The Chicago Bears started hot against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football, but a collapse in the second half resulted in a Vikings win, 27-24.
Let’s start with the worst of what we saw from Chicago and try to ease our way into some of the positives from a mostly disappointing season opener.
The Worst From Chicago In Week One
Penalties, Penalties, Penalties
The Bears, through the course of the game, would garner 12 penalties for a total of 127 yards. In their defense, the officiating was suspect throughout the night, but pre-snap penalties contributed heavily to the lack of offensive success with false starts on both Jonah Jackson and Darnell Wright.
The seemingly phantom holding call on Wright in the third quarter was egregiously bad, but the point remains the same.
Undisciplined football teams do not win games, period.
Cairo Santos’ Accuracy and Power
This has been a conversation for multiple seasons now. A missed field goal that would have made the game a tie and potentially sent it to OT rather than a loss, as well as a special teams error in which the final kickoff should have went out the back of the end zone or even out of bounds to avoid using the two minute warning were both a result of Cairo Santos‘ lack of accuracy and power. Santos has actually been quite accurate as the Bears’ kicker, but was not a positive contributor on Monday Night Football.
Caleb Williams’ Accuracy
Caleb Williams was in an absolute rhythm to start the night for Chicago, starting a perfect 10/10 in the first quarter and would be 13/16 at the half, but would finish the night at 21/35 with 1 passing touchdown and a 60% completion percentage. Often, the Bears quarterback would avoid the deep throw or sail his passes over the heads of his intended receiver or the ball would simply be out of reach for his playmakers.
Williams did make some impressive throws, but overall, it was disappointing to see the end result of what looked like a very promising first half for the Bears’ offense.
Bears Rushing Attack
The Bears did total over 100 yards rushing on the night against a talented Vikings defensive front. The bad news is that over half of those yards came from Caleb Williams. D’Andre Swift had some tough runs, but there was never a moment in which he took over and provided the Bears offense with a spark. I had also hoped to have seen some action from Kyle Monangai, but no cigar.
An improved offensive line seemingly should benefit Swift this season, but the early returns are disappointing. The keyword there is “early”, which is something to keep in mind as we go through the first few games of the year.
The Chicago Bears fanbase is upset after this one and rightfully so. However, there were some questions answered and some bright spots shown in the loss to Minnesota.
The Best From Chicago In Week One
Dayo Odeyingbo and The Bears Defensive Line
What many Bears fans were most concerned with this offseason turned out to be one of the best developments to come out of the loss to Minnesota. Defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo showed up in a big way early on in the matchup, recording a sack and a tackle for loss alongside Gervon Dexter Sr. and Tanoh Kpassagnon, both totaling a sack and a tackle for a loss. Montez Sweat also added two tackles for a loss and a pass deflection.
If the Bears can continue to get pressure this season while the offense goes through its growing pains, Chicago will be a competitive football team.
Bears Depth In The Secondary
Although collapsing late, the Bears’ secondary played an excellent game against one of the best receivers in the NFL in Justin Jefferson, despite not having star cornerback Jaylon Johnson and talented nickel corner Kyler Gordon in the lineup on Monday night. Cornerbacks Nahshon Wright and Tyrique Stevenson came up in a big way for much of the game, which was a positive development considering the fanbase’s sentiment around Stevenson after last year’s debacle in Washington. Safety Jonathan Owens also played well when he was on the field.
The room was already thin with a season ending injury to Terrell Smith in the preseason, so it is encouraging to see the Bears still have depth in the secondary.
The Offensive Line
The only true sack of the game came early in the fourth quarter from Javon Hargrave, but otherwise the Bears offensive line showed a lot of promise despite some penalties on the right side. Braxton Jones was bull rushed at one point in the game, but otherwise he played well enough at the left tackle spot. Joe Thuney performed as expected and the snaps and protection from Drew Dalman seemed to be in a good spot as well.
Caleb Williams will learn to stay in the pocket the more he gets used to this new unit, but despite the loss it seems like the Bears will have at the very least a serviceable offensive line once the penalties are cleaned up.
Final Notes on Chicago Bears MNF Loss
The Chicago Bears impressed early and collapsed late in the game, a familiar trend that Bears fans know all too well. This was a winnable game that head coach Ben Johnson even admitted got away from the team in his post-game press conference. However, with a fully healthy squad, I believe the Bears will be competitive if the offense can get on the same page.
Caleb Williams’ main focus needs to be on maintaining the pocket, keeping his eyes downfield, and taking a shot every now and then while remembering that not every throw has to be a home run.
Next stop, the Motor City, where the Detroit Lions look to bounce back after a loss at Lambeau Field to the Green Bay Packers.
