The Chicago Bears had their wake-up call game on Sunday night. It’s just unfortunate it once again had to be the Green Bay Packers giving it to them. Justin Fields threw 11 passes and looked lost at times. His future remains a mystery with this team. Kyler Gordon had a brutal evening in coverage, and the run defense was MIA against that loaded Packers backfield. Life was once again made easy for Aaron Rodgers, and he took care of the rest.
More than anything, it was painfully apparent the Bears don’t have the talent to hang with Green Bay. They haven’t for years. It will take time before that can change. GM Ryan Poles wasn’t going to close the gap in one off-season. That said, not everything about the game itself was terrible. There were some silver linings to come out of it.
Better weeks should be ahead for this team. They aren’t contenders yet, but these revelations offer hope that they’ll be in more games than people think.
The Chicago Bears have a few reasons for optimism.
Teven Jenkins continues to look legit.
The offensive line, in general, isn’t good. There are too many weak spots right now. However, Jenkins has found a home at right guard. He wasn’t merely competent in Green Bay. There were flashes of outright dominance, especially on the ground. It wasn’t a coincidence that some of David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert’s best runs last night were to the right side of the offensive line. His pass protection also wasn’t bad either. He faced a tough assignment in Kenny Clark and held his own for the most part when asked. One can only hope the Bears can leave him in rather than constantly rotating with Lucas Patrick sooner than later.
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The pass rush is fine.
Trevin Gipson had himself a game with two sacks. Robert Quinn had another. Through two weeks, the trio of Gipson, Quinn, and Dominique Robinson have 4.5 sacks with several more pressures. Armon Watts and Justin Jones have also sometimes contributed some nice push up the middle. It looks like the pass rush won’t be an ongoing concern like many feared. Losing Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks was tough for the Chicago Bears defense. Many felt a step back was inevitable. So far, it looks like things should be fine, provided those three stay healthy.
Matt Eberflus again made strong second half adjustments.
Things started well for the Bears but got away from them in the second quarter. They could’ve easily let things snowball from there. Instead, Eberlus once again showed an ability to keep his team mentally in the game and made some nice adjustments at halftime. Green Bay only scored three points in the 3rd and 4th quarters, and the offense moved the ball much better. They should’ve scored at least 10 points if not for that questionable ruling on Fields’ goal-line run. It wasn’t a great night for the staff, but it served as a reminder that Eberflus is more competent than his predecessor.
