Jaquan Brisker Apologized To Justin Fields After Detroit Loss

Justin Fields had plenty of doubters going into Ford Field on Sunday. Everybody assumed the quarterback would be swarmed by the Detroit Lions, similar to last year when they bashed the Chicago Bears 41-10. The division leaders were in for a hideous shock. Fields played one of the best games of his career, throwing for 169 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 108 on the ground. He had his team in position to win 26-14 with four minutes left. Then it all fell apart. The defense allowed a quick score, Tyler Scott misjudged what would've been the kill shot deep ball, and then the defense allowed another quick score to give the game away. Nobody was more disgusted about the outcome than Jaquan Brisker.

The young Bears safety admitted on 670 The Score that he was sick after the game. After all the talk about how much the defense has improved, it was a feeling of utter shock when they gave that lead away. The first thing he did was apologize to Fields.

“I thought Justin gave us the chance to win,” Brisker said. “I thought he played well. I texted him and told him that was on the defense, and it truly was. They gave us that late field goal at the end to put us up two (scores). The defense has to close that out. There’s nothing else you can say. There’s no excuse. There’s nothing. He played so well. He’s a great leader. His energy was contagious.

“He was just different. In the pass game, in the pocket, getting out of the pocket and delivering great balls, (leading) the receiver so he wouldn’t get hit too hard (with) his ball placements. It was just different with him out there. I was just so disappointed that we couldn’t get the win for him.”

One can only feel for him.

The defense played an excellent game for 56 minutes, holding one of the best offenses in the league in check. Then they seemed to retreat into a shell, hoping the clock would do the rest. Detroit made them pay. It was the second time in barely two months that the defense had wasted a terrific performance by Fields. One can imagine Brisker is tired of it.

Jaquan Brisker believes in accountability.

That is a good thing. It is a reminder of how strong a leader the safety is. This matters to him. It's not about the money. He wants to win. He's convinced Fields is the quarterback this team needs to get them to the mountaintop. Unfortunately, that can't happen if the defense doesn't do its job. The Bears are 3-1 this season when they've allowed 23 points or fewer. They've allowed 30 or more in five games. While there is evidence of improvement, none of it has shown up where it matters.

On the scoreboard.

There won't be much winning until that changes. The Bears don't have to be a suffocating defense. It's about not getting dragged up and down the fields. It's also about holding your water in the 4th quarter. Jaquan Brisker sees the problem. For all the talk about Fields, the Bears offense is the better unit overall this season. That is despite the organization investing significant money and draft picks into the defense. This is why many are calling for a coaching change. Whatever buttons Eberflus keeps pushing aren't working. Something has to change.