Saints 24, Bears 17: The Bears Don’t Know How to Win

The 2023 Chicago Bears are at the forefront of innovation — specifically in the field of finding new ways to lose.

FINAL: New Orleans Saints 24, Chicago Bears 17 (ESPN Box Score)

Four thoughts on yet another Bears loss

When I watch the Bears, I want to see them play hard and win. But Sunday’s game was an example of one I don’t mind seeing them lose. Don’t get me wrong. Winning is fun. But it often masks the underlying stench that follows. Every loss is an indictment on this coaching staff. Failing to put players in a position to succeed is a weekly occurrence. The growing pile of unforced penalties further complicates matters. It’s a real errors tour out there. Remember, the Bears head coach had playoff aspirations going into this year. And so did the general manager. With the way this group has been coached, they’ve made it impossible for those dreams to become realized.

This is what it looks like when you find new ways to lose every week. And if finding new ways to lose every week doesn’t frustrate the front office that put this team together, then that group is also part of the problem.

Why are you running a designed screen for Velus Jones Jr. in the fourth quarter? And why are you doing so after it was so poorly blocked up the last time you ran it? After running the ball effectively for most of the game, why abandon it while down by one score with 11 minutes left? We saw Luke Getsy run the ball last year while the Bears were down 20. But now we can’t run down by 7? C’mon, man.

Watching this game unfold reminded me that Dennis Allen was on the Bears head coach interview shortlist in 2022. Allen would ultimately back out because he was getting the Saints job as Sean Payton’s heir apparent. But nothing I saw from Dennis Allen’s team today made me think of him in a better light. Instead, it reminded me that while the Bears had time to interview Matt Eberflus and Dennis Allen, but no interest in interviewing Mike McDaniel. That is an organizational failure. Bill Polian should get a lump of coal in his stocking for Christmas. And nothing else.

Bears Highlights

The angle of his touchdown rocks my socks. And this video reminds me that being in the right place at the right time matters. :

What's cooler than being cool?

Ice Cole 🥶 pic.twitter.com/L8QYIometg

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 5, 2023

It has been nice to watch Cole Kmet eat the last two weeks. Chicago’s tight end followed a 10-catch, 79-yard performance in Los Angeles with a 6-catch, 55-yard, 2-touchdown game in New Orleans. One thing Getsy appears to be getting right is how to deploy Kmet. In some games, Kmet will be a primary blocker. And putting that tape out there allows the Bears to sneak him out into some coverages on delayed routes. Tight end usage being the offensive highlight stinks. But Kmet’s play does not.

It was fun watching Darnell Mooney do stuff like this again:

pic.twitter.com/rJ8xGtUh78 https://t.co/fK0k3h8eEB

— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) November 5, 2023

I stand corrected! Mooney juked three hapless Saints defenders onto Bourbon Street. It was the first time all year that Mooney looked the way he did in 2021. That was a wonderful development to see. The Tulane product finished the game with a team-high 82 yards on 5 receptions (6 targets) in a homecoming game of sorts.

If I have to pound the table for a Teven Jenkins extension this offseason, I’m going to be annoying about it. Consider this fair warning. How could you not want to extend someone who does this:

Teven Jenkins pic.twitter.com/ktdyX2Wti4

— Gustavo (@iamvega1982) November 5, 2023

Sidebar: When Nate Davis comes back, the Bears should have a conversation about moving him to left guard and keeping Jenkins at right guard. Putting Jenkins and Darnell Wright together makes for a nasty right side of the offensive line. It should make you wonder why the Bears insisted on signing a right guard when center was a bigger position of need. If I have to watch a Bears center dribble a snap to a quarterback in shotgun formation, then I’m sending them my therapy bill.

Three Bears

DJ Moore was targeted five times. He caught three passes for 44 yards, but also had a costly fumble. The margin of error is so thin for these Bears that their best players can’t afford to have off days.

Montez Sweat was mostly a non-factor in his Bears debut. So if you were worrying about his production being a product of playing alongside three other first-round picks in Washington, then I don’t imagine your concerns were silenced by this performance. I wasn’t expecting him to come in and pull a 2018 Week 1 Khalil Mack performance from his bag. But I was hoping he’d tally more than 2 solo tackles. I’ll be curious to see what his PFF and pressure stats look like because those are things that I’ll sometimes miss while watching live.

Also, let me be clear. I’m not burying him after one game on a short turnaround when he has been with the team for a handful of days. But what I am saying is that I understand the point of view of those who had concerns about swinging the Sweat trade and am cognizant that this debut didn’t calm any fears. In other words, Montez Sweat has a long time to prove he was worthy of that big-ticket contract. And I’m looking forward to seeing how he bounces back.

Jaylon Johnson wasn’t getting targeted because the Saints knew better than to throw in the general direction of Pro Football Focus’ third-highest-rated cornerback. Every game like this is another point in the extension-worthy column.

WHAT’S NEXT: Thursday, Nov. 9 — Bears vs. Panthers, 7:15 p.m. CT.

Thursday Night Football! A date with the Panthers awaits the Bears.

Week 9 BN Bears Postgame Show

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