Chicago Bears: 3 surprises in preseason finale vs. Buffalo Bills

Bears completely fall apart in the fourth quarter

While the Bears dominated the Bills for most of the game, it was an entirely different story in the final 15 minutes of the game. The Bears entered the final quarter up 27-9 and ended up losing the game 28-27. It was an epic collapse by the defense that left me pretty shocked to see just how much things changed in such a short time.

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Now, I know what you’re thinking. This game was completely meaningless when it comes to reflecting how the Bears will perform in the regular season. That is true overall, but it’s still disappointing w that the Bears gave up four touchdowns on four consecutive drives. But it’s not all on the defense.

In the fourth quarter, the Bears offense couldn’t get going at all. There were two three and out drives for the offense in the fourth quarter, and one drive that lasted five plays. That was it. This causes a chain reaction in any team. When a defense can’t get off the field combines with an offense that can’t stay on it, there’s trouble.

This chain reaction was what led to the collapse. It was extremely obvious towards the end of the fourth quarter that the defense was completely gassed. The pass rush that had terrorized Bills quarterback A.J. McCarron suddenly stopped getting any pressure, and it allowed McCarron to move the ball down the field easily.

McCarron isn’t even a running quarterback, but he racked up 54 yards rushing and a touchdown by scrambling when he couldn’t find an open receiver. Most of that yardage was recorded in the fourth quarter when McCarron had all day to throw. The quarterback threw a touchdown with 13 seconds left in the game to give the Bills the lead.

The young Bears defensive backups committed two horrible roughing the passer penalties that kept the Bills comeback effort alive. Linebacker Isaiah Irving got charged with one of them on 4th and 22 at the Bills own four-yard line. Yes, fatigue was a huge factor. But whether or not you’re a backup it’s clear that you have to be careful when taking down the quarterback in today’s NFL.

The Bears had a good preseason, but none of that matters now. I’m sure the team has already forgotten about this collapse and are focusing on the Packers. Now is when the fun starts. It’s on to Green Bay for a huge week one matchup. Keep checking Da Windy City for a bunch of quality Bears content before and after gameday.