Here We Go Again: Packers 38, Bears 20

I don’t want to overreact to a Week 1 loss, but losing that way … to the Packers … at home … stinks the biggest stink. That was unacceptable across the board.

FINAL: Green Bay Packers 38, Chicago Bears 20 ()

Four thoughts on another Bears loss to the Packers

The first thing I’m doing tomorrow morning is reading up on Mel Kiper Jr.’s big board.

On the one hand, this was a cold reminder that the Chicago Bears were the worst team in the league last year. They didn’t go 3-14 on accident. And while conventional thinking would say the Bears weren’t going to get a whole lot better in one offseason, the Bears were acting like a team that thought it was getting a whole lot better in one offseason. But on the other hand, spending gobs of money on defensive players, adding a playmaking wide receiver, and putting together a widely well-regarded draft class should get you a better result than what we saw at Soldier Field in Week 1. It’s just one game, so I don’t want to go overboard. But any positive vibes we had coming into this one are going on the shelf and won’t be touched until further notice.

This was hard to watch. It felt like I was re-watching a game I DVR’d last season. Wait … no it didn’t. The Bears played the Packers tougher in their meeting last December than when they did earlier today at Soldier Field. That shouldn’t happen after spending all that cap space and using three of your first four picks in last April’s draft on defensive players. And your first pick on an offensive lineman.

It’s too early for me to start banging the drum calling for coaching staff firings or changes. However, this game represents a data point we’ll revisit if things don’t turn around. Between some of the play calls (both offensively and defensively) and undisciplined plays, there are some kinks that need ironing out. And that is putting it nicely because it’s a Sunday and I’m trying to be on my best behavior.

Bears Highlights

At least the Bears had this going for them:

Fields to Mooney. Same as it ever was.

— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears)

Darnell Mooney caught the first four balls that went his way for 53 yards and a touchdown. On a day where not much went right, it was encouraging to see Mooney — whose 2022 was off to a slow start and ended early due to an injury — come back and look like his old self. It’ll be nice if he makes the most of his touches (especially with D.J. Moore getting the extra attention).

Here’s what we hope is the first of many Roschon Johnson touchdowns in a Bears uniform:

. punches it in for his first NFL touchdown

📺: on FOX

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears)

How long until Roschon Johnson takes over RB🍌1 duties? Or is it too early to ask that question?

Three Bears

A look back at how the Three Bears did today

Justin Fields — After three quarters of play, Fields was 15-for-19 for 144 yards (7.6 yards/attempt), 1 TD, 0 INT, and a 115.8 passer rating. He had also taken 3 sacks and 4 quarterback hits. This puts him on pace for 51 sacks and 68 quarterback hits. The offensive line didn’t do him any favors, but Fields needs to process faster.

As for the fourth quarter, Fields’ numbers weren’t pretty: 9 of 18, 72 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 37.3 rating.

That felt like the kind of game we used to see Jay Cutler play. Things were okayish for three quart🍷ers until the wheel✅s fell off. I was really hoping we were done seeing games like that from Bears quarterbacks.

D.J. Moore — WR1 was targeted just twice on Sunday. That’s unacceptable. And while he caught both of those passes for 25 yards (including a nice 14-yarder that had solid YAC), Moore was mostly silent after that early bit of production. This is not the kind of performance you were looking for out of a player you dealt the No. 1 overall pick to get back.

Yannick Ngakoue — The Bears’ newest pass-rusher addition made his mark early:

— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears)

Fun with math and projections: Ngakoue is on pace for🐎 17 sacks, 17 quarterback hits, 34 tackles-for-loss, and 68 total tackles (51 solo).

WHAT’S NEXT: Bears at Buccaneers, Sunday Sept. 17 at noon CT

The Bears get a chance to go up against a Buccaneers team that was outgunned 369-242 in total years. For what it’s worth, the Bucs defense allowed Kirk Cousins to throw for 344 yards and 2 touchdowns in a loss. Justin Jefferson put up a 9-catch, 150-yard game. And Jordan Addison scored his first touchdown as he added 4 catches and 61 yards. Then again, we saw the Bears defense gave up to an Aaron Rodgers-less Packers team. Perhaps we’ll have a shootout on our hands? That’s the hope. Unfortunately, hope is all we’ve got after another drubbing at the hands of the Packers.