Nobody expected the Chicago Bears to do what they did on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. Yet it was evident almost immediately that they came to play. D’Onta Foreman rushed for three touchdowns. The defense allowed 12 points (and scored six of their own). Best of all, undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent played smart, efficient football. He kept the offense on schedule and led four scoring drives. It wasn’t a flashy performance, but a good one regardless. Chicago ran away with a 30-12 victory, their first at home since September of 2022.
Yet the good news didn’t stop there. Green Bay lost again, with Jordan Love throwing a backbreaking interception in the 4th quarter to cement the loss. It was his seventh interception in four games. Better still, the Bears’ draft prospects improved dramatically. New England, New York, and Denver all won their games on Sunday, moving from 1-5 to 2-5. That created some significant distance from the 0-6 Carolina Panthers, who are on their bye week. Chicago owns their 1st round pick next year. That means the only significant threat for the #1 pick besides them is the 1-6 Arizona Cardinals.
The Chicago Bears are two brutal turnovers away from being 4-3.
If you needed a reminder of how razor-thin the line can be in the NFL, this is a reminder. If not for two fumble returns for touchdowns against Denver and Minnesota, there is a strong possibility the Bears win both games. That is why coaches constantly stress the need to protect the football. Nothing costs you games more in this league than turnovers. It is probably not a coincidence both Bears victories this season saw them with no interceptions or fumbles lost—one hopes they can continue this trend moving forward.
Head coach Matt Eberflus hopes so. His job security is still very much on the line. The schedule gets tougher from here on out. Four of the Chicago Bears’ next five games are on the road, starting with Sunday night in Los Angeles against the Chargers. He needs to reach five victories this season before anybody can justify him getting one more year, and that might be generous. The bigger question is what the Bears do about Justin Fields. Expectations are that he will miss next week before likely returning in New Orleans. He has to have more good games down the stretch. Otherwise, the team will use that coveted top-3 pick to select his replacement.
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