5 Takeaways from the crushing Chicago Bears Week 1 loss vs. Green Bay

4. Justin Fields’ subpar performance creates noise in Chicago

It’s no secret that I believe in Justin Fields.

Perhaps it is that belief that has me further from the edge than some Chicago Bears fans, as calls to replace him with Tyson Bagent (come on, man) or with one of our 2024 first-round picks are already being heard in the Chicagoland area.

I’m not of the mind that quarterbacks are capable of winning games by themselves. While heroic performances have happened, it takes a team effort to win football games. Quarterbacks don’t block or play defense.

I believe in his talent and leadership, but still, I’m not a fool. Justin Fields needs to play better than he did during Sunday’s loss to the Packers, something he admitted during an apology post-game. Chicago rightfully expects a leap from him this year, but watching the offense gave me flashbacks to last year’s offense before the MNF victory against the Patriots.

His final stat line isn’t terrible at first glance, but it felt worse. The offense seemed to lack imagination while Fields seemed to lack certainty. Whether by design or because of poor play, Fields repeatedly checked down despite the addition of D.J. Moore and an increasing deficit.

He also has to take better care of the football. Although the defense held up after he lost a fumble when attempting to scramble, the interception stands out as a play Justin Fields simply cannot have. He stared down his receiver from the snap and the Packers sealed the victory with a pick-six.

It must be noted that Justin Fields was pressured more than any other quarterback in the National Football League in Week 1 for a resounding total of 25 pressures. Combine that with Jordan Love being the least pressured quarterback in Week 1 with a grand total of 2 pressures and it’s hardly a surprise that the Chicago Bears lost, leading me to my last takeaway.

5. The Chicago Bears got bullied in the trenches

In my opinion, there is nothing more important to winning than the trenches. I don’t care what players you have lined up behind the big boys on both sides of the ball. If your linemen are getting pushed around, you’re going to experience a lot of hardship as a team.

On defense, it’s the pass rush that has to be the main concern. The run defense wasn’t great, but it was good enough to win. Where the Bears defense lost this game was on third down when Jordan Love dropped back to pass, where things unfolded as seen below nearly every time.

The announcers were thrilled to give Love all of the credit, but he was as comfortable as he could possibly get. On third down after third down, Love dropped back to pass into a completely clean pocket for as long as he needed before a wide receiver or Aaron Jones got open for a big gain.

Yannick Ngakoue did make a nice play early in the run game and recorded his first sack as a Chicago Bear, but it wasn’t nearly enough. It was impossible to avoid being envious of how much time Jordan Love had to throw from the pocket.

That’s because the Bears appeared as if they invested nothing on the offensive line. The additions of Nate Davis and Darnell Wright were supposed to improve our pass protection, but both players struggled mightily. Meanwhile, Chicago was experiencing a serious case of déjà vu.

Davis’ lack of playing time in the summer was apparent as he gave up 9 pressures and had a PFF pass-blocking grade of 7.2. That is, sadly, not a typo. Wright, the Bears rookie first round right tackle, also struggled during the day by giving up five pressures, but rookie growing pains are not uncommon.

The only starter who played well was Braxton Jones, who gave up a single pressure on the day. Barring a major trade, the Bears are going to need to figure this out with the players they have in the building now if they want to make noise this season.

Failure may seem inevitable after witnessing yesterday’s performance from the Chicago Bears, but it’s still just Week 1. Hopefully, the Bears will learn from this loss and we will have better football to look forward to.