The Bears dreams to get back in the winning column and to stay in contention in the NFC North were crushed early at the hands of QB Aaron Rodgers once again. The hopes that QB Mitch Trubisky would come out of the bye week and steer the ship back on course were no more as the Green Bay Packers blew out the Chicago Bears 41-17 Sunday night.
While the Packers had a fun night at Lambeau Field, here are the three key takeaways from the Bears’ horrific loss.
Defense is a No Show:
For the first time in the 2020 season, the Bears defense gave up 40 points, and it only took three quarters. The defense did not have the same fire and physicality that they are known for playing with. In the first half, the Bears recorded 0 sacks, tackles for loss, and QB hits. Aaron Rodgers had all the time in the world to find WR Davante Adams, and the Packers were able to establish RB Aaron Jones’ game early.
You could tell the Bears desperately missed Ahkeim Hicks’ ability to stop the run and disrupt the opposing quarterback. On top of that, missed tackles haunted Chicago all night, and Aaron Jones was able to convert short runs into big plays. In an important divisional game where the Bears needed the defense’s ability to stop the Packers and get a key turnover, the ‘Monsters of the Midway’ were hiding in the shadows tonight.
Mitch Trubisky’s Return:
Bears fans were hopeful Mitch Trubisky’s woes were solved after being benched in the Week 3 win against the Atlanta Falcons, but fans learned quickly that this was a pipe dream. While the defensive efforts dug the Bears into a big hole quickly, the game plan at first seemed perfect: Have Trubisky make conservative throws and let the running game take over. As soon as the score hit 27-3, Trubisky was forced to throw the ball deep. Due to this, the Packers defensive secondary was able to pick off Trubisky twice and extend their lead by much more.
While Mitch Trubisky did finish the night with 242 yards thrown and 3 TDs, his tendencies to overthrow his receivers were still prevalent. Even though the Packers led big in the third, Trubisky was still able to march the ball down the field. Now Green Bay’s defensive coverage may have been soft, but the offense did not quit, and that means the world to HC Matt Nagy right now.
David Montgomery Still Exists!:
One of the positives offensively came from the Bears 2019 third-round pick. Montgomery finished the night with 103 passing yards off of 11 carries, which proved that the Bears do have a running game if they are able to implement it. In his first carry of the night, Montgomery went up the middle for 57 yards to eventually set up a Bears field goal. What looked like was going to be a huge night for Montogomery was cut short once the Packers maintained their big lead. The Bears offensively struggled to incorporate the running game all season, but today’s game was proof that Chicago needs to use the running game more often.
Chicago is now below .500 at 5-6, and they extend their losing streak to five games. The status of QB Nick Foles’ return still remains unknown while their playoff hopes continue to diminish. Next week’s divisional matchup against the Detroit Lions becomes a must-win for the Bears playoff dreams and their confidence. If not, the hot seat may begin to warm up again for HC Matt Nagy.
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