Justin Fields breaks records but Bears defense lets the Lions paw their way back in heartbreaking loss

It’s that fun time of year when our feline friends come to soldier field for a low pressure scrimmage that puts a W in the Chicago Bears win column and smiles on everyone’s faces. This year should be especially fun since the Bears offense is playing better than ever and the Lions defense is playing like a Lions defense.

It proved to be fun. Until the end. Here’s the box score.

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I wonder if the Detroit Lions will be able to contain Justin Fields on the grou...

Nope. Justin “legs that go all the way to the ground” Fields ran for an easy peasy 28 yards on the first snap of the game.

Welp, Fields is a bust

After one drive, Justin Fields is 0/1 for zero yards passing. Mark Sanchez is saying you’ve got to protect the quarterback from himself. Fields clearly inspired Braxton Jones to cleanly block a Lion so well the refs assumed it was holding. Let’s hope we can get C.J. Stroud in the draft I’ve heard good things about Ohio State QBs.

EQ Saint Brown should have never made a bet with his brother on this game

News leaked that the brothers had an extra wager on the outcome of this game. It’s clear that Amon-Ra is playing with extra motivation, and it’s led to two 3rd down conversions on the Lions first drive. Honestly, they should have both been suspended for a year for gambling.

Update: The hyper-motivated Amon-Ra continued to be a pest throughout the game. Very bad move, Equanimious!

Khalil Herbert looking good on kick returns

That Bear looks good with the ball in his hands. Clearly the vision and burst he’s shown in the run game translates well. We’ll have to see if he can do it against a real NFL roster, but he’s looking promising.

Bears not looking great in punt coverage

Trenton “Gillotine” Gill dropped a beautiful punt to pin the Lions within the 5 yard line. Bears were there to touch it down, but couldn’t seem to find the ball to do so. Embearassing.

Update: The Gillotine got a chance to pin the Lions inside the ten. Not that it stopped them from driving 91 yards to take a lead.

Joe Thomas has got some ball-swatting paws

The rotational linebacker may be getting more blitzes called after showing a knack for pawing down passes after doing it twice in the backfield in the first half. It’s nice to see Bears taking advantage of their opportunities in this thin front seven.

Jack Sanborn punishes Jared Goff for trying to be cool like Fields

Goff tried prancing his way into the end zone on first and goal. He may have hoped his lumbering pace would inspire sympathy, but Sanborn showed no mercy to the statuesque runner when he swooped in for a sack. The Lions eventually scored, but it took them 4 downs to do so starting at the 1 yard line in large part due to Sanborn’s play. It’s nice to see young Bears taking advantage of their opportunities in this thin front seven.

Update: Sanborn got a second sack on a blitz in the second half. I’d prefer to see the front four racking up sacks, but it’s good to see a blitzing linebacker get home.

Update: Sanborn got an interception later in the game that was negated because of an innocent Jaylon Johnson eye-poke. This Bear looked good in the pre-season and he’s continued to establish that he can perform against pre-season level talent.

You have to wonder if these hold penalties

Are the result of Luke Getsy brining some dirty hold-every-play tactics over from Green Bay. He’s learning the hard way that only certain teams can get away with that.

It’s fun when your QB can transform into a full-back

Fields lowered his shoulder and laid out a poor Lions defender on his first touchdown run after a planned pass play broke down and he had to escape a dead-to-rights sack. The future of this Bears franchise shall be filled with moments of joy.

The Bears halftime defensive adjustments continue to impress

After giving up scores on the Lions two first half drives, the Bears defense muscled up and clamped down on the hopeless Lions, forcing punts on their first two second half drive. You have to feel good about this trend.

Update: The Lions third drive ended in a touchdown thanks to numerous Bears penalties and a decent final play be Deandre Swift.

Cole Kmet, touchdown monster

Nobody doubted he could do it. He’s established a 2 TD/game pace and has no reason to slow down. He’ll undoubtledly end the season as the top scoring tight end in the NFL.

OPOW dunks on DPOW

Reigning NFC offensive player of the week Justin Fields threw two touchdown passes over the coverage of reigning NFC defensive player of the week, Lions safety Kerby Joseph.

Keep punching that ball out Jaquan Brisker

Jaquan Brisker punched the ball out of Jared Goff’s sloppy paws at the end of an uncharacteristically-athletic run from the Lions quarterback. He got a penalty for a late hit on the football, but I still respect him for going after that ball. It’s going to lead to turnovers in a game that matters eventually.

Penal-tease

The Bears toyed with the Lions be repeatedly giving them hope that they could compete by committing penalties. This helped keep the game interesting, but ultimately, giving the Lions 15 yards is like giving your little brother a 10 yard head start in a race because you know he’s going to trip anyway because he’s a toddler. They’ll obviously have to clean things up in the future, but I don’t mind it today.

Update: the toddler didn’t trip.

I said this last week

But the right move on third and run is for your quarterback to run for 60+ yards and a touchdown. Getsy is ahead of the game on this one, but I’m sure the rest of the league will catch up to this smart play call eventually.

Justin Fields leads the Bears to a rushing record

The Bears are the first team in NFL history to rush for more than 225 yards 5 weeks in a row. Last week they tied the 1976 Steelers with 4. Other records he made today: most rushing yards by a quarterback in a 5 game stretch. Most rushing yards by a quarterback in a 2 game stretch. Most rushing yards by a quarterback in a game where his mascot was wearing camouflage fur.

Note: I wrote this before the broadcast pointed it out. Rude of Fox to steal my scoop on this just because I was waiting to publish til the game ended.

Get well soon, Jaquan Brisker

This Bear is one of the best remaining players on the Bears defense and a crucial leader and building block. I hope he’s not hurt too badly.

Jaylon Johnson is definitely not 100%

We were worried Johnson couldn’t play this week. It might have been smarter to leave him on the bench because he ended up being a liability, giving up big plays and big penalties. He’s a much better player than this, and I have no doubt he’s playing injured and that was likely the wrong choice.

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If the Bears can pull off a loss to the Lions, they can lose to anyone. Good news for anyone who cares more about the Bears draft position than their record.

I guess it’s time to watch Jalen Carter highlights. Who am I kidding. It’s time to cry in the shower.