Yours truly stuffed their face with a Lou Malnati’s pizza last night, which instantly made me feel better after the drive home from Wisconsin following another Bears loss to the Packers. It got me to thinking this morning about comfort foods. Specifically, post-loss comfort food. I hope I don’t need your recommendations too often this season, but I want them anyway.
- That post-loss road trip home can feel like it takes forever. But it allowed me to gain some clarity about where the Bears are and where they can go moving forward. Perspective is key. It also put me in a mindset to try to find positives to kick-off today’s set of Bullets. And for me, it begins with this pass-rush:
- That Bears defense got 3 sacks and 4 QB Hits on Aaron Rodgers in Sunday’s loss. They could’ve used a lot more. And it’s not like they kept Rodgers from being efficient (76% completion rate, 9.4 yards/attempt, 131.1 passer rating), but the pass-rushing contributions kept Rodgers from finding a bunch of big plays. Had he done so, things could’ve gotten uglier (and sooner!).
- On the other side of the line, Teven Jenkins appears to be growing into his new role:
- We’ve got back-to-back weeks with a highlight(s) in which Jenkins is absolutely smushing defenders. There is still so much for him to learn as he continues on his developmental journey. But he is already displaying traits that could soon make him this line’s best run-blocker. At some point soon, the Bears should probably give him the full share of snaps at the position so he can really get into gear.
- Of course, it wasn’t *ALL* good for the Bears offensive line. But in fairness, Kenny Clark is a menace and I want to know where the Bears can find someone like him to put in the middle of their defense:
- QB Power has long been an offensive staple in the football world. It is a play that is run successfully at the high school, college, and pro levels. And with Justin Fields taking the snap, the Bears should implement this more into their scheme. But they need to block it better up front. Yeah, Fields got in (in our hearts, at least). But he would’ve barreled through had the guys in the trenches been better in that specific instance. It’s a teachable moment I hope everyone takes to heart. After all, football is a game of inches.
- Back to the good vibes. Visually, I enjoy watching David Montgomery run. Dude is a load to bring down, especially once he gets going like this:
- Do I want the Bears to get the pass attack going? Absolutely. Am I going to complain about the ground game being in gear for the moment? Absolutely not. In an ideal world, Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy would build the passing game from that rushing attack with some well-timed play action. If he can’t do that (and soon), then it will become increasingly hard for Chicago’s football team to keep running at a high level.
- The more I watch this highlight (and since it was the offense’s only touchdown, I’ve been watching it a lot), the more I appreciate the play design:
- Hmmm. Now, I don’t want to overreact after just one game. But how can I not wonder if extension talks with Montgomery will kick up after seeing him run like he did and show off that selflessness in turning himself into a lead blocker for Fields on that touchdown? Handing out extensions to running backs isn’t popular. But part of me still thinks there is a middle ground where Montgomery and the Bears can meet to make both sides happy. More on that later.
- I think Josh Schrock (NBC Sports Chicago) nails it with this assessment that the road to finding that star quarterback is a narrow one. But make no mistake about it: The process begins with drafting a QB with loud tools and high-end athleticism who was getting it done on Saturdays. There is no secret sauce. And there are no shortcuts. But you’ve gotta keep plugging away. The Bears have 15 more games to get a better feel for if Fields is (or can be) that dude.
- Nobody wants the smoke with Jaylon Johnson is how I prefer to read this tweet:
- There was a scary moment in Monday’s Bills-Titans game in which Buffalo cornerback Dane Jackson left the game early with a neck injury after a frightening collision with a teammate. Scary stuff, to be sure. But NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo shares good news in that Jackson was released from the hospital last night and that it appears he has avoided serious injury. Whew.
- Injuries aside, how did everyone like having two Monday Night Football games to choose from last night? You can sound off in our poll:
- On the one hand, two MNF games allows me to fully take advantage of having a two-TV setup. But on the other hand, I just wasn’t into the games. Maybe the lopsided nature of both kept me from really digging in. Or perhaps I was still reeling from Sunday’s Bears loss. Whatever it was, I wasn’t fully on board. But there will be more of this in the future. Hopefully, it’ll be better next time.
- For what it’s worth, watching the Vikings lose gave me a little chuckle. And allowed me to do some meme creation:
- Seriously, though. Everybody chill. The whole NFC North is 1-1 and looking like the Spiderverse pointing meme. To be clear, I’m not saying everything from here on out will be hunky-dory. But let’s allow more than two of these games to play out before approaching the nearest ledge.
- If watching the Bears in primetime harshens your vibe, at least they’re on under the lights just two more times this season. The next such occasion comes in Week 6 on Thursday Night Football against the Washington Football Team a.k.a. the Commanders. After that, an extended layoff mini-bye leading up to a Monday Night Football showdown against the Patriots in Week 7. The Bears are getting the ManningCast treatment for that one, which is giving off “is it a gift or a curse?” vibes right now.
- I’ll acknowledge that I’m 0-for-2022 on my Bears picks this year. However, I still think this is a tremendous value worth sharing:
- Finally! The Cubs are developing pitching prospects:
- This has the potential to be fun:
- The Andrew Shaw comp is an interesting one (to say the least):