After a week five loss to the Vikings, the Bears headed back home to Chicago, hoping to bounce back with a win against the Washington Commanders. However, in Bears fashion, they only put up a measly seven points in a 12-7 loss to the Commanders on primetime. The question is, who’s to blame, Justin Fields, play calling, or something else? This article will analyze what went wrong in the Bears’ humiliating loss on primetime.
Justin Fields did not show regression or improvement against the Commanders. The second-year quarterback threw for 190 yards, with a touchdown and a pick. However, the stats don’t reflect what Fields had to deal with on offense. After nearly every play, Fields was on his butt. At some points, it looked like he wouldn’t get up. If this game showed us anything, Fields is a tough son of a gun, and the Bears need to draft an offensive lineman. Despite throwing a pick in the red zone, this loss was not on Fields. Fields battled every play, proving he belongs as this franchise’s quarterback.
The playcalling is a steady improvement for first-year play caller Luke Getsy. However, this game was a big step back. The Bears made it to the red zone three times, all inside the five-yard line. Despite this, the Bears scored zero points in these circumstances. The Bears had only scored seven points, their lowest-scoring game of the entire season. As much as it might pain Bears fans to hear, they need to listen to this: Luke Getsy DOES NOT need to be fired. It is his sixth game ever calling plays, and he has been improving each time. This game doesn’t prove that, but everybody has their bad days. Hopefully, Getsy will learn from this game and become a better play caller down the line.
The turnovers were a significant part of the Bears’ loss against the Commanders. When two “bad” teams play each other, the game often favors the team with fewer turnovers. The Commanders would force two of them, while Chicago did not cause any. Of the turnovers, the most notable was Velus Jones Jr., who had muffed a punt late in the game to set up a Commanders’ touchdown. This is the second time Jones has muffed a punt this season, both coming late in the game. Jones needs to learn to catch punts before being classified as a return specialist.
The Bears are heading back to primetime on Monday Night against the Patriots. Going against a team that is objectively better than them, the Bears need to find a way to limit turnovers, conduct better playcalling, and protect Fields at any cost. The defense needs to continue what they have been doing this season, and Velus Jones needs to concentrate more on fielding his punts. If the Bears could gain anything from this loss, they need to use it against the Patriots to hopefully break their three-game losing streak.
