Chicago Bears: Same Old Story In Another Loss To Packers

The Chicago Bears overhauled their roster after a dismal 2022 season. However, it was the same old story as they suffered another loss to the Green Bay Packers.

The Chicago Bears and their fans had high hopes for the 2023 season. After a dismal 2022 season in which they lost 14 games, including their last 10, they overhauled the roster.

The popular thought was that the Bears were more talented and deeper in several positions. Chicago would be more competitive and take a step up in their rebuild.

Well, in Week 1 of the 2023 season, things seemed to be more like 2022. Chicago’s offense struggled to move and Fields ran for his life throughout the game. Because of that, he was sacked four times. Even more disconcerting was that the team committed a lot of penalties.

On defense, there was no pressure on the quarterback and no adjustments to what the offense was doing.

In all, the Chicago Bears did not look like an improved team. As a result, they lost to the Green Bay Packers 38-20 in a game that was not as close as the score indicated.

The loss was the Bears’ ninth straight and 14th in their last 15 games against their hated rivals. Jordan Love picked up where Aaron Rodgers left off.

Love went 15/27 for 245 yards and 3 touchdowns in the game. The Bears only sacked him once. He was able to sit in the pocket and take his time to find open receivers.

This was all eerily familiar to what happened to the Bears in 2022. After all the trades, all the free agent signings, and all the draft picks, the new-look Chicago Bears looked familiar (and not in a good way).

Errors occurred early and often

The errors for the Chicago Bears started early and went on throughout the game. They committed an unnecessary roughness penalty that put the ball on their own 12.

The offense moved the ball. On their first four plays, they went 28 yards. Then they decided to get cute and then play conservatively in a short-yardage situation.

On third-and-1 at their own 40, the Bears inexplicably tried a trick play. Cole Kmet lined up at quarterback. He took the direct snap and tried to sneak in. The Packers were ready for it and stuffed him.

The Bears went for it on fourth down. They lined up and did not disguise the quarterback sneak. Green Bay saw it and sold out on it. They stuffed the middle and Fields was unable to convert.

The Packers took over and promptly took the ball 40 yards in 5:23 for a touchdown. Love went 3/5 for 28 yards and a touchdown on the drive.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. First, it was Brett Favre hounding the Bears. Then it was Rodgers. On Sunday it was Love.

The Bears answered back with two nice drives. They were actually moving the ball down the field. They threw a lot of screens and the receivers made some moves. However, penalties reared their ugly head and put the offense in difficult situations. Instead of finding the end zone, they settled for field goals.

With two minutes left in the first half, the Bears had the ball. They had a quick three-and-out, though. The Packers got the ball with 1:12 left in the half. The Packers were able to go 22 yards in that time. They hit a 52-yard field goal as time expired to take a 10-6 lead at halftime.

Despite the offensive and defensive struggles, the Bears were still in the game.

However, that score at the end of the half was a precursor to the third quarter. Green Bay had the ball first in the third quarter. They took the ball 75 yards in 8 plays and took 4:41 to score a touchdown. A 7-6 lead suddenly ballooned to 17-6.

In recent seasons the third quarter has been deadly to the Chicago Bears. It was the same case on Sunday. The Bears punted after the Packers touchdown. Green Bay then scored a touchdown again, making the score 24-6.

It was just midway through the third quarter and it looked like the Bears already lost. The players looked dejected on the bench.

On the Bears’ next drive, they suddenly had a spark. That spark came from running back Roschon Johnson and wide receiver Darnell Mooney. They combined for 48 yards, including a 20-yard pass to Mooney for a touchdown.

The Bears successfully converted their 2-point attempt and the deficit was back down to 10, 24-14.

The Packers were not done scoring, though. They marched 61 yards in 2:29 and added another touchdown to make the score 31-14. On the Bears’ next drive Fields threw a pick-six. The score was now 38-14 and the game was all but over.

Johnson added another touchdown and the Bears failed to convert another 2-point play and the final score was 38-20.

One of the most frustrating aspects of the game was offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s playcalling. He continually called screen passes and did not call many passes downfield. With Mooney, D.J. Moore, and Tyler Scott, the Bears have good speed to go downfield.

Additionally, they have targets underneath. They signed Robert Tonyan but he received no targets. Having him and Kmet together could cause a lot of mismatches.

That call on the first drive that had Kmet try a sneak was questionable. The Bears have Khalil Herbert, D’Onta Foreman, and Johnson who could get the short yards needed to convert. Herbert has the quickness and elusiveness to run away from the defense. Foreman and Johnson have the power to run into the teeth of the defense yet gain that yard.

What is the purpose of having them if you won’t use them?

On defense, coordinator Alan Williams did not have a good game. He made no adjustments to whatever the Packers did. He did not blitz Love and force him to speed up his decision-making. By doing that, perhaps Love commits some mistakes and gives the Bears a shot at some turnovers.

Letting Love sit in the pocket until someone got open would certainly help him or any quarterback to feel comfortable. Williams did nothing to make Love feel uncomfortable. This is also head coach Matt Eberflus’ defense. Williams came over with Eberflus from Indianapolis. Williams needs to make adjustments and do his own thing to put the defensive players in a place to succeed.

Both of these coordinators need to step it up or there will need to be changes made. It isn’t enough to have better players. It is important to have the right coaches who can help the players do well. Furthermore, if the coordinators cannot do their jobs, it makes things tougher on Eberflus.

The Bears will regroup and travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers. Many people projected the Bucs to have a struggling season. However, they came out of the box well and beat the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. This game might not be as winnable as many once thought.