Another week, one other loss and one more twist within the Chicago Bears’ always-confusing quarterback journey.
Welcome to Week 7 for a last-place workforce that also can’t discover consistency or generate a lot significant momentum. The Bears, now 1-5 and 22 months faraway from their final two-game profitable streak, are once more making an attempt to show the web page this week with the Las Vegas Raiders headed to city Sunday.
But with beginning quarterback Justin Fields uncertain to play after dislocating the thumb on this throwing hand, it’s one more week of flux for a workforce that might actually use a protracted interval of normalcy quickly.
Tribune writers Dan Wiederer and Colleen Kane survey the scene from Halas Hall with a handful of true-or-false conversations.
Wiederer: Let’s begin with the quarterback state of affairs. True or false? This is now an opportune time for the Bears to take an extended take a look at rookie Tyson Bagent.
Kane: False. This one has some difficult semantics in it. It could be essential for the Bears to take an extended take a look at Bagent, since coach Matt Eberflus has recommended Justin Fields’ proper thumb damage would possibly bodily stop him from taking part in. But if by utilizing the phrase “opportune” you’re saying use this time to provide Fields a relaxation it doesn’t matter what and take a look at Bagent, I disagree.
The offense’s play beneath Fields has been so down, then up, then down. The Bears must let the subsequent couple of months play out to get the complete image of Fields’ development as they ponder their selections for 2024 and past. If they’re clear that they’re transferring on by late December, then it’s Bagent time. The Bears ought to begin the undrafted rookie provided that Fields can’t play or will make the damage worse by taking part in via it, although that very properly would be the case this week.
Wiederer: I’m positively with you with regards to this entire state of affairs being difficult. But the circumstances surrounding Fields’ dislocated thumb — and the useful points that create — might open a door for the Bears that all the time appeared prone to be opened in some unspecified time in the future this season anyway. Whether it was as a result of damage or efficiency, there was all the time a excessive probability Bagent would get to start out at the very least one recreation in some unspecified time in the future this season. Now, it appears, that second has arrived with the undrafted rookie readying to start out towards the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday at Soldier Field.
Just to be clear, I too reject the “opportune” label. It doesn’t appear to suit this example precisely. And the hope, as you identified, is that Fields can recuperate shortly and get again on the sector to proceed his improvement. At the identical time, getting an opportunity to judge the strengths, weaknesses and potential upside of Bagent is one thing the Bears will profit from as they attempt to get the clearest image doable of the place they stand at quarterback past this season. So the workforce shouldn’t run and conceal from that actuality in any regard.
Kane: OK, change of route. True or false? The Bears protection might have performed its greatest recreation all season on Sunday.
Wiederer: True. That’s arduous to refute each from the numbers and from the way in which it seemed and felt at Soldier Field on Sunday.
This was a protection taking part in with an edge. This was a protection grinding valiantly to maintain the season related. This was a protection that was in sync, and to place it succinctly, simply “on it.” They had been detail-oriented and project sound and taking part in with cohesion. This protection gave the Bears a reliable probability to win. The Bears held the Vikings to 220 complete yards and a couple of.1 yards per dashing try. They shut issues down on third downs, too, with the Vikings changing solely two of 13 and going 0-for-6 after halftime. They pressured 4 three-and-outs. Safety Jaquan Brisker, who pressured a first-half fumble, famous the swagger that constructed all through the sport. Linebacker T.J. Edwards, who additionally pressured a fumble that led to the Bears’ solely takeaway, stated he might really feel how fluid every little thing was working. It was a step in the proper route for positive.
Kane: Yes, splashy performs had been coming from all around the protection. Edwards in all probability had his greatest recreation as a Bear, and fellow linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and Jack Sanborn additionally confirmed up at instances. Brisker and Jaylon Johnson had some good performs. The Bears inside defensive linemen made some large stops.
As has been the case most of this season, they wanted extra sacks and takeaways. And it clearly must be famous that this efficiency got here towards a Vikings workforce with out vast receiver Justin Jefferson, the reigning AP NFL offensive participant of the yr. But I stated the identical factor concerning the Bears offense towards the Commanders — it doesn’t matter if a superb efficiency comes towards a foul workforce.
Wiederer: True or false? The instability on the Bears offensive line is hindering all the offense.
Kane: True. I’m not saying the safety points had been all on the road Sunday. In a efficiency like that, I feel the blame might be unfold round — to coaches who didn’t have their gamers ready sufficient for the Vikings protection, to Fields not eliminating the ball fast sufficient, to the proper safety calls not being made, to place gamers who didn’t execute their assignments and, sure, to linemen who bought beat or had unhealthy snaps.
The offensive line had a fairly good efficiency towards the Washington Commanders. But on Sunday the Vikings had 5 sacks and eight quarterback hits and actually it appeared like they had been harassing Fields and Bagent all the recreation.
The fixed shuffling of the offensive line due to accidents can’t assist. First, Teven Jenkins was out with a calf damage. Then Braxton Jones (neck) and Nate Davis (ankle) went down. Cody Whitehair has bounced between guard and heart. Regardless, the Bears want to determine methods to repair it, and quick.
Wiederer: Admittedly, I’m completely dizzy attempting to maintain up with what the newest mixture seems like up entrance. We can all agree it’s lower than perfect.
The Bears entered camp with visions of getting a staring 5 of — from left to proper — Jones, Jenkins, Whitehair, Davis and Darnell Wright. But now we’ve reached a state the place it’s arduous to be totally positive of who in that group might be counted on. That’s significantly confounding after Whitehair was benched within the second half Sunday as a result of, to paraphrase Matt Eberflus, the Bears couldn’t rely on the eighth-year veteran and former workforce captain with 113 profession begins to offer the form of stability at heart the workforce wanted in entrance of Bagent. Yikes, proper?
So now the Bears are reshuffling up entrance once more. Jones’ potential return from injured reserve stays up within the air. Davis will possible be out into November. Jenkins’ sturdiness issues have been a priority his entire profession. Totally dizzying, proper? And the offense is feeling that sensation.
Kane: Last one. True or false? Officials overturning the T.J. Edwards fumble restoration within the second quarter Sunday was a mistake.
Wiederer: True. It’s speculated to take clear and apparent proof to reverse the on-field ruling of a play like that. And I positive didn’t see something that appeared irrefutable on any of the replays we had been provided.
Sure, the officers — after the replay assessment — dominated that Edwards didn’t management the soccer utterly till after his proper foot/leg was on the out-of-bounds paint alongside the Vikings’ sideline. But it appeared simply as straightforward to argue that Edwards had the ball earlier than he slid out of the sector of play.
That was a pivotal second, too. Had the ruling on the sector stood, the Bears would have had the ball on the Vikings 30 with an opportunity to essentially swing the day’s momentum. And whereas they nonetheless pressured a punt after the Vikings retained possession, it simply wasn’t the identical as a takeaway would have been.
Kane: I’m with you right here. Eberflus spoke after the sport and once more Monday about how there have been fewer cameras on the sector at a midday recreation like Sunday’s than on the 3:25 p.m. or nationwide evening video games, and subsequently not as many good views.
They actually didn’t present one on TV. You and I each noticed a replay with a person’s head in it! FOX guidelines professional Dean Blandino stated on the printed he thought it was too near overturn from the replays he noticed.
The Bears would have taken over on the Vikings 30-yard line with an opportunity to take the lead. Instead, the Vikings punted, and the Bears bought a Cairo Santos subject aim on the subsequent drive. I positively assume there might have been a much bigger spike in momentum if issues had performed out in a different way.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com