A Sobering Defeat, Caleb’s Forgotten Magic, Tyrique’s Apology, and Other Bears Bullets
By Luis C. Medina,
2 hours ago
When your alma mater blows a 17-point halftime lead and the Bears gag away a win on a Hail Mary 24 hours later, it makes you wonder why you even like football in the first place. I’ll try to get through this in one piece.
Sunday’s Bears loss was a sobering one. Even if they would have won, we’d still have a bunch of worthwhile questions to ask about how this team would win moving forward. Coming out of the bye week and laying an egg for three quarters, putting on a furious late-game rally, and still falling flat on your face at the end is one of the worst ways to lose a game. I went to bed mad and woke up to see this team get clowned on every TV sports talk show I could flip to while trying to enjoy my coffee. And they deserve every bit of what is coming in the wake of that defeat.
I’m looking forward to writing my playoff odds post later this week because the sicko in me is curious to see how much damage that loss did to the Bears’ postseason aspirations. This still looks like a playoff team to me. There is enough talent at the offensive skill positions. Despite the late-game gaffe, the defense is still a strength in my book. And rookie quarterback Caleb Williams still looks the part (even if there are still some bugs to work out). But coaching could undermine all of the other stuff this team has going for it. I wonder what is going through GM Ryan Poles’ mind this morning.
This throw by QB1 getting lost in this game because of the coaching decisions that followed will irk me all week:
That was a big-boy throw in a crucial moment. And it should have led to a scoring drive. A field goal would’ve been disappointing, but it would have chipped into Washington’s lead. Scoring a touchdown would’ve been a dream scenario (obviously). Instead, Offensive Coordinator Shane Waldron called for a fullback dive for an offensive lineman who fumbled it at the 1-yard line. It was gross.
Spin zone: In essence, Caleb Williams orchestrated two fourth-quarter scoring drives … while trailing … on the road … against a division-leading team … after playing like a dud for three quarters. You’ve gotta love the moxie someone like him has in a moment like that, but you absolutely hate that it will be forgotten because of the boneheaded ridiculousness that happened elsewhere in the game. Brutal beat.
If the Bears miss the playoffs, they’ll look back at losses to the Colts and Commanders with regret.
Hey, I’ve always wanted the Bears to be a team that others use as an example:
On the one hand, I am glad that Tyrique Stevenson pulled up with a public apology on Twitter for his gaffe. But on the other hand, sometimes an apology isn’t enough. Actions speak louder than words. The Bears need Stevenson to lock in because they need him and his abilities as a cover corner down the stretch if they want to rebound from this loss. This is where coaching can make up for its shortcomings elsewhere as a staff.
The following players left Sunday’s Bears game (at one point or another) with injuries: Defensive end Montez Sweat (shin), left guard Teven Jenkins (knee), left tackle Braxton Jones (knee), offensive lineman Bill Murray (chest). We’ll be on injury update watch all week for obvious reasons.
Oh, goodie:
Jayden Daniels’ stat line before the last play: 20/37, 274 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 77.9 passer rating. Daniels’ stat line after the 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown: 21/38, 326 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 92.7 passer rating. If I was a Bears defender, I’d be sick to my stomach knowing that the unit played 59 minutes and 58 seconds of good football against a quality quarterback and lost the game at the end.
The folks Bears beat put in good work to paint a picture of this one and I encourage you to read around the web.. For instance, Dan Wiederer ( Tribune ) writes about how 17 seconds flipped what would’ve been a “how the heck did they pull this out?” type of win into a “heartbreaking” loss.
To add insult to injury, the Bears got absolutely no help from other teams. Then again, they didn’t help themselves by losing that game. The Detroit Lions thrashed the Tennessee Titans by a 52-14 score. Can someone hurry up and hire away Lions OC Ben Johnson so he isn’t in this division any more?
Out in Jacksonville, the Green Bay Packers won a game with a walk-off field goal for a second consecutive week. The Jaguars gave the Packers a run for their money. However, they left too much time on the clock for Green Bay to execute one of its patented late-game escape jobs. For what it’s worth: Packers QB Jordan Love left that game early with a groin injury. That will be worth monitoring throughout the week.
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