GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Earlier today, I published my 2018 season predictions for the
Chicago Bears. You
can read them here. I mentioned that despite GM Ryan Pace's brilliant moves this offseason to fortify the roster and build around his quarterback, everything would hinge on Mitch Trubisky's development. This game revolves around the QB, and if you don't have one, you usually don't win.
Trubisky flashed enough last season under a conservative head coach and play calling scheme to inspire some hope, and new head coach Matt Nagy was hired because of his penchant for developing quarterbacks and innovative offensive mind. This marriage has to work, for the sake of Pace's career.
After a preseason where Nagy held
everything close to the vest and rested his starters in the third preseason game, it was obvious that tonight's Bears' performance against the rival Green Bay Packers, on the road, in prime time, would be heavily scrutinized, especially if things went poorly -- fair or not.
An awful performance in the second half by the coaching staff and the quarterback ruined the game and allowed the Packers to storm back from a 17-0 halftime deficit. A truly awful loss in a game they shouldn't have. Learning how to win is going to be a big issue for the Bears this season, and they blew their first chance to do so.
I had a bunch of thoughts and observations from this game in real time. They're below, mostly in the order in which they occurred. Hope you enjoy the raw emotion and venting, mixed with rational, fair analysis! Any questions or comments? Follow/Tweet me at @DhruvKoul. Bear Down.
1. Other than winning this game, my biggest concern from this matchup was staying healthy. I tweeted this shortly before kickoff:
The Panthers lost Luke Kuechly and Greg Olsen, among others, in their win over Dallas. There is too much season left to already be down starters. And given this team's brutal injury history recently, the last thing we wanted to see was more injuries.
2. The Bears won the toss and deferred, so the defense, which everyone expects to be very, very good, took the field first. After a two runs gained a first down for the Packers, the Bears forced Green Bay to punt. Newcomer Khalil Mack produced two big plays on his first two snaps. On the first, he bull-rushed Bryan Bulaga into Aaron Rodgers, forcing an incomplete pass. And on the second, he drew a hold on an incompletion (thanks to stellar coverage from the Bears' back seven). That's called making an immediate impact! And it was great to see.
3. What a start on offense, huh? Matt Nagy busted out a beautiful set of plays on the Bears' opening drive, and Mitch Trubisky was perfect, running it into the end zone from two yards out to give the Bears a 7-0 lead.
After a quick change of possession thanks to stout defense, Trubisky marched the Bears right down the field again. He missed Allen Robinson on a fade (beautiful route getting open by Robinson) on second and goal, and the Bears had to settle for a field goal. One of the biggest issues for the Bears for years has been finishing drives. When you have a golden opportunity like that, you have to convert.
On the bright side, overall, on the Bears' first two drives, Trubisky looked fantastic. It was as good a start from him as one could've hoped.
4. Aaron Rodgers got injured on a sack early in the second quarter. He limped off the field, and Lambeau Field went deathly quiet. Remember, tonight was his return from the collarbone injury suffered last season. You hate to see an injury in the NFL, even if it's to one of your bitter rivals' star players. I hope he's OK.
5. Poor sequence from the Bears' offense the drive after Rodgers went down. A holding call negated a good run by Jordan Howard. Then Trubisky threw off his back foot incomplete. On third down, Dion Sims had a TON of space in front of him to pick up a long first down but inexplicably ... didn't. And then, the Bears burned a timeout on fourth down before Trubisky ran into his blockers and fumbled the ball. This was a great chance to put the Packers out of their misery, and the Bears played dumb football there. That needs to be cleaned up going forward.
6. Holy hell, Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks are a DEVASTATING combination. It's ridiculous how dominant they've been in the first half. Just please, for the love of everything that is football, stay healthy.
7. After Danny Trevathan went down with an injury (but got up and jogged off the field on his own power, thankfully), Bears' rookie first-rounder Roquan Smith made his NFL debut. And what a first impression!
8. Khalil Mack is a monster. Lather, rinse, repeat. After a hell of a rush from Roy Robertson-Harris blew up a screen pass, DeShone Kizer dumped the ball right into Mack's hands, and he took it back for a touchdown right before halftime. After one half, Mack's extension has been worth every penny.
9. The opening possession of the second half for the Bears could be described as OK. The Bears and Trubisky settled on a ton of screens and short, swing passes to move the ball down the field. Jordan Howard had a couple of strong runs, but overall it was a conservative drive. The Packers' defense got a lot of pressure on Trubisky and made him uncomfortable, so luckily he was able to find his safety valves. But I'd like to see the Bears try to be a little more vertical, if they can block for it. Green Bay played this drive quite down hill. On the bright side, the Bears got a field goal to push the lead to 20-0.
10. It's good, in a weird way, to see that Aaron Rodgers was OK to come back onto the field for the first Packers' drive of the third quarter. It means his injury wasn't bad enough to sideline him. You never want to see a serious injury in this game, so that's encouraging.
11. The Bears' second offensive series in the third quarter was brutal. A screen that gained -1 yards, a busted screen that Trubisky threw into the ground, and then a scramble on third down that was short by two yards. The Packers' defense clearly adjusted to whatever the Bears were doing on offense. Matt Nagy needs to adjust his attack as well -- something he needs to learn for the rest of the season too.
12. What an unbelievable throw by Aaron Rodgers on a deep touchdown pass to Geronimo Allison, matched up against Kyle Fuller. He dropped it right at the back-right corner of the end zone beyond Fuller's outstretched arm. Even on one leg, he's one of the greatest. No wonder the Packers decided to put him in even on one leg.
13. What the hell is Dion Sims doing on a critical third-and-one? He ran a drag short of the sticks and cost the Bears a chance at a first down that could have kept the clock going? I would like to NOT see him in critical packages until he learns to improve his route depth. Holy hell. Don't get me wrong, it was a "cute" play call from Nagy and I didn't particularly care for it, but Sims didn't do that play any favors.
14. Davante Adams has been a beast on YAC this entire game, burning Prince Amukamara numerous times. Bad showing.
15. This should say it all about that Bears' drive where they kicked their FG. Playing dangerously.
16. Kyle Fuller dropped an INT on the first play of the Packers' ensuing drive. Two plays later, the Packers took the lead. And it was Randall Cobb, of course. Ridiculous. Awful.
17. Awful showing on the Bears' final drive. They were completely overwhelmed and crumbled. Awful loss. Awful way to go home.
18. Next week, the Bears open their home schedule on
Monday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks. We should be encouraged by what we saw at Lambeau Field, and the Seahawks are coming off a tough loss in Denver. But after a brutal game like the Bears just had, give me the more experienced team, I suppose.
Early Prediction: Seahawks 23, Bears 17
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