Chicago Bears: The Good, Bad, And Ugly From Latest Loss

The Chicago Bears dropped their sixth straight game and ninth in ten. Here are the good, bad, and ugly from the game.

Well, after a good start to the season it seemed as if the Chicago Bears would prove their detractors wrong. Many NFL analysts projected them to win just three games all season.

When Chicago started 2-1, a big portion of Chicago Bears Nation mocked those experts. After three games, they were just two games away from eclipsing that number.

Ten weeks later, however, they are still one game from eclipsing that number. The Bears lost nine of their last ten and six straight.

The latest loss was another frustrating one to the hated Green Bay Packers. The Bears blew a 13-point lead as the Packers went on a 25-3 run to come away with a 28-19 victory.

In spite of all the frustrations, there was some good in the game. There was, though, some bad and some ugly as well.

Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Chicago Bears’ loss in Week 13.

The good — Justin Fields/Jack Sanborn

Of course, in nearly every Chicago Bears game the good ultimately falls on quarterback Justin Fields. He had another very good game. He rushed for 71 yards and completed 80 percent of his passes (20/25) for 254 yards.

Fields also had a magical 55-yard touchdown run. Packers defenders thought they had him down a couple of times but Fields got away and then just used his blazing speed to run away from everyone.

Now, we have to mention that Fields also had two interceptions but those came late in the game. The Packers took the lead late so Fields had to rush and get the ball downfield in big chunks. Also, it did not help that on one of the picks the receiver, Eqanemious St. Brown, ran a bad route and positioned himself badly. That allowed Jaire Alexander to jump the pass and make the interception.

Fields had the highest QBR this week. Not bad for a running back acting like a quarterback, right?

Fields showed that the Chicago Bears offense is on the right track with Fields leading it.

Jack Sanborn has certainly taken advantage of the extra snaps since the Bears traded Roquan Smith right before the trade deadline. For the season, he has 59 total tackles (5 tackles for loss), 3 quarterback hits, 2 sacks, and a fumble recovery.

Of that total, 54 tackles, and all of his tackles for loss, quarterback hits, sacks, and the fumble recovery came after the trade.

Sanborn has been all over the field making plays. Even when he wasn’t making the tackle, he forced ball carriers to run back toward others who could make the play.

Sanborn is from Lake Zurich High School so he understands the Chicago Bears/Green Bay Packers rivalry. After recording 15 tackles the week before against the New York Jets, he recorded 11 against the Packers.

Sanborn is staking his claim to being an integral part of the team’s latest rebuild. He is reminiscent of another supposed unathletic linebacker who went on to have a great career (and who should be in the Hall of Fame), Zach Thomas.

Let’s see what happens in the final four games and see if he solidifies his position on the team.

The Bad — pass rush

Once again, we saw how badly general manager Ryan Poles needs to overhaul the team’s pass rush. The defense just isn’t putting any pressure on opposing quarterbacks, let alone hitting them.

The Bears rank dead last in sacks and quarterback hits. Also, they rank 27th in quarterback pressures. Against the Packers, they once again failed to put pressure on Aaron Rodgers. He had all day to throw and, despite not having a very good game throwing the ball, had enough opportunities and time to make plays. You cannot give Rodgers a lot of time to throw and not expect him to eventually come through.

The Packers average just 220 yards per game this season. That is a very bad number considering it’s an offense led by Rodgers. However, against the Bears, Green Bay amassed 357 yards of total offense.

The ugly — Cairo Santos’ kicking

Cairo Santos is normally a dependable kicker. He owns the record for most consecutive made field goals. He was on another long streak before it snapped a couple of weeks ago.

Last week’s game was not a pretty one for Santos. He once again missed a point-after attempt. It was his fourth missed of the season. His 84.6 success rate on extra points is the worst of his career.

Additionally, Santos missed a 40-yard attempt. For some reason, he used a low-trajectory kick, something usually utilized when making a longer attempt. The low trajectory allowed the Packers to get a piece of the ball and block it.

The two misses for Santos changed the complexion of the game. On the drive in which the Packers scored the go-ahead field goal, the Bears would have had a 7-point lead instead of a two-point lead. On fourth down, Green Bay would go for the touchdown. If they don’t make it the Bears just have to run the clock.

Instead, the Bears had a deficit and Fields had to force the ball downfield.

The Bears have to take a close look at Santos this offseason. He’s been great, yes, but kickers have a tendency to lose their touch quickly. Additionally, he doesn’t have a big leg. He is just 14/27 from 50+ yards (51.8 percent). Furthermore, a lot of his kickoffs are coming short and opponents are able to make good returns. One such short kick resulted in a touchdown return by Cordarrelle Patterson in Week 11. The Bears have ended up using punter Trenton Gill on some kickoffs.

Some people argue that he just had a bad game. It’s been more than that, though. He is missing easy attempts and it is imperative that the Bears have a dependable kicker. We’ve already seen how missed kicks helped cost a few games over the past couple of seasons.