It’s just one game of football. And there are still 64 quarters of football to be played in this season, so I don’t want to go too overboard. But there better not be 16 more games of this.
The Rams scored 34 points. That’s pretty good. The Bears scored just 14. Not only is that not good, it’s not good enough. Especially when the defense is allowing 34 points.
I mean, our expectations were low … but HOLY COW.
Andy Dalton threw a red-zone interception on his second pass attempt as a Bear. Two left tackles went down with injuries. So did Chicago’s starting running back. And yet, Chicago’s football team went into halftime facing only a six-point deficit. Not quite what you were looking to see after watching the Lions, Vikings, and Packers lose earlier in Week 1. But it wasn’t the worst-case scenario. At least, not in the first half.
And, hey, it wasn’t all bad:
WATCH: Justin Fields Scores His First NFL Touchdown #DaBears https://t.co/KHd9yd5h4Gpic.twitter.com/uIVI2izMrj
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) September 13, 2021
But then it fell apart. And we’ll dissect that further tomorrow.
The good news is that there are still (at least) 16 games to play. And there is a non-zero chance the Bears could turn it around. But Khalil Mack needs to dominate opposing offensive linemen. Eddie Jackson needs more plays on the ball, and fewer whiffs at tackles in the open field. And the offense certainly needs to score more than two touchdowns, with more plays down the field:
Pass charts are back. Here's #Bears QB Andy Dalton's for Week 1: pic.twitter.com/oGwwxWcwbv
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) September 13, 2021
As Bears fans, we’ve seen seen crazier things happen. So I won’t rule anything out, even if some crazy run to the playoffs from here (whether with Dalton or Justin Fields) is unlikely.
But the bad news is that the Bears won’t be favored in many of their upcoming games. So this long night we just experienced might be the first of many this season. Or this could be a minor setback for a major comeback. Who’s to say? It’s up to the Bears to choose their ending.