17 October 2023
Another week, another loss and yet another twist in the Chicago Bears’ always-confusing quarterback journey.
Welcome to Week 7 for a last-place team that still can’t find consistency or generate much meaningful momentum. The Bears, now 1-5 and 22 months removed from their last two-game winning streak, are again attempting to turn the page this week with the Las Vegas Raiders headed to town Sunday.
But with starting quarterback Justin Fields doubtful to play after dislocating the thumb on this throwing hand, it’s yet another week of flux for a team that could really use a prolonged period of normalcy soon.
Tribune writers Dan Wiederer and Colleen Kane survey the scene from Halas Hall with a handful of true-or-false conversations.
Wiederer: Let’s start with the quarterback situation. True or false? This is now an opportune time for the Bears to take a longer look at rookie Tyson Bagent.
Kane: False. This one has some tricky semantics in it. It might be necessary for the Bears to take a longer look at Bagent, since coach Matt Eberflus has suggested Justin Fields’ right thumb injury might physically prevent him from playing. But if by using the word “opportune” you’re saying use this time to give Fields a rest no matter what and check out Bagent, I disagree.
The offense’s play under Fields has been so down, then up, then down. The Bears need to let the next couple of months play out to get the full picture of Fields’ progression as they ponder their decisions for 2024 and beyond. If they’re clear that they’re moving on by late December, then it’s Bagent time. The Bears should start the undrafted rookie only if Fields cannot play or will make the injury worse by playing through it, though that very well may be the case this week.
Wiederer: I’m definitely with you when it comes to this whole situation being tricky. But the circumstances surrounding Fields’ dislocated thumb — and the functional issues that create — may open a door for the Bears that always seemed likely to be opened at some point this season anyway. Whether it was due to injury or performance, there was always a high likelihood Bagent would get to start at least one game at some point this season. Now, it seems, that moment has arrived with the undrafted rookie readying to start against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday at Soldier Field.
Just to be clear, I too reject the “opportune” label. It doesn’t seem to fit this situation exactly. And the hope, as you pointed out, is that Fields can recover quickly and get back on the field to continue his development. At the same time, getting a chance to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses and potential upside of Bagent is something the Bears will benefit from as they try to get the clearest picture possible of where they stand at quarterback beyond this season. So the team shouldn’t run and hide from that reality in any regard.
Kane: OK, change of direction. True or false? The Bears defense may have played its best game all season on Sunday.
Wiederer: True. That’s hard to refute both from the numbers and from the way it looked and felt at Soldier Field on Sunday.
This was a defense playing with an edge. This was a defense grinding valiantly to keep the season relevant. This was a defense that was in sync, and to put it succinctly, just “on it.” They were detail-oriented and assignment sound and playing with cohesion. This defense gave the Bears a legitimate chance to win. The Bears held the Vikings to 220 total yards and 2.1 yards per rushing attempt. They shut things down on third downs, too, with the Vikings converting only two of 13 and going 0-for-6 after halftime. They forced four three-and-outs. Safety Jaquan Brisker, who forced a first-half fumble, noted the swagger that built throughout the game. Linebacker T.J. Edwards, who also forced a fumble that led to the Bears’ only takeaway, said he could feel how fluid everything was running. It was a step in the right direction for sure.
Kane: Yes, splashy plays were coming from all over the defense. Edwards probably had his best game as a Bear, and fellow linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and Jack Sanborn also showed up at times. Brisker and Jaylon Johnson had some nice plays. The Bears interior defensive linemen made some big stops.
As has been the case most of this season, they needed more sacks and takeaways. And it obviously needs to be noted that this performance came against a Vikings team without wide receiver Justin Jefferson, the reigning AP NFL offensive player of the year. But I said the same thing about the Bears offense against the Commanders — it doesn’t matter if a good performance comes against a bad team.
Wiederer: True or false? The instability on the Bears offensive line is hindering the entire offense.
Kane: True. I’m not saying the protection issues were all on the line Sunday. In a performance like that, I think the blame can be spread around — to coaches who didn’t have their players prepared enough for the Vikings defense, to Fields not getting rid of the ball quick enough, to the right protection calls not being made, to position players who didn’t execute their assignments and, yes, to linemen who got beat or had bad snaps.
The offensive line had a pretty good performance against the Washington Commanders. But on Sunday the Vikings had five sacks and eight quarterback hits and really it seemed like they were harassing Fields and Bagent the entire game.
The constant shuffling of the offensive line because of injuries can’t help. First, Teven Jenkins was out with a calf injury. Then Braxton Jones (neck) and Nate Davis (ankle) went down. Cody Whitehair has bounced between guard and center. Regardless, the Bears need to figure out how to fix it, and fast.
Wiederer: Admittedly, I’m totally dizzy trying to keep up with what the latest combination looks like up front. We can all agree it is less than ideal.
The Bears entered camp with visions of having a staring five of — from left to right — Jones, Jenkins, Whitehair, Davis and Darnell Wright. But now we’ve reached a state where it’s hard to be fully sure of who in that group can be counted on. That’s particularly confounding after Whitehair was benched in the second half Sunday because, to paraphrase Matt Eberflus, the Bears couldn’t count on the eighth-year veteran and former team captain with 113 career starts to provide the kind of stability at center the team needed in front of Bagent. Yikes, right?
So now the Bears are reshuffling up front again. Jones’ potential return from injured reserve remains up in the air. Davis will likely be out into November. Jenkins’ durability problems have been a concern his whole career. Totally dizzying, right? And the offense is feeling that sensation.
Kane: Last one. True or false? Officials overturning the T.J. Edwards fumble recovery in the second quarter Sunday was a mistake.
Wiederer: True. It’s supposed to take clear and obvious evidence to reverse the on-field ruling of a play like that. And I sure didn’t see anything that seemed irrefutable on any of the replays we were offered.
Sure, the officials — after the replay review — ruled that Edwards didn’t control the football completely until after his right foot/leg was on the out-of-bounds paint along the Vikings’ sideline. But it seemed just as easy to argue that Edwards had the ball before he slid out of the field of play.
That was a pivotal moment, too. Had the ruling on the field stood, the Bears would have had the ball at the Vikings 30 with a chance to really swing the day’s momentum. And while they still forced a punt after the Vikings retained possession, it just wasn’t the same as a takeaway would have been.
Kane: I’m with you here. Eberflus spoke after the game and again Monday about how there were fewer cameras on the field at a noon game like Sunday’s than at the 3:25 p.m. or national night games, and therefore not as many good views.
They certainly didn’t show one on TV. You and I both saw a replay with a man’s head in it! FOX rules expert Dean Blandino said on the broadcast he thought it was too close to overturn from the replays he saw.
The Bears would have taken over at the Vikings 30-yard line with a chance to take the lead. Instead, the Vikings punted, and the Bears got a Cairo Santos field goal on the next drive. I definitely think there could have been a bigger spike in momentum if things had played out differently.
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