Play calling malpractice dooms Chicago Bears in loss to Falcons

That was an absolute disaster, and the Chicago Bears have every reason to be furious. Downright furious with the 27-24 loss to the Falcons.

Not necessarily because of the scoreboard or the officials for the blatant blasphemy on missing a helmet-to-helmet hit on Justin Fields, but with their play calling.

So much for Luke Getsy becoming a head coach next season. Someday he’ll be in that position, and perhaps he’ll be a good head coach. But this performance and playcalling were abysmal, and a legitimate argument could be made that this was either intentional or out of fear.

The lack of throwing the football, consistent reliance on the run, and the number of quarterback runs that were called, knowing that Fields wasn’t exactly at 100% to continue his hot streak. Fields looks to have a shoulder injury, which makes his development doubtful.

14/21 for just over 150 yards passing and four sacks allowed against a dreadful defense in pass-rush coming into the contest. Yes, Fields ran for 85 yards and had a good touchdown run and a nice touchdown pass to Darnell Mooney, and yes, the interception in the fourth quarter was terrible, but you could clearly see that he alone is all the Chicago Bears have on their offense.

Don’t even start to talk about the Bears’ defense. Sure, they held Marcus Mariota in check with just over 130 yards passing, but not one time was Mariota brought down. Special teams were also abysmal, allowing former Bear and Ryan Pace signee Cordarelle Patterson to race to the endzone like he was Devin Hester.

The Chicago Bears need to help and protect Justin Fields as much as possible, and that starts with not calling an atrocious game.

Not all was doom and gloom. Rookie second-round pick Jaquan Brisker showed why he was taken that high, and rookie linebacker Jack Sanborn is showing why he should have at least heard his name called on draft day. But again, we have to say this for those who are stuck in the old-school way of Chicago football, commonly called BEARS FOOTBALL.

This isn’t it, and no, this is not to call for anyone’s job because that’s pathetic. But you have to look at this situation and believe that if things don’t get better, the team will return to Square One, as they have been doing for many years. The Bears have their quarterback, but they have to build around him, and the sooner, the better. This offseason is essential for this team.

Patience can be preached, and it makes sense. Having said that, when there is an opportunity, it is best to make the most of it without letting it go to waste. Chicago cannot afford to have this type of game anymore, where the suspect playcalling can lead to scary situations like Fields being injured. Modernize the approach instead of stubbornly sticking to a strategy that can get exposed, and see what you got.