The Bears had plenty of opportunities to win a game that was there for the taking today in Atlanta but simply couldn’t come up with plays when it mattered. The Bears are now 3-8 after a 27-24 loss that saw them commit 7 penalties and have 2 crucial special teams miscues. QB Justin Fields took a lot of abuse today and obviously did not look like he was 100% as the game wore on. He would be carted off and taken back for x-rays on his shoulder following the conclusion to today’s contest.
Credit the Falcons’ defense for maintaining gap integrity for the most part and forcing the Bears to beat them with Justin Fields’ arm. The offensive line took a step back today with their pass protection and the run game(especially without Fields’ making dynamic run plays today) looked pedestrian despite running for 160 yards as a team. The biggest culprit that aided the Falcons’ defense was the play calling by Luke Getsy. Getsy depended on the run game at the wrong times and that allowed the Bears to be in predictable 3rd & long situations when everyone in the arena knows you need to pass to convert.
The Good: Justin Fields had another week where he passed for a TD and rushed for a TD. Fields finished 14/21 for 153 yards with a TD and INT. He also had 18 rushes for 85 yards and a TD. Despite the pressure from the Falcons Fields was able to make plays throughout the day with both his arm and feet. The scramble throw he made to Montgomery to help set up the Bears’ last TD drive was a thing of beauty. Velus Jones had a nice 55-yard kick return that set the Bears up for a TD drive to tie the score at 7. The much maligned specials teams did come up with two turnovers today that led to 7 points.
The Bad: Another week, another performance where the defense did not record a sack. The lack of pressure up front allowed the Falcons to sustain drives with the run. The team also had penalties that helped end drives offensively and kept drives going for the Falcons. There is a throw that Justin Fields will want to have back and that was the missed opportunity with Darnell Mooney. Mooney was wide open for a TD but Fields overthrew him.
The Ugly: I’m going with the coaching today. The offensive play calling was uneven and disjointed. Too many missed opportunities to keep drives alive because Getsy relied too much on the run and the Falcons were just disciplined enough to maintain their gap integrity. There were opportunities to use the short passing game and more play-action to keep the Falcons honest. With 1:47 left to go in the game and trailing by 3, Getsy decided on two QB shotgun runs when it was clear Fields wasn’t 100% is a complete head scratcher. Not to be outdone, the decision to try a 57-yard field goal late in the 1st half backfired as that gave the Falcons a short field to get the game-tying FG to close out the 1st half. The 103-yard kick return by Patterson was a gut punch because the Bears had just converted on a long TD drive to go up 17-7. That return pumped life back into the crowd and the Falcons and it seemed everything was downhill from there. Oh… and can we talk about the roughing the passer flag that wasn’t thrown when Fields slid on the 2nd & 9 play on the Bears’ last drive? Absolutely ridiculous.
The Grades:
- Offense: Play calling in key situations weren’t that great and the offense left at least 13 points on the board. Fields was able to use his feet to extend plays and use his feet to extend plays with throws. The play calling in the 2nd half left a lot to be desired. There were opportunities to run more play-action. And where was Chase Claypool in the game plan? Grade: C
- Defense: No sacks and little pressure meant the Falcons were able to extend drives when it mattered. The Bears allowed 4.5 yards per run play on 33 attempts. When you can get close to 5 yards on every run play you set yourself up with 2nd & 3rd and manageable plays. Overall the defense was terrible… they just weren’t very good when it mattered. Grade: D+
- Special Teams: The decision to allow Cairo Santos attempt a 57-yard field goal proved to be a mistake. The bigger error was allowing the 103-yard kick return for a TD to Coradelle Patterson. That play gave the Falcons life and it was right after the Bears put a TD drive together to go up 17-7. Special teams is about effort. Didn’t see it on that play. Grade: D-
- Coaching: The play calling on offense in the 2nd half was mind boggling. The things the offense did over the past 5 weeks to make Justin Fields more mobile just weren’t there today. The coaching staff for the Falcons had a sound game plan for Fields and it seemed as though the Bears didn’t have a counter punch today. Grade: D
The Score’s Laurence Holmes offers his thoughts on today’s loss:
#DaBears couldn’t convert a close game into a win. In that I have some questions. Here’s my initial reaction. https://t.co/SJMMa0YVty
Originally tweeted by Laurence Holmes (@LaurenceWHolmes) on November 20, 2022.
Up Next: The Bears travel back to MetLife Stadium to take on the Jets. The game plan will depend on how hurt Justin Fields is. The Jets will be looking to rebound from an embarrassing 10-3 loss to the Patriots.
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