Bears play a football game and lose to the New Orleans Saints

The Chicago Bears have a new defensive weapon and a middling opponent. This could be a fun week!

Box Score

Tyson Bagent is making the most of his likely last start

The young QB started the first drive on fire, throwing for almost 12 yards an attempt, converting a 4th down with his legs and topping it off with a questionable-but-successful touchdown pass to Cole Kmet. Keep playing loose, Bage!

I don’t know Cole Kmet had that catch in him

I don’t think anyone believed it would be a completion when Kmet wasn’t even looking yet with the ball halfway to him. He definitely didn’t have time to think when he saw it, but he did have time to put his paws in the right place. He looked like a 12 million-dollar tight end in that moment.

A Bears double reverse goes exactly as expected

Poor Tyler Scott. Bagent avoided his block like a starting QB would. He’s clearly feeling himself, and I can’t be mad.

This is on me for telling Tyson to keep playing loose

On the very next drive after I wrote that, Bagent threw a loosely-accurate interception to New Orleans Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo. This will be a good opportunity for him to demonstrate his ability to bounce back after throwing an interception, which of course, is one of the most important skills a Bears quarterback can have, second only to bouncing back after a loss.

Update: he did bounce back and led a touchdown drive on his next outing, including a heroic 3rd and 12 scramble for a first down.

Update 2: Bagent got another opportunity to bounce back from an interception in the 4th quarter! He followed it up with another interception, which I suppose means a double (or quadruple if it’s exponential) opportunity to bounce back.

Update 3: Professional quarterback-turned-announcer added some important insight into Bagent’s two picks, explaining that “those are two throws he wants back.”

Jack Sanborn is filling in nicely for Tremaine Edmunds

He may be slower and shorter, but that Bear has good instincts and a knack for getting into the backfield. It’s nice to have depth at a spot that was so thin last season!

Moon Bear RAC attack

Darnell Mooney has clearly been inspired by DJ Moore’s impressive after-catch antics when he took a catch in the backfield and dodged Saints for 38 yards. Love to see it.

The Bears have the longest active red zone TD streak in the NFL?????

While I was busy making fun of the Bears' frequent offensive incompetence, they quietly managed to score on 7 straight red zone appearances, and this apparently leads the NFL. I like to make fun of Luke Getsy because he often does things that don’t make sense to me and also don’t make sense to people smarter than me, but he definitely deserves credit for this accomplishment.

Update: The Bears extended their streak to 8, but it ended there.

Bears lead the league in false starts

This is an interesting strategy. Presumably, if they establish a reputation for false starts, other teams won’t trust their true starts, and they’ll get an edge when they stop false starting.

D’Onta Foreman firmly holds the lead back role

This Bear has run hard and fast since taking over for Khalil Herbert and rewarded the Bears for playing him early and often. I expected more of a rotation with Roschon Johnson, but it’s clearly Foreman’s backfield at this point, and he’s fitting into that role with ease.

The Bears juiced up defensive line has amassed...

One QB hit and zero sacks as I write this with 7 minutes left in the 4th quarter. The jury’s obviously still out on how Sweat will boost this defense, but this isn’t the Khalil Mack game one experience.

The Bears offense had some nice moments and they stayed in the game til the 4th quarter. Fun!