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The Bears’ 9–3 Loss Was a Debacle of Epic Proportions

 

If you love offensive fireworks, beautiful passing and high-scoring NFL games, this was definitely not the game for you.

In Season 3, Episode 18 of The Shawn Mackey Show, I break down what I can only describe as a debacle of epic proportions — the Chicago Bears’ ugly 9–3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field.

The weather was miserable. The rain was coming down. The field conditions were awful. But both teams had to deal with the same conditions, so I don't want to use the weather as an excuse.

What bothered me most was that the Bears actually led Minnesota in many of the statistical categories. Chicago had 17 first downs to Minnesota’s 11 and moved the ball better in several areas. But none of that mattered because the Bears repeatedly found ways to hurt themselves.

The biggest problem was penalties.

Chicago committed eight penalties for 58 yards, with seven of those penalties coming in the first half. Drive after drive, the Bears seemed to be putting themselves behind the chains. Instead of staying ahead of the sticks and giving Caleb Williams manageable situations, Chicago kept turning second-and-short situations into second-and-long or worse.

And against a defense like Brian Flores’ Vikings defense, that is a recipe for disaster.

Flores threw everything he could at the Bears. He brought pressure from the secondary, changed looks and constantly made life difficult for Caleb Williams. There were times when the Bears’ offensive line simply looked confused by what Minnesota was doing.

That was one of the biggest stories of this game for me: the matchup between Ben Johnson and Brian Flores did not turn into the offensive showcase many people expected.

Instead, Flores’ defense controlled the game.

Caleb finished 15-of-26 for 138 yards with one interception and no touchdowns. He also ran five times for 42 yards. Those numbers tell you just how difficult it was for Chicago to generate consistent offense.

The Bears had opportunities, though.

DeAndre Swift’s fumble near the goal line was a huge turning point. I also questioned some of the offensive decisions Chicago made, particularly the decision to move away from Kyle Monangai after he had helped get the Bears into scoring position.

Then came the disastrous sequence late in the game.

Chicago had a chance to tie things up, but a blocked field goal and a series of mistakes ultimately left the Bears empty-handed. Tyson Bagent got the Bears into position late, but the final possession ended without the touchdown Chicago desperately needed.

And then there was Caleb Williams.

Seeing him leave the game after appearing to hurt his hamstring immediately had me thinking the worst. Fortunately, the initial information was more encouraging than I feared. But with Tyson Bagent also dealing with a concussion, the quarterback situation suddenly became a major question heading into the next game.

I also had to address something that really bothered me after the game: the criticism Caleb received on social media for crying and acknowledging the crowd while being carted off.

I don't understand why people feel the need to judge someone else's reaction to an injury.

You weren't in his shoes. You weren't feeling what he was feeling. You don't know what was going through his mind at that moment.

I've played sports. I've dealt with injuries. I know firsthand that pain can bring emotions out of you that you don't expect. So I'm not going to sit here and criticize a 24-year-old athlete for showing emotion after getting hurt.

On the field, there is plenty to criticize about the Bears' performance.

The penalties. The offensive execution. The turnovers. The missed opportunities. The protection issues. The blocked field goal. The inability to finish drives.

But criticizing a player for how he reacts while being injured? That's a different conversation.

There were a few positives. I thought the defense played better than it did the previous week, Kyle Monangai showed some ability running the football, and the Bears at least kept Minnesota out of the end zone.

But ultimately, 9–3 is 9–3.

This was an ugly divisional loss, and Chicago has a lot to clean up.

That's what I'm breaking down in Season 3, Episode 18 of The Shawn Mackey Show.

If you're a Bears fan, this one is going to give you plenty to talk about.

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