Tag: Dante Pettis

The best play from every Bears game during the 2022 season

Look back at the best play from every single Bears game during the 2022 season.

The NFL playoffs have officially gotten underway this past weekend, meaning it’s the first weekend without Chicago Bears football in quite awhile. The Bears were very much left out of the playoff conversation, instead going the complete opposite direction by having the worst record in football and securing the top overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.

While it wasn’t a pretty season in the standings, the Bears had plenty of highlight moments throughout the season. Whether it was a clutch run by Justin Fields or a key defensive takeaway, each game had something to celebrate. We narrowed down the best play from each game of the Bears’ 2022 season.

Dante Pettis is the latest Bears WR to be dealing with an injury

A thin wide receiver corps just took another hit as Dante Pettis tweaked his ankle during Wednesday’s practice.

The last month has not been kind to Chicago Bears wide receivers. Since late November, they have been without Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, Equanimeous St. Brown, and N’Keal Harry for an extended period of time. Now, Dante Pettis is the latest player to pop up on the injury report.

According to Dan Wiederer of The Chicago Tribune, Pettis suffered an ankle injury during Wednesday’s practice. Although he was listed as a limited participant, his status could be in doubt this weekend when the Bears face the Detroit Lions.

Claypool and St. Brown did not practice yet again and could be in danger of missing another game in a row and Mooney has been out for the season due to a broken ankle suffered in late November against the New York Jets. If Pettis were to miss, the top Bears receivers would be Harry, Byron Pringle, and Velus Jones Jr.

Pettis, the former 2018 second-round pick, has been the team’s third or fourth receiving option all season long. Playing in all 15 games, Pettis has 17 catches for 226 yards and three touchdowns, the most of any Bears wide receiver this season. He’s also the team’s primary punt returner, averaging 9.7 yards per return this season.

More information will be available following Thursday’s injury report but it’s possible the Bears are down yet another player in the passing game for Justin Fields.

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Bears QB Justin Fields finds Dante Pettis for 40-yard TD vs. Commanders

The Bears broke the touchdown drought on Thursday Night Football with Justin Fields finding Dante Pettis for a. 40-yard score.

The Chicago Bears broke the touchdown drought on Thursday Night Football — and it came exactly when they needed it to open the second half.

Following an abysmal first half, where the Bears were held scoreless by one of the worst defenses in the NFL, Chicago found a spark on their opening possession of the second half.

With the Bears driving near midfield, quarterback Justin Fields found wide receiver Dante Pettis for a 40-yard touchdown with pressure in his face. It was the first touchdown scored in the last two Thursday Night Football games, and it gave Chicago a 7-3 lead.

Pettis has been putting together an impressive outing against the Commanders, where he has three catches for 73 yards and a score.

OMG! Bears score a touchdown on Thursday Night Football

Justin Fields hits Dante Pettis with a 40-yard touchdown pass

Just when you thought it was impossible, a touchdown happened on Thursday Night Football.

Astonishingly, the Chicago Bears went 94 yards in 9 plays and the touchdown drought on Amazon Prime was over.

It lasted through the entire game last week when the Colts outlasted the Broncos in overtime.

It continued through the first half of the Commanders-Bears game at Soldier Field.

And … then … it happened:

Justin Fields threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Dante Fields with 7:16 left in the third quarter.

Fields didn’t see the result of his pass as he took a shot and wound up drilled into the Soldier Field turf.

After more than 40 drives on TNF, finally, someone scored 6 points on one play.

Hallelujah.

Bears stock watch: Who’s up, who’s down following Week 5 loss vs. Vikings

Here’s a look at which Bears players are trending up or down following Sunday’s Week 5 loss against the Vikings.

The Chicago Bears were defeated by the Minnesota Vikings, 29-22, on Sunday, where they dropped to 2-3 on the season.

It was far from a demoralizing loss, especially considering how the Bears battled back from an 18-point deficit to take the lead in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, a fumble prevented Chicago from a chance at victory for the second straight week.

But there were some encouraging (and not-so-encouraging) outings coming out of this game.

Here’s a look at which Bears players are trending up or down following Sunday’s Week 5 loss against the Vikings.

7 Takeaways from the Bears’ close loss to the Vikings

From Justin Fields’ development to the disappearance of the Bears defensive vets, here are our takeaways from Sunday’s loss to the Vikings.

The Chicago Bears played two games in one on Sunday when they faced off against the Minnesota Vikings. The first half felt like going back in time to the Marc Trestman days as the Vikings drove up and down the field, playing perfect offense to score 21 points and seemingly bury the Bears 21-3 late in the first half.

But Chicago dug out of a deep hole, clawing their way back to make things interesting thanks to a rejuvenated offense led by Justin Fields and a defense that finally clamped down on the Vikings. The Bears scored 22 unanswered points to lead 22-21, but a late Vikings score and a costly turnover ended any hope of sealing the comeback win. Minnesota won 29-22 to improve to 3-1 while the Bears fell below .500 for the first time this season at 2-3.

It was a roller coaster of a game that elicited strong emotions, both positive and negative. Here are our takeaways from Sunday’s game.

Texans S Grayland Arnold continues to make most of opportunities

Houston Texans safety Grayland Arnold continues to find ways to be impactful with whatever playing time he gets.

There is a saying amongst most NFL players that goes, “If you stay ready, you never have to get ready.”

If that statement were a person, it would wear No. 35 for the Houston Texans like defensive back Grayland Arnold. Last Sunday, the former Baylor Bear was activated from the practice squad to the active roster for the first time this season against the Chicago Bears.

“The opportunity is big, anytime you get your name called, the main thing is just being prepared, and going out there and getting the job done and doing what the coach asks,” said Arnold after practice on Thursday. “I try to be a blue-collar guy. Every day at work, I try to put in the work and be the same guy every day. It was big for my coaches to see that my work translates from the practice field to the playing field.”

Although he did not get any defensive snaps, Arnold made his presence felt on special teams by doing what he always does, wherever the football is. Late in the fourth quarter, with the Texans trailing and in desperate need to get the ball back to try to put together a game-winning or tying drive, he made a tremendous open field solo tackle on Chicago Bears punt returner Dante Pettis at the Bears’ 12-yard line.

Special teams coordinator Frank Ross attributes Arnold being active in Sunday’s game to the work and preparation he puts in during the week in practice.

“I saw the same Grayland on Sunday that I’ve seen on a practice squad player Wednesday, Thursday, Friday of the previous two weeks,” Ross told reporters during his weekly press conference. “That’s what you’re looking for. You’re looking to build depth on the roster that might not be on the active. Then you get called up, you go, and you play the same fundamentals we’re training in practice.”

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Fun fact: Bears returned one punt in 2022. How do the Texans prepare?

The Chicago Bears have had just one punt return through the first two weeks. How does the Houston Texans special teams unit prepare?

Chicago Bears receiver Dante Pettis fielded a punt and was immediately tackled in the 19-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1. Since then, the NFC North squad has fielded fair catches.

With the Bears not having truly anything on film regarding their punt return unit through the first two games of the regular season, it would seem like quite the obstacle for the Houston Texans.

However, special teams coordinator Frank Ross has delved into the personal tape of Chicago’s punt returners to get a feel for what to expect when Houston plays at Soldier Field Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time.

“We do whatever type of exhaustive research we need to do to look at the players, whether it’s a guy that hasn’t played like Velus Jones, whether it’s (Trestan) Ebner, whether it’s the starting punt returner in Pettis,” Ross told reporters Sept. 22. “We’ll look at those guys in as much library information as possible.”

Part of the reason the Bears weren’t able to have any punt returns was due to the slop Chicago played in against the 49ers in Week 1. A 27-10 loss at the Green Bay Packers in Week 2 at Lambeau Field also didn’t have very many opportunities for punt returns as quarterback Aaron Rodgers facilitated successful drives against Chicago’s defense.

Said Ross: “The situation they played in the crazy rain game Week 1. They only had two punt return downs or plays from the Green Bay game. Just because it’s not on tape doesn’t mean they’re not ready to go play in that phase. We’re going to do as much homework as possible.”

Houston punter Cam Johnston is averaging 48.8 yards per punt through two games. Going into Week 3, Johnston was tied for the league-lead in punts with 12, largely due to the seven punts from the Week 1 tie with the Indianapolis Colts.

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NFL Week 1 Turning Points: Justin Fields conjures magic and the Broncos are their own worst enemy

Here are the biggest turning points of Week 1, like Fields creating a TD out of thin air.

With one week of regular season NFL football behind us, it’s a good time to remember that the trajectory of many games can flip in an instant. And a game’s outlook for one team can shift on absolutely anything in a seismic turning point.

One bad snap. One good throw. One unfortunate and ill-timed penalty. A sloppy turnover here and there. A terrible coaching decision in the crunch. Truly, there are many ways to snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat and vice versa. We already saw it in Week 1.

A young quarterback put his offense on his back in a messy affair. Elsewhere, redemption for a formerly injured receiver put the Giants in a great spot on the road. Meanwhile, no matter what they did, the Broncos seemingly couldn’t get out of their own way.

Here’s a breakdown of the biggest turning points from Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season.

Bears’ Justin Fields made an incredible effort to keep play alive on ridiculous 51-yard touchdown against 49ers

How on earth did Fields get free?!

The first half of Justin Fields’ second season arguably couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start at a wet and mucky Soldier Field.

As the 49ers’ (-6.5) defensive front flexed its muscles on the Bears, the young quarterback completed just three-of-nine passes for 19 yards while being sacked twice. On the one real quality possession Fields managed to create, it was knocked out by an obscure penalty on special teams.

On Chicago’s first possession of the second half, Fields showed how he can still create incredible plays out of thin air, no matter the adverse circumstances. With the Bears facing a third-and-long, Fields was flushed out of the pocket. And when he (somehow?) escaped, the signal-caller found Dante Pettis, who took it to the house for a 51-yard touchdown that brought the Bears within three:

I mean, how? Not even in having the deftness to create space for yourself, but throwing across your body to the one open receiver. The Bears might not be great this year, but it seems they’ll at least have flashes like this from Fields for the future.