Chicago Bears: Loss to Giants proves these three things

No. 3: Bears defense still elite, but vulnerable at times

The Bears defense has been the talk of the town for several weeks now. Stars like linebacker Khalil Mack and safety Eddie Jackson are in serious contention for Defensive Player of the Year. But on Sunday, the stop unit showed they’re vulnerable when they don’t get enough rest.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1069325955401900032

When the Bears offense struggled to get going, the defense found itself stuck on the field for far too long at times. The Giants did a decent job of protecting Manning and got Barkley the ball enough to make sure he had a big impact.

While the defense still put the Bears in a position to win on Sunday, it was definitely not their finest performance. They let Barkley bully them at times, getting fooled by his cutbacks and redirections.

Perhaps one of the most crucial points of the game was when the Giants ran a trick play that saw wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. throw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Russell Shepard. The Bears were totally fooled on the play, giving Beckham too much time to throw and leaving Shepard wide open.

The Bears again gave up a crucial touchdown later in the game on fourth and goal where Beckham was wide open, extending the Giants lead to 24-14.

The team did their best to try and rally back, recovering an onside kick (which is rare in today’s NFL) and scoring with no time left in regulation. It still wasn’t enough to get a big road win.

It was no doubt a disappointing day for the Bears. There were some good moments, and players like Cohen had great days statistically. But this was a very winnable game, and the team let it slip away.

Trubisky will be back next week in a huge primetime matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. It’s a chance for the quarterback to show how vital he is to this team on a national stage. Let’s hope the whole squad performs better than they did in this game.

It should be a great contest at Soldier Field next week. Keep checking Da Windy City for pregame and postgame coverage.