The Bears fell to 4-6 after yet another loss to their rivals up north.
It was a tight matchup from beginning to end, but a blocked Cairo Santos field goal saw the Chicago Bears lose to the Packers 20-19 at Soldier Field, dropping their record to 4-6.
In the first game post-Shane Waldron, the Bears were able to see some success on the offensive side of the ball in ways they haven’t in a few weeks. It was a nail-biter down to the very end, but the win ended up in Green Bay’s column.
Packers defensive lineman Karl Brooks deflected a 46-yard field goal attempt after Caleb Williams moved the ball down the field on a key two-minute drill. The ups and downs saw the two teams trade the lead back and forth throughout the afternoon.
Here are some of the key takeaways from this week’s loss.
Offense showing signs of life
The Bears made the move from Shane Waldron to Thomas Brown as their offensive coordinator, and the change certainly benefited them on Sunday.
The offensive plan was sound, as there was an emphasis on getting the ball out of Caleb Williams’ hands early. It worked pretty well, as the rookie quarterback was accurate and precise delivering short passes. The blocking on screens was better under Brown, and part of that came down to relying on actual offensive linemen as lead blockers. Williams was also able to run the ball well, and the Bears emphasizing that creativity helped the offense move the ball down the field.
D’Andre Swift stays making plays
Swift broke away for a 39-yard rushing touchdown on Sunday, getting to the edge on the outside run and following a nasty lead block by left tackle Braxton Jones to get out into space. He was able to juke out an incoming defender and make his way into the end zone, showing his creativity and lateral quickness in the open field to take it to the house. He didn’t have much in the way of consistent running lanes up the middle, but his abilities in space make him a valuable asset to the offense.
Stopping the run an issue for the defense
Josh Jacobs was able to move the ball down the field well, pounding the rock up the middle in the run game and creating some extra yardage after the catch as a checkdown option. Chicago’s tackling was hit-or-miss, as while there were some good plays demonstrating high effort by tacklers, there were a few missed tackles. Additionally, the defensive line got pushed around a bit in the run game, as the Packers’ offensive line was able to lock the defenders out and generate some drive at the point of attack.
Join Jacob on our postgame show with Mason West right now.