Chicago Bears redefine old school dysfunction in win over Texans
The Chicago Bears gave new meaning to old-school tendencies and inefficiency to modernize in a win over Lovie Smith and the Houston Texans.
Lack of Creativity? Check. Conservative Ideology? Check. High inefficiency? Check. You don’t need to play Blue’s Clues to figure out it’s the Chicago Bears.
There is absolutely no reason to celebrate Sunday’s 23-20 win against the Houston Texans and Lovie Smith (yes, that Lovie Smith). Yes, Cairo Santos deserves credit for showing consistency at the kicker position, which has been lacking in Chicago, but again, no reason to celebrate.
Sure, the team is now 2-1 but don’t act as if it’s the greatest feeling in the world. There are positives but far more negatives.
That starts with Justin Fields. The second-year quarterback has the physical tools needed to succeed but to describe his performance against Houston would be dreadful, as have many of the quarterbacks that took snaps in the Windy City.
Fields finished 8-17 for 106 yards with zero touchdowns, two picks, five sacks, and two fumbles. Fields did run the ball well, but that’s Chicago in a nutshell. Run the ball well and have a dreadful aerial attack. Sure, Texans rookie Jalen Pitre looking and playing like Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott had a lot to do with it (two picks and a sack), but Fields didn’t do himself any favors.
It didn’t help that David Montgomery left the game with an injury, but Khalil Herbert did what he could on the ground with 157 yards and two touchdowns. Darnell Mooney? Can someone call the CPD and put out an APB? 23 yards on two catches with zero scores. Cole Kmet? A blimp on the map.
Interestingly enough, the Bears had nearly 300 rushing yards as a team and barely over 100 yards passing. What does that sound like? Oh yes, as YouTuber Jeff Schlegel says on a religious basis, #BEARSFOOTBALL.
The Chicago Bears escaped the Houston Texans, but there is no reason to celebrate after the abysmal performance the team showcased.
Meanwhile, although Houston’s Davis Mills struggled at times like Fields, he looked sharp for much of the game, going 20-32 for 245 yards and a touchdown. But, a late-game interception to Roquan Smith, Mills’ second interception of the day, proved to be the game-losing play.
Houston’s running game wasn’t special either, but rookie Dameon Pierce was primarily efficient. Wide receiver Chris Moore and tight ends Jordan Akins and Pharoah Brown, while not dominating the stat sheet, had productive plays. Again, to no avail.
Still, Houston can at least walk away knowing that despite another fourth-quarter blunder, they were able to show some offensive efficiency in today’s age, while the Bears look scared to do so outside of the running game.
This is not about wins and losses; you have to see what you have in Justin Fields and whether he is the right guy for the system. It’s not stats, either. It’s about seeing what this young man can do when given an opportunity. Right now, it appears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and head coach Matt Eberflus are reluctant to do so.
A win is a win, yes, and that is nice. But if the Bears wanted to stick to their old-school roots, they probably should have kept Mitchell Trubisky. They drafted Justin Fields for a reason, to provide a greater emphasis on using his athletic ability to throw the ball. Unfortunately, with 297 passing yards in three games, that doesn’t appear to be happening.
There are 14 games left in the season—14 games to showcase Justin Fields and his development. Wins are nice and will be taken in the standings, but again, this year is about Fields. It’s not about scraping into the playoffs; it’s about the long-term gain. Hopefully, the Bears figure that out sooner than later. Maybe the Giants can help with figuring that out.