(670 The Score) On a day that began with the Bears believing they finally had found some answers, serious questions resurfaced after a demoralizing 19-13 defeat to the Vikings.
Is Bears quarterback Justin Fields – who left the game in the third quarter Sunday after injuring his right hand – prone to injury, bad luck or both? And how will Fields' injury affect the Bears' ability to evaluate his future?
Why didn't general manager Ryan Poles protect the Bears better from such health scares with an experienced backup quarterback instead of expecting a 23-year-old kid named Tyson Bagent, whose last meaningful snap came against the Colorado School of Mines, to save the day?
How long before the next rumor about head coach Matt Eberflus losing his job or his grip on his football team? Anybody interested in starting one about out-to-lunch offensive coordinator Luke Getsy?
Why couldn't a Bears team that still doesn't know to win, with one victory in the last 356 days, handle success?
Does any of this sound vaguely familiar, George McCaskey?
The Bears blew it again against a one-win Vikings team that was playing without star receiver Justin Jefferson and considering trading Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins to tank the season. They left 2-4, buoyed by the Bears' inability to win two games in a row, which is apparently too much to ask in a football city finding more reasons every day to turn its attention to hockey.
Come to think of it, not even the promise of Connor Bedard can make this one more palatable.
This not only was a winnable game for the Bears but another home loss bad enough to wonder if they really know how to get out of their own way at Halas Hall. This wasn't just the latest game-day rejection. It felt more like a referendum on the entire operation, shaking the faith in the GM, head coach and quarterback. This was so on-brand for a Bears organization seemingly committed to making their fans commiserate every autumn.
Goodness, the Bears know how to spoil a party. For nearly 10 days since they beat the Washington Commanders, 40-20, on national television, Chicago celebrated the arrival of an explosive offense with a potent quarterback-wide receiver combination. By halftime, it was fair to wonder if someone had become intoxicated by all the attention – namely Getsy, who used to seem like the most grounded guy in the room.
On Sunday, he just appeared hellbent on trying to prove he's the smartest. On third-and-7 at the Vikings' 38-yard line in the second quarter, for example – a passing down for a quarterback coming off two big passing games – Getsy called for running back Darrynton Evans up the middle for three yards. On third-and-2 at the Vikings' 27-yard line on the following series – a reasonable running down for a team controlling the line of scrimmage – the Bears came out in the shotgun and Fields threw an interception. Sigh. Running on passing downs and passing on running downs are the first two symptoms of an offensive coordinator getting too cute.
Speaking of overthinking it, Bears receiver DJ Moore came into the game as the reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Week after 230 yards' worth of receptions against the Commanders on Oct. 5. Moore was targeted once in the first half Sunday. Memo to Getsy: The D in DJ isn't for Decoy. You can credit Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores as much as you want, but Getsy deserves his share of responsibility for neglecting the biggest reason for the recent offensive resurgence.
"We certainly want to target our skill,'' Eberflus acknowledged postgame.
It becomes even more imperative if Fields misses any time at all, which remains possible. The X-rays were negative on Fields' hand, Eberflus said, and Fields sounded upbeat and optimistic during their brief conversation afterward. Fields left the game, retreating to the locker room, after getting sacked by Danielle Hunter early in the third quarter with the Vikings leading 12-6.
Not that Fields was playing well before the injury. He completed only 6 of 10 passes for 58 yards and an interception for a 56.5 passer rating, looking shaky after two straight strong performances against the Broncos and Commanders. On the interception, for example, the Vikings sent six men and Fields picked up the blitz late. His pass was tipped into the hands of Vikings linebacker Jordan Hicks, a costly turnover that prevented the Bears from taking advantage of Tremaine Edmunds' fumble recovery just three plays before.
Everybody knew the Vikings had a tendency to give the ball away – they had lost eight fumbles in their first five games. But the Bears were even more charitable, out-Vikings the Vikings, losing the turnover battle by two thanks to Fields' interception and Bagent's two turnovers.
Bagent entered with 8:07 left in the third quarter in front of 62,167 fans hoping desperately to see something memorable. Three snaps into Bagent's NFL debut, it looked like one he would rather forget.
Predictably, the Vikings sent pressure and Bagent suffered the dreaded strip-sack-fumble on a play in which his pocket awareness was nearly as poor as his protection. Safety Josh Metellus blitzed, sacking Bagent and forcing the ball out. Hicks scooped it up and rambled 42 yards for what would end up being the game-winning touchdown. The coaching point on that turnover, Coach?
"Two hands on the ball," Eberflus said.
Welcome to the NFL, kid. Two snaps into his second series, the crowd booed lustily after Bagent safely handed off twice in a row. On third down, everyone exhaled after Bagent heaved a deep pass to Tyler Scott and drew a pass-interference penalty on Akayleb Evans for a 36-yard gain.
Eventually, Bagent settled down and seldom looked fazed. He got into a rhythm helped by short passes, relying on Moore and moving the chains on an efficient nine-play, 77-yard drive that culminated with his first NFL touchdown – a one-yard quarterback sneak.
"We just said to him, 'You got this,'" Eberflus said.
The Bears' final drive of the fourth quarter gave Bagent a chance to prove it. As the Bears marched from their own 24 to the Vikings' 35, suddenly doubt had turned to hope ever so briefly. Then Bagent did what young quarterbacks pressed into action too early often do. He showed his age.
With Moore running deep down the Bears' sideline on first-and-10 with 2:05 left, chasing the go-ahead and potential game-winning touchdown, Bagent underthrew his No. 1 wide receiver. Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. plucked the wobbler out of the air and sent members of "The Bagency" home unhappy.
"That's on me and something I have to fix going forward," said Bagent, whose parents were at the game.
Was it a result of the pressure mounting too high?
"No, I think that's just the result of me underthrowing the ball," Bagent said. "I gotta give my guy a chance."
The words came out of Bagent's mouth with confidence and conviction. The undrafted rookie represented his alma mater of Shepherd University, his hometown of Martinsburg, W.Va., his family, his friends and the Bears well publicly by processing something that isn't always easy to process for even the most seasoned of veterans. But here Bagent is, thrust into the spotlight by a Bears organization without a great track record at making quarterback decisions.
It didn't help matters that the fundamental quarterback-center exchange that should be assumed for every NFL team has become an odyssey for the Bears. Starting center Cody Whitehair struggled with shotgun snaps too high or low and was replaced by Lucas Patrick by the fourth quarter. Though when asked about the change, Eberflus denied it was due to issues with Whitehair – ones that didn't get much better with Patrick.
"We thought it was best for our team to have the guy that has more experience in there playing center," Eberflus said.
Nobody's buying that. The explanation came across as flimsy and another example of a problem becoming bigger than necessary because, well, it's what the Bears do.
As for Bagent, he still might be pressed into coming up with a solution to an offense that's suddenly stagnant again.
Bagent's second-half stint revealed his moxie but also his limitations, a rude awakening that reminded him he's not in Division-II anymore, an experience that in the end mostly exposed his inexperience. No, Bagent wasn't Brock Purdy good, but he was pretty good in flashes – except the Bears needed more than that. The Bears needed what most NFL backup quarterbacks offer in these situations: the ability to finish a game without making a mistake that gets his team beat. The Bears needed what they had no right to expect from Bagent.
The offensive issues ruined a fine Bears defensive effort against Cousins, who was accurate and efficient in going 21-of-31 for 181 yards and one touchdown. His dart to the back of the end zone to Jordan Addison for a 10-yard touchdown pass was the best pass thrown all day. Still, a Bears defense that gave up only 12 points played well enough to win.
Except this team forgot how. Again.
David Haugh is the co-host of the Mully & Haugh Show from 5-10 a.m. weekdays on 670 The Score. Click here to listen. Follow him on Twitter @DavidHaugh.
