Chicago Bears: The Good, Bad, And Ugly From Week 15 Loss

The Chicago Bears lost another game in Week 15, giving them a 3-11 record. Here are the good, bad, and ugly from the game.

Well, the Chicago Bears gave it a great effort last weekYong Kim. They took on the Philadelphia Eagles, the team with the best record in the NFL.

Coming into the game, many experts predicted an easy blowout victory for the Eagles. They are among the best teams in causing turnovers and they lead the league with the fewest turnovers on offense.

The Eagles are probably the most complete team the Bears face all season. It was going to be a blood bath.

Something happened, however. The Bears players didn’t get the memo. They went out and punched the Eagles in the face. The defense had its best performance of the season. They beat up Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Additionally, after only producing two turnovers in the previous five games the unit forced three against the top offense in the league.

It wasn’t enough, though. The Eagles defensive front dominated the injured Chicago Bears offensive line, recording six sacks (though five came in the first half).

In addition, the lack of pass rush we’ve seen from Chicago’s defense continued. They got to Hurts just once and he had all the time in the world to find open receivers.

The Eagles ended up winning 25-20. It was a great effort but the Bears lost their sixth consecutive game and 10 of 11.

Here are the good, the bad, and the ugly that came out of that game:

The good: The defensive effort, Justin Fields

As I mentioned, the Chicago Bears’ defense really showed up. Despite not getting to Hurts so much when he dropped back, they punished him nearly every time he ran the ball. It was amazing that the Eagles kept calling quarterback runs when they had other things working for them and could have protected their QB1.

While Hurts finished the game with 315 passing yards, he had to earn every yard. He made some incredible passes placed only where the receiver could make a play. Unlike the situation Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields has to deal with, Hurts’ receivers made plays. There were several sensational catches that DeVonte Smith and A.J. Brown made.

The secondary did a good job of covering but with the lack of pass rush and the incredible catches made by Philadelphia’s receivers, it just wasn’t enough.

Speaking of FIelds, he had another good game. He ran into the record books, gaining 95 rushing yards. That put him at exactly 1,000 rushing yards for the season. He became only the third quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards. Additionally, he broke the all-time Chicago Bears record for rushing yards by a quarterback. He surpassed Bobby Douglass, who had 968 yards in 1972.

Fields had 152 passing yards but had two touchdown passes. Also, he completed 14 of his 21 passes (67 percent) and had a passer rating of 119.5. It was the best quarterback performance against the Eagles this season.

Fields continues to look good as he develops. Even though his total passing yards aren’t what you’d like, there are many factors that go into that. His completion percentage is important. After completing just 51.1 percent of his passes in the first quarter of the season, he’s gone on to complete 65.7 percent of his passes. Considering the lack of talent in the receivers corps and the injuries they suffered, that is a big accomplishment.

The bad: The pass rush

As I mentioned, the lack of a Chicago Bears pass rush hurt the defense. The Bears’ front was the opposite of the Eagles’ unit. Even though the Eagles only had one sack in the second half, they pressured Fields constantly. He was just able to use his legs to get out of it.

Hurts did not have that problem. He pretty much had carte blanche to find receivers. Even with the secondary doing a great job of covering, there is only so much time they could cover. Without a decent pass rush, receivers will eventually get open. Add to that Hurts’ pinpoint passing and Philadelphia’s receivers making circus catches and you see why they lost.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles definitely has to look for changes on the defensive front. Having safety Jaquan Brisker be the leader in sacks is not good. Chicago needs some nasty pass rushers, either through the draft, via free agency, or both.

The ugly: Santos’ kicking

Chicago Bears kicker Cairo Santos is normally dependable. He broke the franchise record for consecutive field goals made.

Santos has struggled with extra points this season, however. He missed another extra point against the Eagles. It was his fifth extra point miss this season. He missed only three in the previous five seasons.

Another troubling thing from Santos was his passing up an opportunity at a 49-yard field goal attempt late in the first half. With the wind and cold, he didn’t feel comfortable making it.

You don’t always see kickers pass up a chance at a field goal. Kickers with confidence don’t do that. Perhaps the misses he’s had are affecting him. This is a man who had no problem attempting a 62-yard attempt.

In all, the Bears missed out on a chance to score four points because of Santos. Those points perhaps change the complexion of the game. If the Bears have those four points, then they would attempt a two-point conversion to tie the game.

If the Chicago Bears are to compete in important games, it is crucial for the kicker to be confident and score points. Look for the team to bring in some kicking competition next offseason.