If quarterback Justin Fields is making his closing assertion for his case to stick with the Chicago Bears during the last two weeks of the season, he obtained off to a fairly good begin Sunday in opposition to the Atlanta Falcons at Soldier Field.
On a blustery day on the lakefront, Fields threw for 268 yards and a landing and rushed for 45 yards and one other rating to gasoline a 37-17 victory, the Bears’ fifth straight at residence.
It was a stable day for Fields because the Bears (7-9) think about what to do with the No. 1 draft choose they formally secured with the Carolina Panthers’ loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Bears normal supervisor Ryan Poles obtained that choose along with his commerce of the No. 1 choose final 12 months.
With tight finish Colet Kmet sitting out many of the sport with a knee harm and large receiver Darnell Mooney out with a concussion, Fields went to large receiver DJ Moore early and infrequently.
Moore had 9 catches for 159 yards and a landing. In his sixth NFL season and first with the Bears, Moore set a profession excessive for receiving yards in a season with 1,300.
Bears working again Khalil Herbert added 18 carries for 124 yards and a landing.
Meanwhile, aside from a 75-yard landing on a display screen cross from Taylor Heinicke to Tyler Allgeier, the Bears protection gave up little to the Falcons by means of three quarters.
The Bears intercepted Heinicke thrice and had 4 picks in all. Linebacker T.J. Edwards got here up along with his third choose of the season within the second quarter, and Tyrique Stevenson obtained his third within the third quarter.
Kyler Gordon intercepted Heinicke on a desperation heave on fourth down within the fourth quarter. Stevenson obtained one other interception in opposition to backup quarterback Desmond Ridder late within the fourth.
Heinicke did rush for a 24-yard landing early within the fourth quarter to chop the Bears result in 27-17. Defensive sort out Justin Jones was flagged for pointless roughness after a 4-yard Heinicke cross on third-and-7, giving the Falcons new life.
But the Bears protection shut down Heinicke the remainder of the best way earlier than the Falcons turned to Ridder late. Heinicke accomplished 10 of 29 passes for 162 yards with a landing and the three picks.
Bears kicker Cairo Santos made three second-half discipline targets: a 22-yarder on the opening drive, a 42-yarder after Stevenson’s interception and a 42-yarder within the fourth quarter to make it 30-17.
Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo made a 38-yard discipline objective within the second half.
Here’s how the sport unfolded.
Inactives introduced
Bears tight finish Cole Kmet is lively for Sunday’s sport in opposition to the Falcons.
Kmet handled a knee harm through the week and was listed as questionable. He by no means has missed a sport in 4 seasons with the Bears, a streak of 65 straight coming into Sunday.
Bears middle Lucas Patrick can be lively after being listed as questionable with a knee subject. Left guard Teven Jenkins will return after clearing concussion protocol.
Running again D’Onta Foreman, nevertheless, is inactive after working towards all week. The Bears will depend on Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson as a substitute.
As the Bears introduced Friday, they are going to be with out large receiver Darnell Mooney, who’s in concussion protocol. Linebacker DeMarquis Gates, security Quindell Johnson, offensive lineman Ja’Tyre Carter and quarterback Nathan Peterman are also inactive. Peterman will function the emergency third quarterback.
For the Falcons, tight finish John FitzPatrick, defensive linemen Joe Gaziano and Tommy Togiai, offensive linemen Jovaughn Gwyn and John Leglue and quarterback Logan Woodside are inactive.
Halftime: Bears take management with 21-7 lead
Bears quarterback Justin Fields threw for 166 yards to gasoline a 21-7 halftime lead in opposition to the Falcons on Sunday at Soldier Field.
Fields threw a landing cross to DJ Moore and ran for a landing because the Bears stayed in management for nearly the complete half. Moore had 5 catches for 82 yards, setting a profession excessive for receiving yards in a season with 1,223.
The Bears went forward 7-0 on their first drive when Fields hit Moore for a 7-yard cross on third down.
Fields and Moore opened the drive with a 32-yard connection, and it additionally included a 24-yard cross to Roschon Johnson that obtained the Bears to the 3-yard line. The Bears misplaced 4 yards over the following two performs, however Fields hung within the pocket to search out Moore within the again left nook of the tip zone with 8:47 to play within the first quarter.
Fields made it 14-0 with a 9-yard landing run early within the second quarter. The drive included a pleasant 32-yard, over-the-shoulder catch from Moore.
The Falcons wanted only one play to chop into the lead. Taylor Heinicke hit Tyler Allgeier with a display screen cross that went for a 75-yard landing. Allgeier outran 5 defenders on a well-blocked play to chop the Bears lead in half.
The Bears went up by two touchdowns once more on Johnson’s 2-yard run with 4:02 to play within the second quarter.
After Fields gained the wanted yard on fourth-and-1 from the three, Johnson surged up the center for his second landing of the season and the primary because the opener in opposition to the Green Bay Packers.
Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo missed his first two field-goal makes an attempt within the first quarter, from 50 and 42 yards.
After the Falcons’ first two performs went for 22 and 21 yards, the Bears protection caught just a few breaks, together with Heinicke’s overthrown cross in the long run zone to Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson’s fumble for a lack of 7 yards.
After Heinicke’s third-and-17 cross went for 8 yards, Koo missed a 50-yard field-goal try brief. His 42-yard try after the Bears went up 7-0 hit the left upright.
Bears kicker Cairo Santos was brief on a 55-yard try on the finish of the half, and Dee Alford returned the miss 96 yards to the Bears 13-yard line earlier than Robert Tonyan helped journey him up. Center Lucas Patrick and Santos have been additionally in pursuit, and Patrick got here up limping on the play.
The field-goal try got here after linebacker T.J. Edwards intercepted Heinicke with 1:10 to play to offer the Bears the ball on the Atlanta 37-yard line.
Catch up on the remainder of our protection.
‘People put a timeline on whether they can judge guys, but I’m actually simply in the beginning’
By most accounts, Justin Fields has made steps towards changing into the kind of quarterback the Bears can win with.
Interceptions and sacks are down since he got here again from the thumb harm Nov. 19. He has closed out some wins. He has had flashes of enchancment in his motion inside the pocket and his willingness to cross downfield reasonably than at all times tuck and run when the pocket breaks down. And he has continued to point out his distinctive skill — in contrast to few others within the NFL — to increase performs along with his legs.
But is that sufficient to persuade the Bears to wager on him once more? Read extra right here.
How have the Bears fared on New Year’s Eve video games?
Fans at Soldier Field on Dec. 31, 1988, settled in to look at a divisional playoff sport in opposition to the Philadelphia Eagles in surprising consolation.
There was brilliant sunshine, little wind and temperatures heading for the 40s. Until, a sudden slap within the face.
“A fog that rolled in from the lake late in the first half left the spectators to stare into a gray shroud from which the players would emerge with maddening infrequency,” Tribune reporter Phil Hersh wrote on the time.
Few of the 65,534 spectators have been in a position to see the ultimate moments of the Bears’ 20-12 victory because of the thick haze.
The “Fog Bowl” — which marked the primary time the Bears ever performed on New Year’s Eve — is now one of many franchise’s most memorable video games. Read extra right here.
Defensive numbers don’t lie
There is a hyperlink between the 2023 Bears and previous groups, together with the division champions in 2018 and 2001 and even the Super Bowl XX champions of 1985.
The run protection this season is each bit nearly as good because it was for the dominant defenses of these profitable groups. In truth, with two video games remaining, Matt Eberflus’ crew has a shot at being the most effective run protection in Bears historical past, a outstanding chance when contemplating final 12 months’s crew ranked thirty first within the NFL permitting 157.3 yards per sport, the group’s second-worst season within the Super Bowl period (161.4 yards per sport in 2013). Read extra right here.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com