The Injury Bug Bites, Fans Impressive Performance, Behind the QB Chaos, We Missed Watching Fields, and Other Bears Bullets

We’ve just about had our fill of post-Thanksgiving leftovers. Tomorrow? Something new. Maybe this Quad Cities Pizza recipe from our friend Jim will hit the spot. Today? OK, give me whatever piece of white meat is available and what’s left of that delicious mac and cheese.

  • The Monday after Thanksgiving is always the worst Monday of the year. Even the Monday after Super Bowl Sunday has some perks. But the Monday after Thanksgiving is a slog every year without fail. Throw in an ugly Bears game and the numerous injuries that came along with the defeat … will you just let me press fast forward through the day? PLEASE!?
  • Few things muck up what would’ve otherwise been a flawless Tank Win like the injury bug taking chunks out of the squad. Receiver Darnell Mooney’s ankle injury was a serious one and could require season-ending surgery. Safety Eddie Jackson’s foot injury was serious enough to keep him from returning to the game. Right tackle Riley Reiff went down with a right shoulder injury. And as The Athletic’s gang of reporters point out, offensive lineman Larry Borom (who replaced Reiff) missed some time in the fourth quarter due to an undisclosed injury of his own. Receiver Chase Claypool also saw time in the medical tent after being seen limping in the fourth quarter. It was bad news for the Bears all around the injury front. Talk about adding injury to insult.
  • Because there were no limits to the chaos at MetLife Stadium, the Bears had to have insanity surround their quarterback situation. Alex Shapiro (NBCS Chicago) takes us through the whirlwind of events that had our heads spinning trying to keep up with the news. Chicago’s football team really went from Justin Fields briefly doing light on-field workouts to Fields being inactive, then jumping to Trevor Siemian starting in Fields’ place, only for Siemian to come up with an oblique issue that put Nathan Peterman in a spot to start, which never happened because Siemian mustered it up to start and play the whole game. Frankly, it all reminded me of how valuable Fields is to this team. Not just in terms of production or enjoyability from a fan-watching standpoint. But also when it comes to stability and peace of mind. I’ll never take that for granted after yesterday’s ridiculousness.
  • Cam Ellis (670 The Score) is right. The best performance to come from Sunday came from anyone who gutted out to watch the entire Fieldsless Bears-Jets game. You’re the real MVPs.
  • OK, fine, what I really missed most was the watchability and production. After starting 8-for-11 for 127 yards, 1 TD (0 INTs), and a 141.1 rating in the first half, Siemian finished with a 14-for-25, 179-yard, 1 TD-1 INT, 75.2-rating game attached to his name in the box score. Which means Siemian’s second-half line was: 6 of 14 (42.5%), 52 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 23.5 passer rating. Ick.
  • It’s almost as if football talkers with large platforms and blue checkmarks should be careful what they wish for out of quarterback play. Because even though Fields doesn’t do thing the way that traditional QBs do it out of the pocket, we saw Siemian do that stuff. And the result was a grating, boring game-watching experience. I think this tweet sums it up best:
  • Not that you needed the reminder, but here it is anyway: Fields is the reason this offense works. He is also the reason this Bears thing is any sort of interesting.
  • Here is a comp that’s been on my mind. In recent years, I’ve become disenchanted with a bunch of the baseball conversations because if a player doesn’t look like this, play like that, or have these baseline numbers then they’re bad. Some of that chatter has seeped into football discussion, primarily at quarterback. Baseball is a beautiful game because you don’t need to be a hulking behemoth or put up eye-popping stats to be an impact player. And quarterbacking is beautiful (to me) because you don’t always need to put up 400-yard passing games to be effective or entertaining. So I’m going to do what I can to push back against silly talk from simple minds who want football quarterbacks to all look the same. Who wants that anyway?
  • I remember seeing this on my screen and thinking about how much I was missing Fields:
  • And then I saw this tweet in-game and immediately said to myself where ya been, dude?
  • My Bears offseason shopping list is as long as my Christmas shopping list. Maybe GM Ryan Poles will want to exchange notes? Perhaps we can give each other some ideas? My DMs are open.
  • Can you believe I made it this long before expressing my disgust for having to spend nearly three hours watching a defense cough up 466 yards of offense to a Mike White-led offense? And it’s not just because I had White and his 31.6 fantasy points on my bench yesterday. I can excuse Ohio State product Garrett Wilson going off for 5 catches, 95 yards, and 2 TDs. But allowing 158 ground yards to the Jets made it all the more painful.
  • Lance Briggs is as disappointed with the defensive showing as I am:
  • Tweets that make you go hmmm:
  • There is a joke to be made about fallen chosen ones and their relationships with older women, but I’m not going to make it. Mostly out of respect to Anakin, who is more potent with the Youngling Slayer 3000 than Zach Wilson is with a football:
  • Can we pretend this game never happened?
  • Oh, boy. Here we go:
  • Jordan Love certainly showed that he could sling it on Sunday night during his cameo against the Eagles on SNF. But I don’t want to install him as the third future Hall of Fame Packers quarterback to muck up our lives based on a handful of snaps in a game that was mostly in hand. He hit some open throws against soft zones, but the final-drive misfires when the game could’ve possibly swung were as telling as the early successes against defenses in a prevent state of mind. Love is still a developing quarterback. A toolsy one who plays for a franchise we expect to develop him into a star because our brains have been broken to believe that they get all the good luck. But it doesn’t have to be that way, friends.
  • A baseball transaction! The White Sox have struck a deal with starting pitcher Mike Clevinger, a familiar face for fans who watched him pitch in Cleveland while he was in the AL Central a few years ago:
  • It always ties back to Steve Larmer, doesn’t it?
  • Some sage advice from our friends at BN Bulls:
  • written by

    Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

    more bears news

    Chase Young to Sign 1-year Deal with Saints as Another DE Goes Off the Board

    If you were looking for the Chicago Bears to reunite Montez Sweat and Chase Young, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Young, a free-agent pass rusher who would've made sense as a Bears offseason target, is reportedly...

    The Bears Turned Down a Better Trade Offer to “Do Right” By Justin Fields

    Even with the Justin Fields situation resolved by way of Saturday’s trade between the Bears and Steelers, I still found myself coming back to this Ryan Poles quote from Combine Week. The bold emphasis is mine (and you’ll see why...

    More D-Line Help: Bears Add Byron Cowart to Defensive Mix

    More defensive line help is on the way for the Chicago Bears. On Saturday, the Bears added to their mix of defensive linemen by signing defensive end Jake Martin. And because the job of building out a 90-player offseason roster...

    Poles Plan, Sorting Through Fields Mess, What are the Steelers doing? And Other Bears Bullets

    The first Monday of the post-Justin Fields era is here and Bears fans are still coming to grips with it. I get it. Lost in the weekend haze was the Bears burying a trade of their former starting quarterback in...

    Chicago Bears 7-Round Mock Draft 3.0

    In the wake of the Justin Fields trade and week one of free agency, things are starting to take shape, so let’s fire up the PFF Draft Simulator and try to sort out the rest of the 2024 roster with...

    Ryan Pace, Darnell Mooney, and Kirk Cousins are Central Figures in NFL Tampering Investigation

    In news that has nothing to do with the Chicago Bears trading Justin Fields, a pair of former Bears (and someone the Bears are quite familiar with) find themselves in the middle of an NFL tampering investigation. Ryan Pace, Darnell...

    Justin Fields Trade Fallout (And Other Bears Bullets)

    Usually, I reserve Sunday's Bears Bullets to be a dumping ground for things I didn't get to in a given week. But today is different (and for obvious reasons). Here is what you missed in case you spent all day...

    Here’s What Ryan Poles Had to Say About the Justin Fields Trade

    The Justin Fields trade is still oh, so very fresh. Here is what Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles had to say about the trade in a statement issued by the team: We have engaged in multiple trade conversations in...

    It’s Over: Justin Fields Traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers

    So long, old friend. May the Force be with you. The Justin Fields trade is happening. So says NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, who is reporting it and sharing the news on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1769131145688461483 UPDATE (7:45 PM CT): It's officially...

    Justin Fields Says Goodbye and Thank You

    That Justin Fields trade sure is something. ICYMI: The Bears and Steelers have reportedly agreed on a deal to send Fields from Chicago to Pittsburgh in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick. And while it could become a fourth-rounder based...

    Latest News

    Mavericks vs. Spurs Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Tuesday, March 19, 2024

    Southwest Division opponents square off when the Dallas Mavericks (39-29) visit the San Antonio Spurs (15-53) at AT&T Center, tipping off at 8:00 PM ET on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. The Mavericks are 8.5-point favorites in the game, the fourth...

    Pelicans vs. Nets Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Tuesday, March 19, 2024

    The Brooklyn Nets (26-42) will try to break a three-game losing streak when they host the New Orleans Pelicans (41-26) on Tuesday, March 19, 2024 at Barclays Center as 8.5-point underdogs. The matchup airs at 7:30 PM ET on YES....

    Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Tuesday, March 19, 2024

    The Minnesota Timberwolves (47-21) are 7-point underdogs as they try to extend a three-game winning streak when they host the Denver Nuggets (47-21) on Tuesday, March 19, 2024 at Target Center. The contest airs at 9:00 PM ET on NBA....

    Canucks vs. Sabres Prediction: Picks, Live Odds and Moneyline – Tuesday, March 19, 2024

    The Vancouver Canucks are -205 on the moneyline against the Buffalo Sabres (+170) on Tuesday, with this game taking place at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.Canucks vs. Sabres Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Canucks (-205)Underdog: Sabres (+170)Total: 6.5Best Canucks vs. Sabres Promo Codes[lasso...

    OH MY: ANTHONY EDWARDS JUST HAD THE BEST DUNK OF THE YEAR

    Anthony Edwards has done it again. The emerging Minnesota Timberwolves superstar jammed the most impressive poster dunk of the season against the Utah Jazz on Monday night. Pushing the pace in transition during the third quarter, Edwards passed the ball...

    De’Aaron Fox Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Grizzlies – Monday, March 18, 2024

    To beat his 3-point prop, De'Aaron Fox must make three from beyond the arc on Monday, when his Sacramento Kings face the Memphis Grizzlies, tipping off at 10:00 PM ET.De'Aaron Fox's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the GrizzliesDe'Aaron Fox's over/under for...

    Malik Monk Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Grizzlies – Monday, March 18, 2024

    Will Malik Monk make three 3-pointers when the Sacramento Kings face the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday at 10:00 PM ET? If so, he'll beat his prop for the game.Malik Monk's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the GrizzliesMalik Monk's over/under for three-pointers...

    Bogdan Bogdanovic Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Lakers – Monday, March 18, 2024

    At 10:30 PM ET on Monday, it'll be the Atlanta Hawks against the Los Angeles Lakers, with Bogdan Bogdanovic needing three trifectas to beat his 3-pointer prop.Bogdan Bogdanovic's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the LakersBogdan Bogdanovic's over/under for three-pointers in this...

    Anthony Davis Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Hawks – Monday, March 18, 2024

    The Los Angeles Lakers face the Atlanta Hawks at 10:30 PM ET on Monday, and one of the 3-pointer over/unders available for this clash requires just one make from Anthony Davis.Anthony Davis' Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the HawksAnthony Davis' over/under...

    Dejounte Murray Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Lakers – Monday, March 18, 2024

    To beat his 3-point over/under, Dejounte Murray must make four from downtown on Monday, when his Atlanta Hawks face the Los Angeles Lakers, tipping off at 10:30 PM ET.Dejounte Murray's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the LakersDejounte Murray's over/under for three-pointers...

    more bears news