Chicago Bears vs. New England Patriots: Totally serious Week 7 awards
By Sam Fels
The Bears special teams wear the main collar on this one. If they had just remained unnoticeable, the Bears win.
Drax thought if not moving he was invisible in Infinity War. Of course this wasn’t true, but that didn’t stop the Bears special teams from trying in the season’s first six weeks.
One of the staples of Lovie Smith teams, and one the Bears haven’t come close it since, is that Dave Toub’s special teams were always among the best. The Bears always won that portion of the game, and they turned Devin Hester into a Hall of Famer.
The special teams under Marc Trestman and John Fox were awful, and a bigger reason the Bears kept throwing up all over themselves than people realize. Under Matt Nagy so far, they’ve just kind of been there, which is an improvement. Benny Cunningham‘s kickoff returns are equivalent to saltines. But they hadn’t been gashed open.
The “Yes, We Can Still See You While You’re Not Moving” Award: Bears Special Teams
Well, that changed on Sunday as the Bears special teams gave up two touchdowns, which were the difference. And with Tarik Cohen unable to break a punt return and Cunningham treating his returns in the same fashion as deciding between cuts of meat at the deli, the Bears weren’t able to answer.
Next. Bears: 3 culprits to blame for loss to Patriots. dark
Having Cunningham returning kicks is like saying your favorite movie is stock footage. Cohen should be more of a weapon in all return games. Cody Parkey wasn’t allowed to attempt an end-of-half field goal with no consequences. These things matter, and it still feels like the Bears aren’t treating them as such yet.