Tag: T.J. Edwards

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.

Twitter is enraged with another Vikings fumble

Vikings fans are furious with another fumble

The Minnesota Vikings have been really poor with ball management this season. They have turned it over 12 times with four interceptions and eight fumbles.

In the second quarter, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was pressured quickly and pitched it backward to Cam Akers. He couldn’t corral the football and eventually tried to knock it out of bounds. The ball was recovered by Chicago Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards but he was ruled to be out of bounds and the Vikings kept the ball.

This was the first Vikings fumble that wasn’t recovered by the defense but it enraged the fanbase just the same. They took to Twitter to express their frustration;.

Game balls: 5 standouts from the Bears’ loss against Packers

The Bears were embarrassed by the Packers in Week 1. But we’re focusing on some of the brighter spots in an otherwise ugly opener.

The Chicago Bears kicked off the second season of the Matt Eberflus era on a low note, being blown out 38-20 by the Green Bay Packers. This was supposed to be a close game, with the Bears being favored to win. But that’s not how it unfolded.

What was supposed to give Chicago the edge – but ended up hurting them – was the debut of quarterback Jordan Love. With Aaron Rodgers gone, it was officially time for the Bears to take back the rivalry. They couldn’t do that, or at least they couldn’t, for now.

Despite the blowout, there were a few standouts on Chicago’s side. Given all of the bad coming out of the game, we’re looking at some of the positives. Here are those few Bears players who earned a game ball.

3 key matchups to watch as Bears battle the Packers in Week 1

The Bears will look to get the upper hand in three key matchups against the Packers in Week 1.

The Chicago Bears kick off the 2023 NFL season by hosting their long-time rival Green Bay Packers Sunday at Soldier Field, and both teams are looking drastically different than they have in year’s past.

Chicago now boasts a star wide receiver in DJ Moore, a scary running back group and tenacious linebacker unit. The Packers, on the other hand, have turned over the offense to former first-round pick Jordan Love, who now carries the fanbase’s expectation of being the next great Green Bay quarterback.

The two teams both have strengths and weaknesses that the opposing squad can exploit, so let’s discuss those matchups that will inevitably come into play on Sunday. Here are three key matchups to watch for in Week 1.

Bears stars to attend autograph and photo event in Schaumburg

Bears players, including Justin Fields and DJ Moore, will appear at the Elite Icons Autograph and Sports Card Show in October.

The Chicago Bears will be making their grand return to historic Soldier Field in just over a week, kicking off a 2023 season that is sure to be a rollercoaster of highs and lows. And while Chicago fans enjoy the festivities week in and week out, they’ll have the chance to meet the team’s biggest stars.

Several players will reportedly participate in the Elite Icons Autograph and Sports Card Show, an event that will take place in the Chicago suburb of Schamburg from Friday, Oct. 6 through Sunday, Oct. 8.

According to the show’s official Facebook event page, fans will have the opportunity to receive autographs and take photos with some big-name Bears players: Justin Fields, Tremaine Edmunds, DJ Moore, Darnell Wright, T.J. Edwards and Jack Sanborn. They will be joined by all-time great NFL players such as Zach Thomas, Ladainian Tomlinson and Bo Jackson.

The event provides diehard football fans a rare opportunity to meet the super humans they root for every season. The dates of the event coincide perfectly with a pseudo-bye week the team will be enjoying. They’ll battle Washington Commanders in a Week 5 game on Oct. 5, and they have a mini-bye week before they play a Sunday divisional game against the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 15.

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Jaylon Johnson claims Bears defense ‘has different mojo’ this year

CB Jaylon Johnson told Brian Baldinger that the Bears defense has a different attitude coming into the 2023 season.

Despite expectations being relatively high, the 2022 Chicago Bears fell well short of expectations. The team only managed to muster three wins, ending the season on a 10-game losing streak. Many fans were left with a sour taste in their mouths, pondering with irritation as to what crippled Chicago’s season.

Many fans were quick to attach the blame to Field’s “failure” to take the superstar leap and become an elite quarterback in only his second season. Others called out the subpar performance of both the offensive and defensive line, or the questionable play calling of offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.

The truth is is all of those factors and more were to blame; football is a team sport, after all. One major contributor that is often overlooked was the subpar play of the defense, and it’s easy to understand why.

The defense had a statement game in a 33-14 Week 7 thrashing of the New England Patriots, elevating the unit’s performance for a large stretch afterward. The defense soon after lost that magic, failing to make a stand in crucial late-game situations, resulting in many late Bears leads to be stolen away in the waning seconds of the game.

Veteran cornerback Jaylon Johnson made it clear in an interview with NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger that things will be different for his squad in 2023, confidently claiming that “there’s a whole different mojo with our defense.”

Johnson made the tremendous point that both him and safety Eddie Jackson were not what they wanted to be in 2022 and he holds both themselves and the defense to a higher standard. The two defensive backs are considered leaders of the team, and for the duo to take accountability for their mishaps last season surely means a lot to the guys they suit up with every day.

The 2023 Bears defense is looking good, at least on paper. General manager Ryan Poles invested heavily in the unit in the offseason, signing premier free agent linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards and drafting promising rookies like cornerback Tyrique Stevenson and defensive tackle Gervon Dexter. The team’s recent signing of stud pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue has, in Twitter (X) terms, given the defense some juice, and the talk of the town has suddenly shifted to how great the defense can be.

Most of the NFL world continues to overlook Chicago, and the fanbase generally expects the team to put the league on notice in a hurry. Although Fields is the one anointed to essentially carry the Bears back into relevancy, the defense is positioned to help QB1 shoulder that burden.

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Bears notebook: What we learned from Day 3 of training camp

Our own Brendan Sugrue took in Friday’s Bears training camp practice at Halas Hall. Here is what he saw and learned.

Halas Hall was buzzing on Friday as fans eagerly arrived for Chicago Bears training camp. It was the second practice with fans in attendance and the third overall as the team gears up for what should be an entertaining 2023 season.

The Bears are still ramping up activity without pads on and went through a lighter practice in the grueling heat and humidity. But there was still plenty to see, experience, and learn about the team as they inch closer to their Week 1 date at Soldier Field with the Green Bay Packers.

As someone who was in attendance for Friday’s practice, here are some of my notes and observations from the hot practice fields at Halas Hall.

5 Bears who stood out on Day 3 of training camp

With the third practice of Bears training camp in the books, here are the players who stood out on Friday.

The Chicago Bears hit the practice field this week at Halas Hall for their first workouts of training camp, and it’s been an eventful start to the summer.

The third day of Bears training camp slowed down the intensity in favor of a light practice period, but certain players continued their strong start to camp, and others flashed for the first time.

Here are the five players that stood out the most on Day 3 of Bears training camp.

Bears 2023 training camp: Press conferences after second practice

The Bears returned to the practice field on Thursday, where Luke Getsy, Khalil Herbert and more met with the media.

The Chicago Bears returned to the practice field Thursday for their second training camp workout, which was the first open to the public this summer.

There were no shortage of storylines from Day 2, which included rookie Tyler Scott’s blazing speed and Justin Fields and DJ Moore putting on another show.

Here’s a look at the press conferences following the Bears’ second practice, which included offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, linebackers T.J. Edwards and Jack Sanborn and running back Khalil Herbert. General manager Ryan Poles also discussed tight end Cole Kmet’s recent extension.

Highest-rated former Badgers in Madden 24

Which Badgers are rated the highest in Madden 24?

The 2023 NFL season is on the horizon and the annual Madden video game is set to be released in August. It’s always a big deal across the internet and in all forms of media, which players are rated too high or too low.

For a long time, former Wisconsin defensive lineman J.J. Watt was the highest rated Badger in Madden, but he’s now retired and a new breed of Wisconsin athletes have taken over the NFL.

There are many former Badger football players in the league, some better than others. Here’s how the top-rated current NFL players in Madden 24 at each position from Wisconsin stack up: