Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus met with reporters Monday at Halas Hall after reviewing Sunday’s 20-12 loss to the New York Giants.
Here are 4 issues we heard because the Bears flip the web page to their Week 5 sport in opposition to the Minnesota Vikings.
1. Left guard Cody Whitehair will miss a while with a proper knee harm.
Whitehair left Sunday’s sport within the second quarter and didn’t return. Eberflus wouldn’t put a time-frame on Whitehair’s restoration and didn’t rule out placing him on injured reserve, which might maintain him out a minimal of 4 video games. But Eberflus mentioned the harm will not be season-ending.
Whitehair has been a gradual presence on the offensive line because the Bears drafted him within the second spherical in 2016. He has performed in 99 regular-season video games over seven seasons — lacking solely two in 2020 due to a calf harm and COVID-19.
“A guy that really shows Chicago Bear toughness — that’s Cody Whitehair,” Eberflus mentioned. “We’re going to miss him for a little bit of time.”
On Sunday the Bears moved veteran Lucas Patrick, who had been rotating at proper guard with Teven Jenkins, to left guard to interchange Whitehair. Jenkins performed full time at proper guard and Sam Mustipher remained at middle.
Bears quarterback Justin Fields was sacked six occasions, and Eberflus mentioned the safety was good “at times.” Giants nostril sort out Dexter Lawrence had two sacks and three quarterback hits.
“Obviously it broke down some in the middle at times,” Eberflus mentioned. “One of their inside rushers had a pretty good day. We have to be firm there. We have to run off the ball better, which we know that. The guys were told that. And also the runners need to press the line better. We need to have a better day there.”
2. Kicker Cairo Santos was again at Halas Hall after lacking Sunday’s sport.
Santos was absent from apply final week and the sport as he handled a private problem. But Eberflus mentioned Santos was again Monday and “squared away.”
Santos is 4-for-4 on subject targets and 4-for-6 on further factors this season, the missed PATs coming throughout the moist and sloppy Week 1 win over the San Francisco 49ers at Soldier Field.
Fill-in kicker Michael Badgley, who gained the one-day alternative job at a tryout final week, went 4-for-4 on subject targets Sunday for all 12 Bears factors. Eberflus was acquainted with Badgley from the kicker’s 12 video games with the Indianapolis Colts final season.
“What a great job by him coming in, filling in on a short notice,” Eberflus mentioned. “He was steady then (in Indianapolis) and he was certainly steady yesterday.”
3. Several gamers obtained loafs for the Giants’ strip-sack of Justin Fields.
Giants defensive finish Azeez Ojulari circled round left sort out Braxton Jones to hit Fields’ arm within the second quarter, and Fields fumbled.
The play was made worse as a result of a number of Bears within the neighborhood of the free ball — together with Whitehair, proper sort out Larry Borom and extensive receiver Equanimeous St. Brown — didn’t try to leap on it. Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux recovered.
Eberflus acknowledged the gamers’ issue recognizing it wasn’t an incomplete go with the play taking place behind them — however he mentioned they nonetheless have to be higher.
“That’s a little harder,” Eberflus mentioned. “It’s like, ‘Hey, I’m in pass pro and then all of a sudden this thing drops from the sky, you know, over my head, and then it’s there.’ So I think Cody was caught off guard, as all the linemen were. They’ve got to be ready for it and jump on it and have some reaction there.”
Wide receiver Darnell Mooney mentioned coaches addressed going after the soccer when it’s on the bottom, regardless of the circumstance.
“The defensive guys are always running to the ball regardless of what’s happening,” Mooney mentioned. “Anytime you see a ball just randomly out there, you’ve got to get on the ball regardless.”
4. Matt Eberflus wasn’t second-guessing his choice to punt on fourth-and-2 late within the fourth quarter.
With the Bears down by eight with 3 minutes, 15 seconds to play, the Giants stopped operating again Khalil Herbert for no achieve on third-and-2 on the Bears 45-yard line. Eberflus opted to punt and depend on his protection to get a fast cease reasonably than go for it on fourth-and-2. He mentioned the protection’s second-half changes made him assured within the choice.
That a part of the plan labored. Jaylon Jones downed Trenton Gill’s punt on the Giants 3, and the protection received a three-and-out. The drawback was Bears punt returner Velus Jones Jr. muffed the catch and the Giants recovered, primarily sealing the sport however for the Bears’ last-ditch effort within the last seconds.
“We did a nice job there yesterday and gave ourselves a chance to go down and score and get a 2-point conversion,” Eberflus mentioned. “Velus clearly has to be taught the basics of it and do a greater job — which he did throughout the course of the day, simply not on that one.
“He’s got to get himself under the ball and squeeze his elbows together and get squared away there. He’s an explosive player and a dynamic player, so he’ll learn from that.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com