In another close rivalry game between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, the Bears fell short again this week, despite putting up a good fight. Beloved quarterback Justin Fields made his return from a shoulder injury this week, and played like he hadn’t missed a beat.
The first half looked good for the Bears, as they finished the half up 16-10. Fields had a spectacular 55 yard rushing touchdown, juking a defender to the ground and speeding past the defensive backs for a highlight reel play. He showed how dangerous his arm was too, throwing a 56 yard touchdown bomb to wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown. Running back David Montgomery also added his tough running ability, running efficiently and added a rushing touchdown before halftime.
Since many key Bears defenders were out due to injury, a squadron of undrafted rookies stepped up for big plays today. Cornerbacks Jaylon Jones and Josh Blackwell (both undrafted rookies) did a good job at defending the Packers’ speedy wide receivers in the first half, holding the Packers to only one late half touchdown.
However, the second half was a disaster for the Bears. Only scoring 3 total points in the second half, the Bears offense made big plays, but failed to score many points. Fields completed impressive throws, but a missed field goal and two interceptions stopped the Bears short. On the defensive side, the Bears conceded big yardage and allowed the Packers to score 18 points in the fourth quarter, collapsing late.
Overall Reaction: Bears fall to Packers 19-28
Despite star quarterback Justin Fields returning to play, the offense couldn’t finish for scores on multiple drives. While continuing his explosiveness on the ground, Fields made some absolutely beautiful throws today, an extremely efficient game in the air until the end. Despite throwing two interceptions, Fields showed off his accuracy with deep balls to wide receivers Equanimeous St. Brown and N’Keal Harry. Newly acquired wide receiver Chase Claypool was heavily used as he caught five passes for 28 yards, along with tight end Cole Kmet (six catches for 72 yards). Despite these pass-catchers stepping up, the Bears missed the presence of explosive playmaker Darnell Mooney.
Again missing important players on defense, the undrafted rookies in Jack Sanborn, Jaylon Jones, and Josh Blackwell got increased opportunities and made some nice plays with them. Sanborn in particular was flying all over the backfield and finished with 11 total tackles (nine solo) and a tackle for loss.
It was a bad day for special teams today. Kicker Cairo Santos, although very efficient this year, missed another extra point. More importantly, an attempted field goal in the fourth quarter was blocked, leaving points on the board in a critical situation.
