After another embarrassing loss to the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields felt the need to apologize for the performance.
Well, that did not take long. After an active offseason that gave long-suffering Chicago Bears fans hope that things were getting back on track, another embarrassing loss to the Green Bay Packers has them complaining again.
We saw more of the same struggles from the offense and defense in Week 1. After spending a lot of money and draft picks to improve the roster, it was more of the same.
On offense, the playcalling was suspect, the offensive line was porous, and the play seemed lackadaisical. Justin Fields completed 65 percent of his passes (24/37) but most of them were short flares or screens.
There was also the lack of effort by wide receiver Chase Claypool. Claypool faced some criticism after reports of the team questioning his work ethic. Those criticisms seemed valid after he went through the motion.
Pick 32 https://t.co/T1WJdH6s5c pic.twitter.com/MB636VIaov
— Mike Renner (@mikerenner_) September 11, 2023
It was a truly embarrassing effort. It was so bad that Fields took the time to apologize for the debacle.
It definitely hurts, not only because it’s the first game of the season and it’s a loss, but it’s a loss to them. Just want to say sorry to teammates and all the fans that were rooting for us. We’ll bounce back and be good.
MORE PODCASTS From FPCFeed has no items.
Moore was not seen
One frustrating aspect of the game was the lack of targets for D.J. Moore. Moore is one of the top receivers in the league. General manager Ryan Poles traded the top overall pick in the draft to the Carolina Panthers. In addition to multiple draft picks this year and in the future, the Bears received Moore.
Moore only had two targets in his debut, though. He caught them both for 25 yards.
It was surprising to see how the game plan did not involve Moore as much as expected. It was the sixth time in his career (the first since Week 16 of the 2019 season) in which he had just two targets.
Moore did not seem too upset about his lack of targets. He understood that the defense keyed in on him.
The defense was kind of pushed over to me, so it was hard to see me. And I understand that, and we just have to learn from it and build on it.
There is one thing to keep in mind, however. Last season, Fields’ favorite target was Darnell Mooney. The duo had great chemistry since Fields’ rookie season in 2021. However, in the first two games of 2022, Mooney had just 5 targets, catching 2, for 4 yards. The two then started to connect before an injury shut down Mooney’s season.
It could take some real games before Moore and Fields start connecting. Of course, the way offensive coordinator Luke Getsy called plays in Week 1 not many people have much confidence in him involving Moore in the offense.
Yes, it is just one game. However, it is a continuation of what we’ve seen for years now. Things have to change or the goodwill the fans have for the new regime will turn bad.