The Chicago Bears couldn’t imagine it. Any of it.
The Bears couldn’t fathom that they let a 10-point fourth-quarter lead get away, couldn’t comprehend that they kicked away a day-saving miracle on the sport’s closing play, couldn’t fairly course of that Sunday’s devastating 20-17 highway loss to the Cleveland Browns torpedoed their energized chase of a playoff berth. Instead, they had been left with one other gut-wrenching disappointment to simply accept and one other emotionally testing regrouping mission for Week 16.
On Christmas Eve, the Bears will play the hapless Arizona Cardinals at Soldier Field with each alternative to get again on the profitable observe. But the sting of Sunday’s loss goes to go away a mark and will create some undesirable resignation as effectively. The coming week will problem the Bears’ focus, unity and emotional stability.
As Tribune writers Colleen Kane and Dan Wiederer get their arms round all of it, they interact in a “true or false” to type by 4 vital subjects.
True or false? The Bears’ loss to the Browns may make the end-of-season evaluations simpler for GM Ryan Poles.
Kane: True. I don’t imply straightforward in that it could ever be a breeze to maneuver on from coaches or gamers. Of course that’s tough.
I imply that if Darnell Mooney had caught Justin Fields’ Hail Mary go, the win may have put a optimistic spin on a Bears effort that was probably not worthy of a lot reward, particularly on the offensive finish. Such an end result would solely muddle the dialog when the reality is the Bears weren’t adequate Sunday, similar to they haven’t been adequate so many different instances this season.
That’s on Fields. That’s on offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. That’s on Mooney and Robert Tonyan and some other variety of gamers who didn’t make performs after they wanted to. And that’s on coach Matt Eberflus, whose workforce has now blown three double-digit fourth-quarter leads in a single season. It’s unacceptable.
And that’s the place the analysis turns into simpler — understanding one thing wants to vary. As we’ve talked about earlier than right here, it’s higher to not be too reactionary about one recreation, this one in opposition to a great Browns protection. And possibly the dialog will change once more within the closing three video games in opposition to the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers. But standing right here now, Poles should know: Such a efficiency on offense can’t stand.
Wiederer: I used to be struck by Eberflus’ feedback instantly after Sunday’s loss when he left a surprised and crushed locker room at Cleveland Browns Stadium and relayed the message he delivered to his gamers. “My main message to them was this, ‘Hey, you always fix your mind and fix your focus on the fundamentals and details of your position,’” Eberflus mentioned. “That’s what wins football games.”
With gamers reeling and questioning a number of of the teaching choices of the day, Eberflus’ message appeared a bit stiff and disconnected and didn’t really feel like one that will resonate. It was additionally notable that, following his thirty first recreation as Bears head coach, he was nonetheless stressing the necessity for his workforce to deliver extra focus, focus and elementary polish to the crucial moments of shut video games.
That was alleged to be Eberflus’ calling card with a detail-oriented and effort-based method to the whole lot. Yet nonetheless, with video games on the road, the Bears are persistently faltering. We’ll dive into the Fields efficiency assessment subsequent. But Eberflus’ Bears are actually 3-12 in one-score video games over two seasons. They have had too many heartbreaking collapses and have persistently turned so many winnable video games into dejecting losses. It could be tough to disregard that in any big-picture analysis.
True or false? Justin Fields’ incapability to shut out winnable video games will speed up his exit from Chicago.
Kane: I get that Flacco mainly climbed off the sofa to start out taking part in once more and that he’s greater than a decade faraway from his Super Bowl MVP run. But this can be a man who began 183 NFL video games. So I don’t know that we ought to be stunned that his expertise and poise confirmed up within the fourth quarter. Or that he can nonetheless make lovely passes just like the landing to Amari Cooper or heads-up performs just like the third-and-15 go to David Njoku.
I suppose that’s solely actually on matter as a result of it was one other good instance of what fourth-quarter clutch quarterback play appears to be like like — and what has been lacking in lots of video games for the Bears.
There was so much that went unsuitable within the fourth quarter on offense past Fields. He was beneath constant strain from the Browns. There had been blocking points. The run recreation went nowhere. There was that actually dangerous Tyler Scott jet sweep on third and 1. It felt like a full-unit failure.
But the numbers you current can’t be ignored within the analysis of Fields.
It needs to be so irritating for the Bears as a result of everyone sees the wonderful performs. The 5-yard landing go to Cole Kmet through which Fields escaped strain from Myles Garrett and delivered an awesome strike on the transfer was one other stunner. But there weren’t sufficient merely good performs Sunday, particularly within the fourth quarter. And that occurs too usually.
Wiederer: True. For Bears followers, this has been the elephant within the room for too lengthy. But Sunday’s loss registered as Fields’ thirteenth one-score defeat over his three seasons beginning and got here with the Bears being outscored 13-0 within the fourth quarter.
The offense had 5 possessions that ended within the fourth quarter Sunday and the outcomes had been as follows: turnover on downs, three-and-out, punt, three-and-out, Hail Mary interception.
The Bears’ closing two possessions Sunday got here with a possibility for a go-ahead or game-tying rating. But Fields was simply 2-for-7 passing for 33 yards on these drives and couldn’t assist produce factors.
The quarterback’s fourth-quarter passer score is now 55.3 this season and simply 62.4 for his profession. In the ultimate 8 minutes of video games over the previous three seasons, Fields has had alternatives to steer the Bears to a game-tying or go-ahead rating on 23 possessions however succeeded simply 3 times.
Overall, he has thrown 10 fourth-quarter landing passes whereas committing 18 fourth-quarter turnovers.
This is the NFL. More usually than not, video games are going to be shut deep into the fourth quarter and the groups which have persistently productive quarterbacks who excel within the late levels of tight video games are those that take pleasure in sustained success. The Bears, although, have been on the unsuitable aspect of that equation far too continuously and had been outclassed Sunday by a 38-year-old quarterback taking part in behind a patched-together offensive line and with a middle-tier core of offensive playmakers. That made Sunday’s loss sting much more.
True or false? The Bears ought to have let Cairo Santos attempt for a 55-yard discipline purpose on the finish of the primary half as a substitute of making an attempt a Hail Mary.
Kane: False. I modified my thoughts on this one after studying our colleague Brad Biggs’ dialog with Santos after the sport.
I do query the concept of getting immovable kick strains set by the coaches in a scenario like that. It appeared to me prefer it’s a a lot better guess that Santos — the kicker who has made all six field-goal makes an attempt from 50-plus yards this season — may knock one in from 55 yards than the Bears may come by on a Hail Mary play. And that will have given the Bears a 10-7 cushion going into halftime.
But Eberflus famous after the sport that the wind was blowing 15 mph Southeast at kickoff, and that discipline purpose was towards the West finish zone. And Santos informed Biggs he felt like he possibly may have made one from 52 yards relying on the wind gusts. “I could have taken a shot too (from 55) but I still think that it would have been short with what I saw in pregame,” he mentioned.
Santos is a Tenth-year veteran who has made 93.1% of his discipline objectives this season. If he’s saying it could have been brief, we must always in all probability belief him on that.
Wiederer: I spent a while down on the sector throughout pregame and was struck by the moist and windy situations, each of which clearly have an effect on a kicking recreation. It didn’t really feel like a day the place regular guidelines would apply and Santos acknowledged as a lot to his coaches after going by his personal warmup check run. Thus, within the second, I didn’t even actually suppose twice in regards to the Bears’ unwillingness to attempt such an extended kick on that sort of day.
There is an argument, after all, {that a} kick might have a better likelihood of succeeding than a Hail Mary go. But what if the sector purpose try is blocked? Or falls brief with a Browns returner ready? Perhaps most discouraging in regards to the sequence is that it got here on the finish of one of many Bears’ greatest offensive drives of the sport. They put collectively a powerful march with admirable situational consciousness and clock administration however got here up simply wanting Santos’ vary. On a day the place each yard mattered, the Bears wanted just some extra in that scenario.
True or false? Darnell Mooney may signal with a brand new workforce subsequent spring and luxuriate in a bounce-back season in 2024.
Kane: Sunday was a tough recreation in a tough season for Mooney. He had simply two catches on eight targets for 14 yards and had the profitable landing in his arms — earlier than it popped out.
I’m not the one one who has been ready all season for Mooney to string collectively extra constant manufacturing after his 2022 marketing campaign was reduce brief by an ankle damage. But his greatest recreation was 5 catches for 82 yards in opposition to the New Orleans Saints whereas taking part in with backup quarterback Tyson Bagent. He hasn’t had greater than two catches in a recreation since.
It’s a well-liked matter of debate about whether or not that lack of manufacturing is on Mooney or Fields or the Bears offense or just DJ Moore and Cole Kmet having good seasons and getting the soccer extra. (It’s in all probability E: All of the above.)
But for Mooney’s 4 seasons right here, coaches have talked usually about how he works like a professional and handles the ups-and-downs with poise. If the Bears don’t deliver him again, I believe he definitely may go elsewhere and put collectively a bounce-back yr, regardless that that’s in all probability not a lot comfort proper now after such an outing.
Wiederer: True. Mooney is at present beneath an avalanche of criticism after failing to safe a closing play, game-winning Hail Mary from Justin Fields on Sunday. That was the most recent and biggest disappointment for a slumping receiver who’s lower than two years faraway from an encouraging 1,000-yard marketing campaign in his second season. But over the previous two seasons, Mooney has had solely 69 catches, 902 yards and three touchdowns. And along with his rookie contract expiring in March, his future in Chicago stays unsure at greatest, notably with no readability on who the Bears coach and quarterback will probably be for 2024.
Could the Bears give Mooney an extension earlier than free company begins? Absolutely. That ball is in Ryan Poles’ court docket. Is it additionally attainable the workforce may permit Mooney to hit the open market within the spring? Yep. At this stage, if that had been to occur, Mooney would possible be in line for a one-year, prove-it deal someplace. But if he landed with a brand new workforce in a well-stocked offense, his means to be a pace risk and luxuriate in a rebound yr is feasible.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com