Three Takeaways from Bears loss to Packers

Dan Powers - USA Today Sports

by Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - Mon Sep 11 09:33:11 GMT-04:00 2023

Now that we have had time to sit back and dissect what happened on Sunday, the immediate thought that comes to mind is frustration. The Bears had a golden opportunity to beat the Packers and prove they belong in the conversation as one of the best teams in the NFC North.

Instead, they laid an egg, and once again, it looks like it could be a long season for the Bears in Chicago. Granted, this is only one game, and I don't want to overreact, but there were still a lot of concerns when you look at how the team played. The running game struggled, the passing game was inconsistent, and the defense gave up far too many big plays, resulting in several Packers points.

Here are a few takeaways from the game:

New Packers quarterback, same result

With Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers no longer in the picture, many people felt it was now or never for the Bears if they wanted to take over the rivalry again. Instead, they let Jordan Love make his second career start and ultimately have his way with them in every facet of the game.

Love may not be a Favre or Rodgers, but with three touchdown passes and more than 200 yards passing, he proved he can be a starter in this league. With this rivalry, it has now gotten to the point that it doesn't matter who the Packers trot out at QB. They could send the Hot Dog vendor under center against Chicago and chances are the Packers will have a big day. This is no longer a rivalry as you want it to be, as the Packers continue to have their way with the Bears.

Where was the Bears running game?

A lot of talk was made about the acquisition of DJ Moore and how much the passing game was supposed to be improved this season. You saw some of that throughout the game, but Justin Fields was still inconsistent at times, which needs to get ironed out. However, the one constant on this team is the rushing attack, which is supposed to be the engine that makes this team go.

The fans saw an utter disappointment in the rushing game on Sunday as the Bears didn't run the ball nearly as effectively as they would like. No one wants to have your QB be the team's leading rusher, but when it comes to Fields, that will happen more often than not, and fans need to understand that. However, the RBs behind him need to show they can shoulder the load if Fields can't, and you saw that plenty of times last season with David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert.

With Montgomery now in Detroit, Herbert took over as the lead back with guys like Roschon Johnson, D'Onta Foreman, and Travis Homer behind him, giving the Bears four RBs to lean on. Apart from Johnson, who is a rookie, the other three have extensive experience in the NFL and have shown they can handle a lead-back role. Chicago may have topped 100 yards as a team on the ground, but it didn't come easy.

When that happens, you are putting more pressure on a passing game that has struggled under Fields and you saw that again on Sunday. The Bears need to get back to doing what they do best: running the football to set up the pass.

No Pass Rush

One of the Bears biggest issues last season was their inability to get after the QB, as they finished the season with an NFL-worst 21 sacks. Any time you can't generate pressure on the QB, you are putting pressure on the defense, primarily the secondary. The less pressure a QB faces, the more stress a secondary faces, and the Bears gave up far too many big plays last year.

Knowing they needed to address the pass rush this offseason, the Bears signed Yannick Ngakoue to a free-agent deal, but that was about it. They also lost Trevis Gipson, making things harder for Ngakoue as offensive line coaches will focus on him and force other players to beat them.

Ngakoue did pick up a sack in his first game with Chicago, but that was the Bears only sack of the day. I don't care who the QB is. If you only get to them once, they will have their way with your defense, which Love did most of the day. The Bears need to figure out who can help Ngakoue get after the QB this season, or it will be another long year for this team.