4 takeaways from Bears’ frustrating loss to Packers
It was another frustrating loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday for the Chicago Bears as they lost 24-14 on the lakefront to drop to 3-3 on the season.
Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Jones were the dynamic duo the Packers needed to move the ball on the Bears, while Chicago’s offense was too hot and cold to consistently keep up.
A loss to the Packers always stings more than others, but with Rodgers screaming to the fans after his last touchdown, it might hurt even more. Here are my takeaways from the divisional loss.
I hope Bears ownership saw Rodgers' taunts
Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via USA TODAY NETWORK
When Rodgers scored his rushing touchdown late in the game to seal the victory for Green Bay, he did his normal title belt celebration, huddled up with his teammates, then shouted into the crowd “I’ve owned you all my [expletive] life. I own you. I still own you,” which could be one final dagger to the Soldier Field faithful if the reigning MVP doesn’t return to the Packers next year. But that taunt isn’t necessarily directed at the fans. It’s directed at the ACTUAL Bears ownership.
Rodgers’ taunt should be a clear insult to the McCaskey family as he truly has owned this team for a decade plus. He’s had some of his most legendary performances against the Bears and made his only trip to the Super Bowl on that very field. His dominance with the Packers is also a failure for the Bears by not putting together a team capable of beating him more than five times.
I truly don’t have an issue with him yelling to the fans because it’s true. But while the fans can be outraged and mad, it’s the McCaskey’s who shoulder all of the blame for failing to properly put together a consistent winner that can challenge Rodgers and the Packers. This is all on them.
The officiating played a hand in this loss for the Bears
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I’m not going to stand on a soapbox and proclaim the refs cost the Bears a football game. That’s not how this works and I know better than to lay blame with the officials rather than the team itself. What I will say, however, is Sunday’s officiating crew was one of the worst I have ever seen and it did impact the game at times for both teams.
The two most egregious errors were the missed neutral zone infraction that resulted in a Bears interception and the missed timeout that resulted in a delay of game penalty that push the offense out of field goal range. Both of those calls halted momentum that could have changed the game in some cases.
It was a messy afternoon overall, though, as balls were not spotted correctly and phantom holding calls appeared. The officials are always going to miss calls no matter what game is going on, but this felt worse than usual.
The Bears could have a three-headed monster at running back
AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
Remember the 2008 New York Giants? It may not be a very memorable team to some, despite being the reigning Super Bowl champions at the time, but they were led by a three-headed monster at running back with Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward, and Ahmad Bradshaw. Jacobs and Ward both eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards on the season to help lead the Giants to a 13-3 record in the regular season. Why am I referencing them? Because after Sunday’s Bears game, I can see them utilizing their own three-headed monster in the backfield.
Rookie running back Khalil Herbert had a banner day in his first start. He carried the ball 19 times for 97 yards and a touchdown as the catalyst for the offense. He’s more than capable of having a larger role in the offense, so when Damien Williams and eventually David Montgomery come back healthy, why can’t the Bears utilize a power rushing attack with all three backs? It would take some of the pressure off of Fields as he develops and would be a nightmare for opposing defenses to face.
This is something that won’t happen for quite a few weeks, but it’s fun to think about. All three players are solid backs at the very least and having fresh players to swap in and out would be a boost to this offense.
I like Justin Fields taking the shot on the interception
AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
Though the missed penalty on the Packers defensive line wound up being the turning point in the game, I’m more than alright with Justin Fields taking the deep shot on what should have been a free play. For so long, we have seen Mitchell Trubisky execute the hard count to perfection during his time in Chicago, only to dump the ball off and not take any shots. I like having a quarterback who sees the potential in those free plays, just like Rodgers has for years.
The result was unfortunate and that play isn’t on Fields considering it was as blatant of a miss as you’ll see on a football field. But I hope the rookie keeps that same aggressiveness going forward.
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