Tag: Jesper Horsted

Bears remove Jesper Horsted, Joel Iyiegbuniwe from reserve/COVID-19 list

The Bears officially have no players on the reserve/COVID-19 list!

The Chicago Bears are officially COVID-free!

Just three weeks ago, the Bears were ravaged by COVID-19, which left the team without their entire starting secondary and a slew of big contributors against the Vikings in Week 15.

At one point, there were 15 players and all three coordinators on COVID reserve.

Flash forward, and the Bears just removed tight end Jesper Horsted and linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe, their final two players, off the reserve/COVID-19 list and are now back to full strength.

While Horsted and Iyeigbuniwe haven’t been significant contributors, it gives them an opportunity to see some playing time in the season finale.

This move happens just as the Vikings, Chicago’s Week 18 opponent, added several players to COVID reserve on Monday.

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6 Bears who deserve more playing time in final 3 games of 2021

The Bears’ season is all but over, which means it’s time to get a better look at what these players can contribute.

We’re winding down on what’s been a tumultuous season for the Chicago Bears, where there are just three games left before the Bears head into an offseason of change.

While Chicago has officially been eliminated from playoff contention, there’s still plenty to watch in these final games. Namely, some of the young players who have the potential to become impact players down the road for the Bears. Now that there’s nothing left to play for, it’s time for some players who haven’t gotten a lot of opportunities this season to get some.

Here’s a look at six Bears who’ve earned more playing time in the final weeks of the season:

5 takeaways from the Bears’ divisional loss to Vikings

The Bears laid an egg in their final prime-time game of the season against the Vikings. Here are our takeaways from the loss.

For the second time in eight days, a national audience was treated to a special brand of football that has become all too familiar to fans of the Chicago Bears. Playing in their final prime-time game of the season, the Bears laid an egg against the Minnesota Vikings, losing 17-9 and falling to 4-10 on the season.

Though they were aided by a strong performance from the defense, the Bears couldn’t put together a complete game, missing too many opportunities on offense to make an impact. If not for a garbage touchdown as time expired, the Bears would have been shutout from the endzone for the seventh time since the beginning of the 2019 season.

With the Bears losing, they not only clinched their first season with double-digit losses since 2017, but were also officially eliminated from playoff contention. And speaking of no postseason aspirations, that seems like a great place to start for my takeaways from this game.

Bad news for Bears’ backers with wicked bad beat

The Bears scored on the last play of the game and that created a bad, bad beat

The Chicago Bears were besieged by COVID-19, players coaches. They still had to play the Minnesota Vikings on Monday at Soldier Field.

Try as the might, the Bears were unable to find the end zone until 60 minutes elapsed in a 17-9 loss to their NFC North foe.

You ask how did they finally find the end zone after time ran out?

On the final play, trailing 17-3, Justin Fields threw a 19-yard pass to Jesper Horsted, the Princeton man.

Amidst some confusion, an official looked to rule Horsted short of the end zone, the referee then announced to all it was called a touchdown on the field.

Great, if you were getting the Bears and seven points as the spread had ballooned thanks to Chicago’s woes. The PAT would get you a push or a 2-point conversion would be the ultimate holiday gift cover.

Sorry, bad news for the Bears’ backers.

Because the touchdown came with 0:00 on the scoreboard, there would be no PAT.

Game over, 17-9. And in a 4-10 season, the Chicago Bears’ faithful took another brutal beat.

No one would blame anyone if they felt like hibernating.

Studs and duds from Bears’ gritty road win over the Raiders

The Bears had a hard-fought 20-9 win over the Raiders. Here are players who thrived and those few who disappointed in the win.

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The Chicago Bears earned their first road victory of the season on Sunday, taking down the Las Vegas Raiders 20-9 in Sin City. It was a hard-fought win from the start as Bears players like Justin Fields took a ton of hits from a tough Raiders defense.

After going down 3-0, it seemed like it would be a long day for the Bears. But they rallied back to score 14 unanswered points in the second quarter, then pulling away thanks to a couple of clutch field goals.

There were quite a few players responsible for the victory, as well some others who thankfully didn’t cost the Bears the game. Here are this week’s studs and duds.

Justin Fields’ first NFL passing touchdown goes to Jesper Horsted

Justin Fields has his first NFL passing touchdown.

While Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields is making his third NFL start, he has yet to throw a passing touchdown. Until today.

Following a rough start, the Bears offense finally got into a rhythm on their third drive of the game. They marched 72 yards in 10 plays to score their first touchdown of the game — a 2-yard touchdown pass from Fields to tight end Jesper Horsted. It was Fields’ first career NFL passing touchdown.

Fields completed 4-of-5 passes for 31 yards and a score on the drive.

The Bears lead the Raiders 7-3 in the second quarter.

Watch the moment Jesper Horsted and Caleb Johnson learn they’ve made Bears’ 53-man roster

We dare you not to smile watching Jesper Horsted and Caleb Johnson learn they’ve made the Bears’ 53-man roster.

The NFL’s final roster cut day can be a grueling process for players, when teams trim their roster from 80 to 53 players. Usually, when players are called into a meeting with the general manager and head coach, it’s to tell them they’re being let go.

But in the latest episode of 1920 Football Drive, the Bears’ behind-the-scenes series that’s taken fans inside training camp, general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy wanted to highlight the good that comes with building the 53-man roster.

There were a couple of roster-bubble players who made the cut in tight end Jesper Horsted and linebacker Caleb Johnson — both of whom impressed during preseason — and Pace and Nagy wanted to deliver the news personally. And it was amazing.

Watch both Horsted and Johnson learn they’ve achieved their goal of making the 53-man roster and we dare you not to smile.

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Secret Superstars of the 2021 preseason: Week 3

Week 3 of the 2021 preseason marked every player’s last chance to stand out. Which under-the-radar players did that the most as the preseason came to an end?

The last week of any preseason means different things to different types of players. Established veterans, if they play at all, are trying to shake the last bits of rust off, establish communication with new coaches and teammates, and try to avoid any injuries. High draft picks are trying to show what they’re capable of — if they’re not already starters, they’re trying to be. Then, there are the low draft picks, the undrafted players, and the veterans who are just trying to land on a roster. The real drama of the preseason is theirs — these players are playing for their professional lives, and they hope they just get enough reps to convince their current teams — or other teams if they don’t make final cuts — that they have something to offer at the NFL level.

Here are the Secret Superstars of Week 3 of the 2021 preseason — some players who either established roster spots, or, at the very least, put up enough good tape to make other NFL teams take notice.

Bears TE Jesper Horsted led all NFL players in receiving touchdowns during preseason

Bears TE Jesper Horsted impressed with a three-touchdown performance against the Titans last Saturday.

The preseason allows players an opportunity to make an impression in hopes of earning a roster spot. Bears tight end Jesper Horsted did just that with an impressive outing against the Titans last Saturday, where he had not one, not two but three touchdown receptions.

Horsted hauled in a beautiful back shoulder pass from rookie quarterback Justin Fields to cap off a two-minute drill at the end of the first half before catching two touchdowns from quarterback Nick Foles, including a one-handed grab and sprint for a 54-yard score, in the second half.

Horsted, who led the Bears with 104 yards on five receptions, led all NFL players with three touchdowns through three games of preseason. For Horsted, they just happened in the same game. There were five players in the AFC who totaled two touchdowns each.

With the final round of cuts underway, Horsted is a roster bubble player who made a strong push for a roster spot. With J.P. Holtz still sidelined with an injury, Horsted got the opportunity to show how he can contribute on offense. We’ll see if it’s enough to earn him a spot on the 53-man roster.

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5 takeaways from the Bears offense this preseason

From Justin Fields’ readiness to an offensive line that’s a work in progress, here are our takeaways from the Bears’ offense this preseason.

The 2021 preseason for the Chicago Bears began and wrapped up faster than Justin Fields sprinting for a first down. The Bears went 2-1 in the new shortened preseason and gave fans a chance to see the rookie quarterback in action, along with the rest of head coach Matt Nagy’s offense.

During the three games, we saw some good from each position, along with some bad, and unfortunately some ugly. But these games don’t count in the stands and the best measure of success is seeing young players progress and grow while making sure nobody gets seriously injured in the process. It’s fair to say the Bears accomplished both of those goals for quite a few players when it comes to the offense, even if the results sometimes don’t show it.

There’s plenty to digest from the entire preseason, but here are my takeaways when it comes to the Bears offense.