Chicago Bears: Downward spiral continues with third straight loss

The Chicago Bears are spiraling downward after three straight losses.

The Chicago Bears‘ downward spiral continues in NFL Week 9. They suffered their third consecutive game, this time to the Tennessee Titans 24-17. The score did not reflect how badly the Bears played, however. They were down 24-3 before they scored two meaningless touchdowns.

It was the same old story for the Bears. The offense could not move the ball downfield. Even when they did, penalties or boneheaded plays set them back.

The Tennessee Titans ranked dead last in converted third downs allowed this season. Of course, against the Bears offense, they looked like one of the best defenses in the league. The Bears converted just two of their 15 third-down attempts. Their fourth-down conversion percentage was better than their third-down conversions, 75 percent to 13 percent. You cannot move the ball when you cannot convert your third downs.

The Bears continued their third-quarter scoring as well. For the eighth time in nine games, they failed to score in the third quarter. The only third-quarter score the Bears have this season was a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers in Week 6.

Another poor performance by the Chicago Bears offense

The Bears’ offense was embarrassed in Week 7 against the Los Angeles Rams. The offense failed to score a touchdown (the only touchdown score was when the defense forced a fumble and returned it for the score) and didn’t move all game long. This game may have been more embarrassing. This Titans defense is not as stout as the Rams defense, yet the Bears didn’t get their first score, a Cairo Santos 22-yard field goal. After the Titans scored a touchdown right after that field goal, the score was 24-3 and basically over. Then the Bears scored the two touchdowns.

The Titans entered the game having trouble against the run. They allowed an average of 128 yards per game on the ground. The Bears’ running game is a sure slump beater. They rushed for only 56 yards against that porous defense.

As a matter of fact, for most of the game, the Bears’ leading rusher was Barkevious Mingo, a linebacker. The Bears ran a successful fake punt and Mingo ran for 11 yards. That run was the team’s 10th-longest run of the season. You cannot win games when that happens.

After the game, head coach Matt Nagy complimented the defense and special teams and seemed dejected when talking about the offensive offense, per SI.com:

"We didn’t do enough offensively to get the job done. I thought our defense played really, really well. They’re doing everything that we’re asking them to do and trying to get that field position going. Special teams played well, and then just recurring theme here on offense. … We’ve got to get better."

To add insult to injury, the Bears entered the game as the only team to not lose any fumbles. Of course, that fell by the wayside as they lost not one but two fumbles.

Now, the running game, which has struggled throughout the season, is in deep trouble. David Montgomery left the game in the fourth quarter due to a possible concussion. He’ll likely be in the concussion protocol and, depending on what happens next week, might not be available for next week’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.

After Tarik Cohen’s injury, Montgomery has taken a load of snaps in the backfield. Last season, he was in on 57 percent of the offensive snaps. Without Cohen, he’s been in on 71 percent of the snaps. It was just a matter of time before something happened to him. The Bears have Artavis Pierce and Lamar Miller, but the coaching staff still hasn’t used them. They might not have a choice now.

The Chicago Bears season is now on the brink

This game was a repeat of what has happened to the Bears over the last three games. However, this is a problem that has continued throughout the entire season. They were able to overcome those shortcomings early in the season. They haven’t been able to do it lately, though.

Now the season is on the brink. The offensive line, one that struggled when it was at full strength, now suffers from injuries and the COVID-19 virus. Only two of the original five starters played this week and it showed.

Nick Foles has not been able to overcome the offensive line play to make plays. He is thinking too much about the pressure and is suffering from happy feet. He is rushing his throws and isn’t setting his feet. At times he feels pressure that isn’t really there. He has hit some passes when he does have time to throw, but that hasn’t happened consistently enough.

After starting out 5-1 and briefly on top of the NFC, the Bears are now on the outside of the playoff picture. They have three straight games against their division foes. If they don’t figure out a way to reverse their struggles they might find themselves in the basement of the NFC North.