Week 3 is in the books and after a demoralising effort it’s time for 3 up 3 down Bears at Browns.
I am going to be honest. This was tough. There was not a lot here to be happy about as a Bears fan, but I did my best to be positive on a defeat that left a sour taste in my mouth. But thepositives are definitely worth taking note of.
3 UP 3 DOWN: THE UPS
Eat those sacks
Finally we’re seeing the Robert Quinn we brought in. Not only that, Mack finished the game with sacks as well even with having time off the field injured. They did what they had to do and can take confidence in the fact they are getting back to it. Even Mario Edwards Jr. also got a sack on his return.
Finishing the game with 5 sacks is a good takeaway and solidifier that the first game against the Rams was a fluke. They looked hungry and ready to eat and I hope they tuck into a bit of fresh QB going forward.
It’s a big plus next to Sean Desai who has got his defense ready to fight, disciplined in their play and going with a lot of energy – especially after having to play a majority of the game due to the offense crumbling and giving away time on the field.
Kicker
Cairo Santos did his job, one of the few people that can say that. He did what needed to be done, and they weren’t even the easiest kicks. He hasn’t missed a field goal not since September of last season.
Every credit to the guy, because the Bears kicking department has been called into question in the last few seasons, but now it looks like the most secure.
Fields’ Ball retention
A small positive that shows the fault may not lie near the rookie’s door, is that Fields shielded the ball. He didn’t panic when pressured and made sure to protect the asset as best as he could.
There were no poor interceptions or fumbles lost, even after taking the 9 sacks. 5 sacks in you may think he would throw the ball to just try something new, to not take the hit, but he did the right thing. Keep the ball, wait for the next play. A poor decision could lead to a turnover, which in turn leads to more points against.
Instead he took the sacks and held the ball, regardless of the amount of times he was hit. It shows a lot of bravery, skill and great leadership to say if that was his only job then he will do it to the best of his ability.
3 UP 3 DOWN: THE (SO MUCH) BAD
There was so much about this game that was poor. So many things could have made it into the Downs, but I had to narrow it down and will focus on the offense. The offense was awful. It stunk; was rotten and us fans should not be here for that type of play.
No Touchdowns
The Bears weren’t even close. Not even a hint of a 6 pointer. 4 in total over 3 games and only one of them was a passing TD. If we don’t fix up sharpish, we are going to be heading for a looooooooooong season.
The OLine
Justin Fields had to eat 9 sacks. 9… Three more than points on the board, three more
than pass completions made and the most in a game since 2015. That’s just embarrassing.
No wonder the Bears couldn’t produce any plays; there was no protection in any respect. You couldn’t even try to evaluate the line in any significant way as they were too bad to allow it. Not one person did their job, especially Peters and Idefi on the ends. Both tackles were bullied and that’s no way to have your star QB prospect learn.
The QB or the Head Coach?
What is going on here?
At the end of the first half, Justin Fields had 9 dropbacks, 4 pass attempts – 3 completed but only for 29 yards. He had one scramble for 7 yards. Percentage wise, the moves he made were plentiful, but there wasn’t enough of it. By the end of the half we had 2 first downs and 0/4 on third downs. You can’t win anything off scraps and that’s all the offense produced.
By the final whistle, Fields had completed 6 of 20 attempts. Less than half the plays completed. Let that sink in. Less than half. Those plays worked out at an average of 1.1 yards per play, the 2nd least of any team in the past 100 years. It could be that Fields just isn’t ready, said many times by Matt Nagy.
After all, he is a rookie and hasn’t had a lot of time to work with the offense, with Dalton taking the majoring of #1 snaps in practice. But you have to look at his record at Ohio State, the plays he could make and think, is it Nagy that is the problem?
I mean after 3 games the Bears’ offense ranks 32nd in yards/game, 32nd in pass yards/game and 30th in points/game. That’s including the time that Andy Dalton was on the field. The Bears offense have scored 14, 13 and 6 points through the first 3 games and have only managed 33 in 3 games. It needs sorting out.
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