Shutterstock
The Chicago Bears were hardly a match for the archrival Green Bay Packers on Sunday night, as the home team cruised to a 27-10 victory at Lambeau Field.
It was an uninspiring outing all-around for the Bears in their second game under head coach Matt Eberflus, and veteran defensive end Robert Quinn stressed an important message for the younger players after the game.
“Don’t get used to the feeling of losing,” Quinn said after the loss, per Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “As individuals, we’ve just gotta be consistent. Do our assignment and try not to worry about anyone else’s. Keep things simple…Do your job, and everything should fall into place.”
Quinn did his part, notching one of the team’s three sacks on the night. But Chicago’s front seven had no answer for a Packers’ rushing game that compiled 203 yards (averaging an impressive 5.3 yards per carry) and one touchdown.
The Bears will try to get back above .500 mark when they host the 0-1-1 Texans this Sunday at Soldier Field (1:00 p.m. EST). The Bears are the slight favorites to win this game at multiple Illinois sports betting apps, including DraftKings (-3) and FanDuel (-2.5).
Illinois sportsbooks are handing out several welcome bonuses to new customers once they sign up. This includes a risk-free bet of up to $1,000 from both BetMGM and FanDuel and $200 in free bets from DraftKings when you bet at least $5 on college or NFL games.
Chicago was aiming for their first win in Green Bay since 2015, but they couldn’t get much going on either side of the ball in the lopsided defeat. With the loss, the Bears have now dropped seven straight meetings against the Packers, with their last win over the rivals coming in the 2018 season.
All four NFC North teams stand at 1-1 entering Week 3. The Minnesota Vikings will host the Detroit Lions in the afternoon on Sunday (1:00 p.m. EST), and the Packers will visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4:25 p.m. EST).
Matt Eberflus Admits Bears’ Passing Offense “Is A Concern”
The Bears struggled across the board in their Week 2 loss to the Packers, but it was especially the problematic passing game that stood out.
Though Chicago’s rushing game racked up 180 yards on the ground, Fields was unable to keep pace with Aaron Rodgers through the air. The second-year quarterback completed seven of 11 pass attempts for only 70 yards and one interception. He was sacked three times on the night as well.
After the game, Eberflus admitted that the Bears’ struggles in the passing game are worrisome.
“We’re looking at that,” Eberflus said, per Larry Mayer of the Bears’ team website. “I think that is a concern. We want to get better there. We want to improve. There’s no question. We want to improve in a lot of parts of our football team, other aspects of our football team, but that’s one of them. The touches, who we are looking at, getting touches early, getting guys involved, all those things are getting looked at as we’re looking through the course of our whole football team.”
Many criticized the Bears’ front office for not adding enough weapons in the passing game for Fields. Top wideout Allen Robinson walked to free agency and signed with the Los Angeles Rams, leaving Darnell Mooney as the lone standout receiver on the roster.
So far, the lack of playmakers in the passing game around Fields is very evident.
Chicago lacked a first-round pick in this year’s draft, having surrendered the 2022 selection to the New York Giants so they could move up for Fields last year.
Through two games, Equanimeous St. Brown is the Bears’ leading receiver with 57 yards on just three receptions with one touchdown. The aforementioned Mooney has been limited to two catches for four yards through two weeks.
Eberflus’ Advice For Rookie Corner Kyler Gordon
To say that Bears rookie cornerback Kyler Gordon had a tough outing against the Packers on Sunday night would be a massive understatement.
The Washington product was unable to keep up with Green Bay’s receivers throughout the ordeal. Pro Football Reference had Gordon down for 10 completions yielded on 13 targets for a whopping 140 yards and one touchdown.
But Eberflus had some encouraging words for his rookie cornerback after the game, via Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
“You have to learn from that. So go back and look at all the plays that you made, all the plays that you want to correct and then put them in a file…And say, ‘What should I have done?’ And put those to memory. And make sure you study those things and visualize those things as you go during the course of this week coming up, so you can make those corrections. Because a good pro doesn’t make the same mistake twice.”
Chicago drafted Gordon with their first selection (39th overall) this year. He was widely projected to be a first-round pick, but the 2021 First-team All-Pac-12 selection wound up falling to the Bears on day two.
It’s very common for rookie cornerbacks to struggle in the early phases of their careers. Gordon had the tough task of going up against a four-time MVP in Rodgers, but as he gains more experience, the former Washington star can only get better.
