The over for this week’s Bears game wasn’t 60, but it was 50. Another points free-for-all. You can’t call it a shootout because neither Falcons QB Marcus Mariota or Justin Fields threw for more than 160 yards. Maybe you could call it a runoff since the Bears ran for almost as many yards as they passed.
This week’s culprit for the Bears 27-24 loss was their special teams. Though neither the offense nor the defense was clutch in the fourth quarter, the special teams missed a crucial field goal and gave up a kickoff for a touchdown that was a 10 point swing the Bears couldn’t afford.
Another One for the Record Books for Fields
Fields had another Fields type of game. He now has a passing touchdown and rushing touchdown in five straight game which ties Kyler Murray’s record. With 85 yards rushing, Fields is on track for 1,288 yards for the season which would break Lamar Jackson’s single season quarterback rushing record of 1,206 yards.
His touchdown pass to Mooney was beautiful and he had several ad-lib scramble to pass plays that only a couple quarterbacks in the league could possibly make. However, just like against the Lions, Fields took a couple of drive squashing sacks that killed the Bears momentum. The offensive line isn’t killing it, but a couple of sacks looked avoidable from a Fields perspective.
Most importantly, Fields didn’t look as comfortable in the pocket as the last couple of weeks. Especially in the fourth quarter, when the Bears needed to move down the field quickly with passing, Fields looked jittery in the pocket when his first option wasn’t open. On the last drive, he looked especially discombobulated and threw the game ending pick.
Hopefully, Fields avoided injury. He takes more hits than most quarterbacks each week and he started cramping up and noticeably had discomfort in his shoulder after taking a fall out of bounds on the last drive.
The Receivers
With only 14 completions on the day, the receivers weren’t a huge impact on the game. But Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet did rule the pass catching for the Bears. Mooney had the touchdown, but only 29 yards this week. His eight yards per catch was down from his season average of 12.3. Kmet didn’t have a touchdown for the first time in three weeks but had 35 yards on 3 catches. Chase Claypool had two catches but only 11 yards. The Bears need to make more of an effort to get him involved and in space.
Run Bears Run
With Khalil Herbert out, David Montgomery and Justin Fields did the running. Fields led the committee again with 85 yards and Montgomery had 67 yards on 17 carries, one less than Fields. The real improvement was Montgomery’s three catches for a massive 54 yards. Montgomery out of the backfield is an important part of his and the Bears’ game that has been underdeveloped this year.
Defensive Struggles
The Bears defense couldn’t stop the Falcons on their game winning field goal drive. Giving up 27 points has become pretty stock for the Bears these days. For the second game in a row, the Bears did not have an interception, but did force two fumbles which is improvement. Cordarrelle Patterson’s fumble on the end of a huge run probably saved at least a field goal if not a touchdown. The Bears didn’t get sliced and diced in the passing game like the previous couple of weeks, but they didn’t record a sack again. The Bears really have almost no pass rush to speak of.
Bottom Line
At this point, Bears fans are just biding time until 2023. The Bears are not built to win right now. The Bears have lost the last three games by three points or less. In all three contests, there wasn’t really any confidence of a win, despite the close score. These games are great practice for Fields, but as good as he is playing right now, the Bears don’t seem to be helping him move his game forward with a larger passing game.
