5 takeaways from the Bears’ week 2 loss vs the Buccaneers
Week 2 did not go well for the Chicago Bears in a must-win game.
2. The defense makes Baker Mayfield look like a star
Watching the Chicago Bears’ defense is enough to make even the most dedicated onlooker sick to their stomach.
Play after play, drive after drive, quarter after quarter, game after game, the takeaway from the defense is the same: we look, and perhaps are, historically bad. The Chicago Bears defense is a direct insult to the tradition of the Windy City.
Baker Mayfield was allowed to look like a born-again stud, dropping back into clean pockets and finding Mike Evans for huge gains down the field as if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were playing with extra men on the field.
While there were nice stops in the run game on a few occasions, the vibe was still overwhelmingly negative. The Bears were blown off the line of scrimmage and were unable to make Baker Mayfield uncomfortable despite Matt Eberflus dialing up pressure calls in the absence of defensive coordinator Alan Williams.
Although the defense did do a decent job of keeping the Chicago Bears close in the fourth quarter, that cannot excuse getting dominated for more than three quarters by a team many expected to be rebuilding this season.
The Chicago Bears defense, as it stands now, is a complete joke. Chicago is supposed to be a tough city, but we’ve appeared to be anything but tough thus far this season.
3. Rookie Offensive Tackle Darnell Wright is off to a tough start
Chicago Bears rookie Offensive Tackle Darnell Wright has received his share of ‘Welcome to the League’ moments through two weeks of football in the 2023-24 NFL season.
On multiple occasions, it was apparent that Wright was having issues adjusting to the speed of the game. He seems to be a half-step slow getting off the line as he has been repeatedly punished by speed rushes.
Although I’ll be the first person to tell you that there are a lot of questions surrounding Justin Fields and his coaching staff, it is fair to hold this line to a higher standard as they were supposed to be much-improved after the drafting of Wright and the signing of Nate Davis, who did not play in Week 2.
Growing pains are to be expected for Darnell Wright, but it’s harder to be patient when the Chicago Bears rushing offense appears to have become worse.
Wright was supposed to be a run-blocking savant with his combination of size and speed but the Bears have yet to establish a consistent rushing attack on the right side of the offense.
I’m more than willing to be patient for Darnell Wright but with many of Ryan Poles’ decisions suddenly in question following a disappointing start, his development is worth keeping an eye on.