-Pro selections, was named to the 1960 and 1970 All-Decade Teams, and was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979 during his first year of eligibility.

Since 1994, no player has worn the No. 51 on their jersey once it was retired, but now every player will play with that number, beginning Sunday when the Bears welcome the Minnesota Vikings to town. Fans were also happy to see the team acknowledge Butkus and think the patch is fitting for what he did both on and off the field.

7 takeaways from the Bears’ 2023 schedule

From finishing the season against Green Bay to having historic rest periods. here are our takeaways from the 2023 Bears schedule.

The dust has finally settled on the Chicago Bears 2023 schedule release and the upcoming season has finally come into focus.

The Bears are set to play in four prime-time games, including two on Thursday Night Football. They also have a late bye week for the second year in a row and bookend the season with the Green Bay Packers, facing them in Week 1 and Week 18.

Fans and analysts are already making predictions on how many games the Bears will win this year, but the schedule goes deeper than that. We can already make assumptions about how it might impact the team when the season begins based on the timing of certain matchups. Here are seven takeaways from the Bears’ schedule.

2023 schedule: Bears to play in 4 prime-time games

The Bears are set to play in four prime-time games this season. Here is a quick breakdown of each matchup.

The 2023 NFL schedule is officially out and fans of the Chicago Bears finally know when and where the team will play this fall. The Bears released their schedule on Thursday evening and it features plenty of high-profile matchups from the NFC and AFC. Four of those games are set to be featured in prime time, with the potential for more.

Here is a quick breakdown of the Bears’ prime-time matchups that are solidified for the 2023 season.

QB Nathan Peterman is re-signing with the Bears

Nathan Peterman is returning to the Chicago Bears, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Chicago Bears fans haven’t seen the last of Nathan Peterman. The veteran quarterback is re-signing with the team, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Peterman signed with the Bears last offseason as their third-string quarterback behind Justin Fields and Trevor Siemian after stints with the Buffalo Bills and Las Vegas Raiders. He was elevated to the backup role after Siemian suffered an oblique injury prior to his start against the New York Jets in Week 12. Siemian was placed on injured reserve shortly after.

Peterman appeared in three games for the Bears in 2022 and started the season finale against the Minnesota Vikings, where he completed 11-of-19 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown in a 29-13 loss that helped the Bears secure the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. For the season, Peterman threw for 139 yards with one touchdown and one interception with a quarterback rating of 68.6.

Now back with the Bears for a second season, Peterman once again will be team’s third-string option behind Fields and new backup P.J. Walker, who signed a two-year deal earlier in the month after spending the last few seasons with the Carolina Panthers.

3 takeaways from the Bears’ Week 18 loss to the Vikings

The Bears lost their 624th game of all time and it might be the biggest one in team history. Here are our takeaways from Bears vs. Vikings.

The 2022 regular season has mercifully come to an end for the Chicago Bears, and it featured one more loss that had significant ramifications. The Bears fell 29-13 to the Minnesota Vikings, losing their 10th game in a row. But this loss, coupled with a win by the Houston Texans, gave the Bears the top selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.

As far as the actual game goes, the Bears pulled out all the stops to ensure they wouldn’t win. Justin Fields was out due to a hip injury, so head coach Matt Eberflus rolled with two quarterbacks. Nathan Peterman got the start and Tim Boyle shuffled in throughout the day. Neither was particularly effective, but it didn’t matter as the defense was carved up by the Vikings starters before they exited the game to rest up for the postseason.

With the final loss of the season, the Bears finish 3-14 but have numerous possibilities that await this offseason. Here are our takeaways from Sunday’s game.