Bears Maul Patriots
Following the Bears’ disastrous loss to the Commanders 11 days ago most fans couldn’t be faulted for having low expectations for Monday night’s game against the Patriots. To make matters even more dire, Bill Belichick entered the game needing a win to pass Papa Bear George Halas for 2nd most wins in NFL history.
The game started with the Bears opening a 10-0 lead due to their 1st two drives. The Bears’ first drive 8 play, 42 yard sequence that led to a FG while their next possession was an 7 play, 56 yard drive that ended with a called Justin Fields run for a TD. After a Mac Jones INT, Belichick inserted Bailey Zappe who engineered two quick TD drives and just like that the Bears’ 10-point lead evaporated and became a 14-10 deficit.
Bears teams of the past would’ve shrunk under the pressure of being on national TV and gotten blown out. That didn’t happen on Monday. What happened last night was the Bears stuck to their game plan and responded. The Bears answered by scoring the game’s next 23 points and shutting down Zappe and the Patriots. It was a complete domination in all 3 phases of the game that led to the Bears 33-14 win. Even the stoic, stone-faced Belichick had to admit the Patriots were out-coached and manhandled.
- Justin Fields was THE player of the game. It was clearly the best game he’s played this season from start to finish. Fields’ stat line read: 13/21 for 179 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. Fields also had 14 rushes for 82 yards and 1 TD. Fields looked poised under the pressure even after the INT he threw in the 2nd quarter. He progressed through his looks and found 7 different receivers. The WR screen pass to Khalil Herbert for the TD that put the Bears up for good was a thing of beauty. Fields recognized the blitz package, read the play perfectly and Herbert waltzed in for the TD. There was also the “did you see that” 3rd & 16 escape run for a 1st down that kept the drive alive.
- The Patriots couldn’t solve the Bears’ measured running attack. The Bears ran 45 run plays for 243 yards and 2 TDs. 12 of those run plays were *checks notes* DESIGNED RUN PLAYS for Justin Fields. Those design plays kept the Patriots off balanced.
- The Bears defense stiffened as the game wore on and made both Mac Jones & Bailey Zappe look like Div. III quarterbacks. The defense limited the Patriots to just 70 yards rushing for a 3.6 yards average. Led by Roquan Smith, Jaquan Brisker & Kyler Gordon, the Bears forced 4 turnovers( 3 INTs and a fumble recovery).
- Big kudos go to head coach Matt Eberflus and the coaching staff for the job they did over the course of 10 days to get ready for the Patriots. Eberflus talked about making changes and evaluating the players one by one during the mini bye week and you know what – he did. Eberflus also spoke of how the coaching staff looked at tape of the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson and tailored of his style and play sets to Justin Fields’ strengths. For a 1st time head coach like Eberflus, this is the type of win that can solidify you as a leader. Time will tell but I truly believe Eberflus took the 1st big step in the right direction.
- There are some things the Bears will still need to focus on. The offensive line was serviceable but they did give up 4 sacks. There were moments when Fields still held on to the ball too long and a couple of moments when instead of throwing the ball away he tried to use his legs and took sacks.
- Up Next: The Bears travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys on Sunday.
Bench Mob 2.0 Leads Bulls’ Blowout of the Celtics
While the Bears did battle with the Patriots in Foxborough, MA., the defending conference champion Celtics brought their talents to Chicago to take on a Bulls’ team still reeling from their embarrassing 32-point loss to the Cavaliers. The Bulls must have been suffering from PTSD at the start of the game because the Celtics came out on fire and looked to score a 1st round KO. With a little over 4 minutes left in the 1st quarter the Celtics were up 35-16 and the Bulls looked ready to be put into submission.
Coach Billy Donovan put in the 2nd team and from that point on the Bulls reversed course and flipped the script. The Bulls turned up the dial on defense, ended the quarter on a 14-4 run and then proceeded to open the 2nd quarter with a 16-5 run to take a 46-44 lead. Before the Celtics knew what happened to them, the Bulls’ lead ballooned up to 15 points before settling at 65-51 halftime score.
The 2nd half saw more of the same as the Bulls bullied the Celtics on the glass and continued to hussle on defense. Frustrated the Celtics began to self-destruct. Interim coach Joe Mazzulla was ejected for arguing calls with 5 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter. PF Grant Williams was ejected for arguing with refs in the 4th quarter. With the pressure mounting and their deficit as large as 23 points, the Celtics waived the white flag and sat their starters as the Bulls cruised to an astonishing 120-102 blowout win.
The Bulls bench of Javonte Green, Derrick Jones, Jr., Alex Caruso, Goran Dragic and Andre Drummond punished the Celtics with their defensive intensity and rebounding. They contested shots and then pushed the ball on the offensive end to put Boston on their heels. Between the 2nd & 3rd quarters the Bulls outscored Boston 70-40.
In the 1st quarter, the Celtics shot 8 for 10 from 3-point range but once the Bulls dialed up the pressure the Celtics shot just 10 for 38 the rest of the way. Speaking of 3-pointers – the Bulls made 10 of their 21 attempts. Ayo Dosunmu & Javonte Green went 6 for 6 from deep. Zach LaVine also went 3 of 5 from deep.
- The player of the game for me was Nikola Vucevic. Vooch finished with 18 points, 23 rebounds and 5 assists. His play was key to the Bulls success in the paint as they dominated the Celtics on rebounds and points in the paint. Ayo Dosunmu also had himself an incredible game. He finished with 22 points on 9/10 FG(4/4 3PT) and also had 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. Ayo continues to gain confidence with each passing game. He understands the assignment and is not afraid of the spotlight. I don’t know if there’s a such thing as a quiet 25 points but that’s what DeMar DeRozan did. He also added 5 rebounds & 5 assists to his 25-point total.
- As weak as the Bulls looked against the Cavs and in the 1st quarter against the Celtics, they looked the complete opposite for the rest of the game. The Bulls were +4 on fast break points, +12 in points in the paint and +15 on the boards. When you can do those three things well, you’re going to win your fair share of games.
- Despite the win, head coach Billy Donovan didn’t mince words about how the starters need to start the game better:
- Ok… let’s address the elephant in the room – Patrick Williams. While he didn’t look as passive as he has to start the season, he is still wildly underperforming for a former #4 overall pick. Williams finished with 4 points & 3 rebounds on 2 of 7 shooting in just 15 minutes. After he was pulled in the 1st quarter he didn’t see action again until the 3rd quarter and not again until garbage time late in the 4th quarter. Javonte Green & Derrick Jones, Jr. continue to siphon PWill’s minutes because they continue to play with aggression. Fans & analysts alike are beginning to wonder if Williams will even be a part of the Bulls’ future plans going forward if he doesn’t turn it around – like yesterday.
- Remember all that talk about the Bulls not being able to beat the top 8 teams in the NBA. Well… the Bulls have now beaten the two teams who met in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. If the Bulls continue to play with the intensity they played with tonight & consistently put forth effort on defense then I’m certain they won’t have another 2-20 record against those teams.
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