Chicago Bears lose to the New Orleans Saints 17-24
Another messy football game, the Chicago Bears unfortunately dropped another game to the New Orleans Saints 17-24 in an ugly loss. Quarterback Justin Fields was still out with his thumb injury, so another week with Tyson Bagent in as quarterback was prescribed. Despite playing better than last week, Bagent and the offense turned the ball over five total times, which was a real killer for the Bears this week.
The first half was kept close, tied 14-14 going into halftime. Bagent threw two touchdowns to tight end Cole Kmet, looking pretty solid. However the defense started out a little shaky, also giving up two touchdowns for the even score. In addition to Kmet’s stellar first half, wide receiver Darnell Mooney finally started getting involved with a few big plays to his name.
However, the second half would prove to be an utter disaster, as the Bears would only score once out of their seven (1/7) second half drives. Marching down the field for a field goal, the Bears offense would be otherwise shut out in the second half, a pathetic effort. The defensive side improved with some big stops, but it was no use as the offense couldn’t put points on the board.
Quarterback Tyson Bagent finished with 220 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, but a whopping 4 turnovers. Wide receiver DJ Moore also fumbled the ball once, contributing to a ridiculous team-combined 5 turnovers. Absolutely unacceptable, the offense needs to take better care of the ball. As previously mentioned, Cole Kmet continued his streak of outstanding play adding 6 catches for 55 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Darnell Mooney led the team in yards with 82 receiving yards. Running back D’Onta Foreman also played solid, carrying the ball 20 times for 83 rushing yards, averaging 4.2 YPC (yards per carry).
Meanwhile, linebacker T.J. Edwards continues to dominate on the defensive side, leading the team yet again with 15 total tackles, one of them being for loss. He also added a pass deflection, a complete monster to deal with. The hometown Lake Villa kid, Edwards continues to prove to be a great signing for the Bears. Fellow linebacker Jack Sanborn also made some solid plays, totaling 10 tackles with one also being for loss. Despite contract disputes with the team, cornerback Jaylon Johnson continues to put forward his effort, shutting down receivers and looking as elite as any cornerback in the league. Finally, newly acquired defensive end Montez Sweat deflected a pass along with gathering a couple of tackles in his Chicago Bears debut. Hopefully we see Sweat integrated more as the season continues and he becomes accustomed to the defensive scheme and playbook.
