In an effort to be optimistic, I want to force myself to look for more good than bad in every single Bears game. Three steps forward and two steps back is still a step in the right direction.
Every week, I’m going to look at how the Bears performed in their previous game and look for three good areas and two that need improving. And then, to finish the countdown, I want to look at something else that happened in the NFL this weekend. Either some important news that I can add my voice to or something that may have flown under the radar.
Let’s begin.
The Good
Cole Kmet
Kmet has had his ups and downs in Chicago. Against the Dolphins, Kmet had one of his best games as a Bear. He caught give passes for 41 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing twice for nine yards. It was Kmet’s first career two-touchdown game.
His catches often came in key moments during the game, as three of his catches and one of his rushes were for first downs. Kmet will likely continue to become very involved in the short and mid-range passing game, and his success will help Fields build confidence in an area of the passing game he has struggled with in the past.
Run Defense
The Bears’ defense was sorely missing its best two players this week in Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn. But against the Dolphins, the run defense played surprisingly well, holding Miami rushers to just 77 yards on 23 attempts. Jeff Wilson Jr and Raheem Mostert are both very capable backs. While Tua Tagovailoa is not as good with his legs as Fields is, he’s still a fairly mobile quarterback, and to remove one facet of this offense is commendable.
For much of this season, the rushing defense has been the weakest link on that side of the ball, and while the defensive line will need a lot of upgrading in the offseason, to see them play with some promise is comforting.
Justin Fields
Bears fans are witnessing the transformation of Justin Fields in real time. After finishing his first full season’s worth of games a little over a month ago, something clicked inside the young quarterback. He has begun to unlock this offense, forcing the league to take notice.
Fields rushed for an astonishing 178 yards on Sunday, an NFL record for rushing yards in a regular season game by a QB, breaking Michael Vick’s record of 173 yards. He had a career-high 3 passing touchdowns on 17-of-28 passes for 123 yards. He added another touchdown with his legs.
The pairing of Justin Fields with an offensive coordinator who runs the offense to Fields’ strengths is the best thing that could’ve happened for this quarterback. The Bears will still lose games throughout the rest of the season, but with Fields playing, they will be fun games to watch.
The Bad
Pass Rush
Much like last week against the Cowboys, the Bears pass rush is sorely lacking without Robert Quinn, as it was going to be. Chicago didn’t register a sack in Week 9 and had only two QB hits.
If the Bears want to perform on the defensive side of the ball, they need to be able to generate pressure on the quarterback. Not only will it lead to more sacks, but it will also lead to more turnovers and, eventually, more wins.
Running Backs
Justin Fields seemed to be the only player capable of running the ball against Miami.
Against the Dolphins, David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert combined for 59 yards on 21 rushes, for an average of only 2.8 yards per play. Montgomery had the lion's share of the carries, taking 14 rushes for 36 yards. For comparison, Fields had only 1 more carry but 142 more yards.
Herbert, who usually is fairly involved in the passing game, didn’t have a single target. This was a rare game where both running backs were essentially a nonfactor, which is bound to happen sometimes, but hopefully doesn’t become a habit.
The Other
Reviewing the 2021 QB Class
I believe it’s still too early to declare any first-round quarterbacks from the 2021 NFL Draft busts. Typically, the third year is when they are supposed to take the next big step (Josh Allen is a great example of this). But even so, it is interesting to look at this class of QBs and see how they are performing in their second year.
As a reminder, the quarterbacks were drafted in this order: Trevor Lawrence (1.01), Zach Wilson (1.02), Trey Lance (1.03), Justin Fields (1.11), Mac Jones Jones (1.15), and Davis Mills (3.67). Trey Lance was injured in Week 2 and is out for the year, so I don’t think it’s fair to include him in the comparison, but when looking at how the QBs have performed so far this year, it’s a wonder that Fields wasn’t drafted right behind Trevor Lawrence.
Lawrence leads this class in yards, touchdowns, and passer rating. Only Mac Jones has a better completion percentage than Lawrence. Zach Wilson, the number two pick, has probably been the most disappointing quarterback this year. And although I am biased, I would argue that Fields has taken the biggest leap this season.