The Chicago Bears continue to find frustrating ways to lose games. After having a competitive first half, they collapsed in the second half. They ended up losing to the New Orleans Saints 24-17 and now have a 2-7 record for the season.
The Bears were going toe-to-toe with the Saints in the first half. They took the opening drive down the field which resulted in a touchdown. Both teams went at it and were tied 7-7 after one quarter and tied again at 14 at halftime. Then things just broke down in the second half. It seemed that the Saints lived in Chicago Bears territory, especially in the second half.
The Saints started one drive in Chicago territory in the first half. However, that changed in the second half. They had six drives start in Bears territory (and a few others that started a couple of yards short of midfield). As a result, New Orleans scored 17 points on those drives. It could easily have been more. One of those drives came at the end of the game. On another, the Saints decided to go for a knockout punch by getting a first down and then running down the clock. then, on another, they missed a field goal.
A big reason for those drives starting on the plus side was the offense's turnovers. The Bears had five total turnovers in the game. When you are giving the ball away, you will not be able to get out of your side of the field. Also, you will give up a lot of points. Considering how much time the Saints spent in Chicago territory, the defense did a pretty good job of not letting the game get out of reach. The fact that the final score was within one score was amazing.
Here are two studs and two duds for the Chicago Bears from their loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Despite the loss, there were some bright spots. Some players had a good game. They played hard and did their best to help the team win. On the other hand, there were also players who did not have their best game. They struggled for whatever reason and could not help the team.
Here is a list of players who did well and some who struggled in the latest frustrating loss by the Chicago Bears.
Stud: Jack Sanborn, Linebacker
There was one guy on the field for the Chicago Bears who was an undrafted rookie who had a big game on Sunday. No, it was not the quarterback. It was linebacker Jack Sanborn. Sanborn went undrafted last year but made a name for himself. He worked himself to the roster by playing good, tough football. Then he became a starter when the Bears traded starter Roquan Smith. He played well until an injury cut short his season.
This season Sanborn is starting as the strong side linebacker. He had been doing well there, He has 38 tackles (2 for loss) and an interception. He has also provided good run support. With TJ Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds, and Sanborn, the Bears have a good starting trio at linebacker.
Edmunds suffered a knee injury in last week's loss. He was ruled out for Sunday's game. That meant that Sanborn would move over to the middle, where he played last season, and start there. He felt very comfortable there as he recorded 10 tackles, one for a loss. He was all over the field and helped the defense shut down the run game again.
Dud: Velus Jones, Wide Receiver
At this point, Velus Jones has earned himself a permanent spot on this list as a dud. If we did not know better we would think that he might be betting against the Bears with the number of ways he continues to struggle.
Late in the game, offensive coordinator Luke Getsy somehow got it into his brain to target Jones with the Bears down. It was a screen pass. Of course, he dropped the pass. It was close, however. Some thought it was a fumble. He did not make a football move so the play stayed as an incomplete. Had it been called a fumble he would have lost it so the officials saved him from committing another turnover.
Later in the game, Jones was on special teams. He got called for a facemask penalty. It was a fifteen-yard penalty that put the Saints deep into Chicago territory.
It is time to end the Velus Jones experiment and rule it an utter failure. He has done nothing to deserve any playing time. Giving him more snaps is taking some away from a player like Tyler Scott. So far this season, Scott has just 8 catches for 62 yards. Even so, those numbers dwarf Jones' 3 catches for 9 yards. In fact, Jones has more rushing yards (22) than receiving yards.
It is time to cut bait on Jones and look at other players.
Stud: Cole Kmet, Tight End
With Justin Fields as the starting quarterback, Cole Kmet was a big part of the offense. He caught 79 percent of his targets and had 3 touchdown catches in five complete games with Fields. In Tyson Bagent's first career start, he had no targets and committed two penalties.
Kmet heated up in last week's game, however. He caught all 10 targets that went his way for 79 yards. It seemed like he was starting to form some chemistry with the rookie quarterback.
On Sunday that chemistry took a big step forward. He caught six of his eight targets for 55 yards. More importantly, he caught two touchdown passes. That makes it five total touchdown catches for the season. Last season he had a career-high seven touchdown receptions. He's looking to eclipse that total this season.
It is important for a quarterback, whether he is a rookie or not, to have a dependable tight end. Kmet is showing that he is that dependable tight end. He is making catches and big plays for the offense. That is good news moving forward.
Dud: Tyson Bagent, Quarterback
Bagent had a good game in his first NFL start in Week 7 against the Las Vegas Raiders. That has not continued in either game since. In the two games after his debut, he has gone 43/67 (64.2 percent) for 452 yards and 2 touchdowns. However, he has 5 interceptions, and 2 fumbles, losing one of them. If you include the game in which he came in for Fields, Bagent now has six turnovers.
It is difficult for a rookie quarterback to manufacture comeback victories. It is more difficult when that quarterback does not have the arm strength to throw downfield. It is just about impossible when that same quarterback commits turnovers after turnover. Bagent is not good enough to overcome that.
The Saints gave Bagent and the Bears opportunities to come back. Bagent could not take advantage of those opportunities. As mentioned earlier, the Saints were in Bears territory seven times but scored on three of them. A lot of those happened in the fourth quarter. If it wasn't a decision to forego a field goal to make it a two-score lead late in the game it was a missed field goal. However, Bagent just kept turning the ball over.
It wasn't as if Bagent was not well protected. He was sacked twice. One of them came in that ugly fourth quarter and resulted in the fumble he lost. One of his best attributes was his ability to scan the field, check down, and get rid of the ball quickly. The Saints continued to bait him into thinking he had an open receiver. The defender then jumped the pass and intercepted it. Bagent looked completely like the Division II rookie he is.
It will be interesting to see if the Bears continue with Bagent if Fields is ready to go. Do they feel he is more of the quarterback who had a good first half or one who collapsed in the second half and looked lost and confused? It will be a big and quick decision because the Bears play on Thursday night against the Carolina Panthers.