Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields took the primary query in his postgame information convention Sunday at Soldier Field and instantly made a promise.
That pick-six he threw to Detroit Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah? The one he tried to drift to Cole Kmet whereas being pressured by two Lions defenders? The one which helped the Lions stage a fourth-quarter comeback for a 31-30 victory?
“I can assure you that will never happen again for the rest of my career,” Fields mentioned. “I’ve just got to dirt it and play the next play.”
Fields’ throw, which Okudah returned 20 yards for a landing, was one of the vital evident errors of the second half. But Fields was removed from the one Bears participant to stroll away from their third straight loss with a regrettable play.
A litany of errors in all phases had the Bears feeling like they gave away a simple win.
Nine penalties for 86 yards, together with 4 that aided the Lions’ first fourth-quarter landing drive. That ugly Fields interception. Kicker Cairo Santos’ missed additional level. An enormous chunk play the Bears protection gave up that propelled the Lions’ profitable landing drive.
“We have to overcome adversity when it’s put our way, and that could come in a lot of different fashions, a lot of different ways,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus mentioned. “It might be a name right here, a name there. It might be an interception that we would throw. Whatever these adversities are, we now have to do a very good job of resetting after which making the performs on the finish to win the sport.
“That’s about growth for us. It’s about a mindset, and the guys know that and are determined to do that.”
The Bears penalties began effectively earlier than the fourth quarter. Holding calls on left deal with Braxton Jones and broad receiver Byron Pringle, a face-mask name on Kmet and a move interference name on cornerback Lamar Jackson all affected first-half drives.
But the most costly calls got here throughout one Lions drive within the fourth quarter, beginning with a holding name on lengthy snapper Patrick Scales on a Bears punt. Rookie cornerback Kyler Gordon was known as for pointless roughness for a late hit whereas quarterback Jared Goff was going out of bounds. And cornerback Jaylon Johnson was twice known as for unlawful use of palms, the second negating linebacker Jack Sanborn’s interception.
The Lions scored on D’Andre Swift’s 9-yard landing run one play later to chop the Bears result in 24-17.
Johnson declined to talk to reporters after the sport by means of a Bears consultant, who mentioned Johnson possible would speak to the media at a Monday information convention as a substitute. So it wasn’t totally clear what occurred on the second play.
More than one Bears participant puzzled about a number of the penalties that had been known as. But in addition they acknowledged the necessity to rebound from them.
“We already know how the calls go,” security Eddie Jackson mentioned. “We can’t do nothing about that. We’ve simply received to remain disciplined and do our jobs.
“I feel like some of the calls were kind of BS. But again, you’ve got to leave no doubt. You’ve got to come in and do what we have to do, don’t put ourselves in those type of situations, especially when we’ve got a 14-point lead.”
After Fields’ interception, he appeared to reclaim momentum with a jaw-dropping 67-yard landing run. But when Santos lined up for the additional level, the soccer left his foot and bent to the left, giving the Bears solely a six-point lead.
Santos mentioned he wanted to look at the movie to determine what went mistaken.
“How the ball flew, something tells me (it was) something in the operation, and it comes down to me just trusting everything and going through it,” Santos mentioned. “It didn’t come off right. That’s not how we operate. So I just have to look at what happened, (look at) myself and make the correction.”
Film correction additionally must handle how Lions broad receiver Tom Kennedy received thus far between Johnson and Jackson on third-and-8 to permit Goff to hit him with a 44-yard move.
Two performs later, the Lions scored the profitable landing on Jamaal Williams’ 1-yard run, and the Bears and Fields couldn’t ship on their ultimate drive.
“We can’t keep shooting ourselves in the foot,” Jackson mentioned. “I’m just tired of getting up here and saying the same thing every week. It’s just becoming repetitive. We’ve got to do what we’ve got to do.”
Kmet mentioned the sport reminded him of the final time the Lions beat the Bears in Chicago on Dec. 6, 2020 — the Lions’ final highway win in opposition to anybody earlier than Sunday.
In that recreation, the Bears had a 10-point lead early within the fourth quarter however frittered it away. Mitch Trubisky fumbled within the ultimate two minutes, organising the Lions’ profitable 7-yard landing drive. And the Bears offense couldn’t capitalize on one ultimate likelihood.
This Bears crew, in a clearly rebuilding season, has totally different expectations than that one did. But even when it is a season of improvement for a lot of, gamers nonetheless need the sensation of seizing a chance for a win when it’s introduced — slightly than throwing it away with errors.
“We understand where this is going here obviously, but you want to build a big-picture thing? You’ve got to win some games,” Kmet mentioned. “So you’ve received to get that feeling and perceive how one can do it.
“When we’re able to break through this thing and figure it out and be able to execute late in the game, it’s going to be really good for us going forward.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com