CHICAGO (670 The Score) — A new season that carried optimism not long ago started with a familiar outcome for the Bears, as they were thoroughly outplayed by the rival Packers in a 38-20 loss Sunday at Soldier Field.
Here are the observations from the Bears’ loss in the opener, which dampened hopes for a turnaround season.
Deep denial
The Bears' offensive game plan that appeared far too conservative deserves a deeper examination. While offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and the coaching staff appeared to lack trust in quarterback Justin Fields' ability to throw the ball downfield, Fields also bypassed opportunities to do so.
Fields was 2-of-4 for 43 yards on passes that were thrown beyond 10 yards of the line of scrimmage Sunday. One of those passes was a beautiful 20-yard touchdown strike to receiver Darnell Mooney. Another went to Packers linebacker Quay Walker for a pick-six on a ball that Fields shouldn’t have thrown.
Fields was 24-of-37 for 216 yards, one touchdown and one interception while also being sacked four times.
Fields constantly took the checkdown option in his route trees, going 12-of-17 on those throws. He was 7-of-12 on designed routes within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. Getsy dialed up four screen passes, with Fields 3-of-4 on those plays.
New Bears receiver DJ Moore, the blockbuster acquisition of Chicago's offseason, had only two receptions on a pair of targets. Receiver Chase Claypool, who was acquired last November in exchange for a second-round pick, had zero receptions on two targets.
The Bears didn’t force the ball to their top targets, but Fields also passed up opportunities deep to instead take checkdowns. He's struggling to process everything from the pocket and to recognize opportunities for explosive plays.
“He knows he can play better,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said Monday of Fields.
Fields was pressured on 53% of his dropbacks against the Packers, which forced him to scramble and turn to checkdowns. The Bears’ offensive line faltered in the opener and Fields struggled to work around that, but the issues went beyond that.
Throughout the game, as was the case last season, Getsy and the Bears’ coaches didn’t seem to trust Fields on designed deep shots. Even with the improved supporting cast on offense, the Bears didn’t look to unlock the downfield attack.
Whether it’s Getsy, Fields or both working to change that, the Bears need to address it and open up their offense.
Bears unprepared?
When a team looks as woefully unprepared as the Bears did Sunday, one can only wonder why that happened.
Some will blame it on the Bears starters' lack of consistent playing time in three preseason games, but a more worthwhile exercise might be to examine how the Bears structured training camp practices.
Under Eberflus' watch, the Bears have usually focused on situational football and protecting players’ bodies rather than pushing it with intense practices. While Eberflus and his coaches preach hustle and intensity, those traits were sorely lacking in the opener.
For his part, Eberflus denied the notion that the Bears weren’t properly prepared.
“I thought the first half was solid,” Eberflus said. “I really did. I thought it was solid football up to that point. I thought defense made some good plays. I thought offense made some good plays.
“I would say yes, they were ready.”
The Bears held their starters out of their second preseason game following a pair of productive joint practices with the Colts at their training camp site north of Indianapolis. Those two practices were by far the most important days of work that the Bears conducted during training camp.
But if Eberflus is honest with himself, he'll re-evaluate how the Bears practice during the course of training camp next year. This team needs more game-like experience before kickoff on the season.
Glimmer of hope gone
Ahead of the first play of the fourth quarter Sunday, as the Packers faced a third-and-8 from their own 41-yard line, Bears veteran linebacker Tremaine Edmunds spent the timeout pumping up his teammates and seeking energy from the home crowd. The Bears then squandered their last opportunity to stay in a game that they trailed 24-14.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love dropped back and hit receiver Jayden Reed on an 18-yard strike for a first down. Two completions later, Green Bay found the end zone.
That was the dagger.
“It showed up too many times where we looked at something and it was like, ‘Aw, that’s all we had to do and we would have been good,’” Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson said. “We knew what we had to do, and then we didn’t execute. That’s something you don’t really like. That doesn’t sit well in your stomach and in your system. But at the end of the day, we have another opportunity.”
The Packers went 9-of-16 on third-down conversions, which caught the attention of the Bears as they studied the film Monday back at Halas Hall.
Eberflus separated the third-down plays from the rest of the film so his Bears could get a more thorough review.
Love shines through
This game was billed as a fascinating matchup of unknowns at quarterback as Love and Fields squared off.
Love played at a high level and led the Packers to victory, while Fields – despite having 24 more NFL starts under his belt – struggled once again.
On Monday, Eberflus was asked about the frustrating truth that the Packers had their young quarterback enjoy success while the Bears’ young quarterback scuffled. He didn’t seem to appreciate the premise.
“I would just say this: It’s a long season, and we’re going to get better, and we’re going to focus on ourselves, and we’re going to improve,” Eberflus said.
“This is a little bump in the road. It’s adversity. Our guys have to persevere through that."
Extra points
-- There was a feeling of renewed hope around Chicago’s lakefront prior to kickoff, a rejuvenated energy that was palpable. It all went away so quickly as the Bears appeared to be the same old team once again.
-- The Bears hoped their reshuffled offensive line would give Fields greater protection this season, but he was pressured on 53% of his dropbacks against the Packers. In other words, the line still isn’t good enough.
-- The Bears committed a personal foul penalty on the opening kickoff as reserve linebacker DeMarquis Gates shoved a Packers player, drawing an unnecessary roughness penalty. It was an alarming start for Chicago.
-- Early in the first quarter, head referee Craig Wrolstad turned on his microphone and announced, “False start, (Bears) offense, the entire offensive line.” Even FOX play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt laughed at that one.
-- Soldier Field came to life when Moore made a pair of receptions early in the second quarter that set up a field goal for the Bears. He wasn’t targeted again the rest of the game.
-- Cornerback Kyler Gordon produced a pivotal pass break-up to give the Bears' defense a three-and-out. Later, he left with an apparent hand injury and could be lost for a while.
-- Bears rookie running back Roschon Johnson was a bright spot for Chicago. There weren’t many others to consider.
-- Packers rookie tight end Luke Musgrave must have borrowed the invisibility cloak from former Green Bay receiver Jordy Nelson, who seemingly slipped past Chicago's secondary every game in the old days to produce a big play with the defenders nowhere to be found. The 37-yard connection from Love to Musgrave was a brutal breakdown by the Bears.
-- The HITS principle was all but forgotten by the Bears in this loss.
-- Perhaps Aaron Rodgers wasn’t the sole owner of the Bears.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.