5 Chicago Bears Takeaways from the Week 3 loss vs. the Chiefs

The most painful takeaway of all lands at number 4, as the Chicago Bears will likely need to move on from Justin Fields.

4. Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields is not H1M

It’s time to admit something I did not think I would be admitting in Week 3 of this season: Justin Fields is not the guy. Justin Fields is not H1M.

I’ve considered myself a flag bearer when it comes to Justin Fields. I always believed in his talent. It’s not a reach to suggest he is the most talented player that has ever played the Quarterback position for the Chicago Bears. That may be because of our awful history, but he was a top-level prospect his entire life.

Despite all of that talent, Justin Fields has regressed. I can’t make excuses for him anymore. He has, to put it plainly, sucked.

He has regressed so much this season that it’s alarming and shocking. He has not been a prolific passer to this point in his career, but his electricity as a runner provided hope that he could rise to the level of Cam Newton or Jalen Hurts. A player whose danger as a runner would open things up just enough in the passing game to let him have success and win.

It’s debatable to many how we got to this point. There’s a large contingent that will tell you he was always bad. There are others who will say the Bears coaches ruined him. There are others who will tell you the Chicago Bears themselves ruined him because they’re the Chicago Bears and that’s what they do.

I tend to fall in the last group, but the reason doesn’t matter. The Justin Fields experiment has failed. He looks skittish in the pocket, even scared at times. Long gone are the electric plays where he would spin out of the pocket and make magic happen. Those plays are replaced by more sacks and questionable throws.

He looked outclassed against the Chiefs on Sunday. He talked about playing his game and avoiding playing robotic, but those are just words. In his postgame press conference after the demolition by the Chiefs, he sounded like a player who had given in. He’s just happy to play football, apparently.

Newsflash Justin, but that won’t last long with these performances. He has enough talent to last in this league as a backup or as a gadget guy ala Taysom Hill, but it’s safe to say his days as a starting quarterback in the NFL are numbered.

I was wrong about Justin Fields. Being wrong has never hurt more. The Chicago Bears seem cursed to endure letdowns from the quarterback forever. For all those who want Tyson Bagent, I hope you’re right, but you’re better than me for believing he could succeed with this team and coaching staff.

I hope I’m wrong again, but expecting disappointment seems to be a recipe for being right when it comes to being a Chicago Bears fan.

5. What’s left to hope for as a Chicago Bears fan?

My final takeaway is a combination of a couple of things that amount to one thing: hope. Is there hope left in Chicago? Depending on who you ask, the hope in Chicago rests on two different things.

Kevin Warren, the new President of the Chicago Bears, represents the first hope. When the Bears hired Kevin Warren, much was made of the fact that finally, the Bears were hiring a President who was not only savvy in business but also savvy in the sport of football.

However, it has never been made clear what his level of control is. Has he been given the free rein of this franchise? If he has, then perhaps there’s hope because Kevin Warren does not seem like the type of man who is fine with stomaching failure and mediocrity (although that’s being kind to the Bears, who are a dumpster fire).

Warren comes across as a no-nonsense individual who does what it takes to succeed. If that’s the case and he’s been given the power to make the required changes, then we shouldn’t need an entire NFL season to fire Matt Eberflus and Luke Getsy. This team needs to be sent a message, and Kevin Warren is hopefully the man equipped to send it. God knows we can’t depend on the McCaskeys.

The second hope lies in the 2024 NFL Draft, and his name is Caleb Williams.

Don’t get me wrong. I have no illusions that Caleb Williams, by himself, can save this franchise. It will take much more. In fact, I’d feel much better about him if Kevin Warren proves to have the stones it will take to right this ship.

With that being said, with or without Kevin Warren, Caleb Williams is perhaps the one who cannot be ruined by the Chicago Bears franchise. Already equipped with the kind of talent from the pocket that the Bears hoped to develop in Justin Fields, Williams may be so good of a prospect that he will not need the Chicago Bears to develop him.

Perhaps he is already so refined as a passer that he will be immune to the stink of the Chicago Bears. With a new head coach and offensive coordinator and already equipped with D.J. Moore, Caleb could succeed out of the gate. Maybe we’ll be lucky enough that the Panthers are also bad and we can provide him with Marvin Harrison Jr. or provide the defense with a stud on the defensive line.

I know some Chicago faithful hope that Tyson Bagent is the guy, but let’s not pretend he is equipped with amazing talent. There is a reason he was a Division II quarterback, just like there is a reason he went undrafted. He may be fine in the interim, but the Chicago Bears deserve a legitimate franchise quarterback.

I know it’s only Week 3, but there are no signs that this situation is getting better. Dreaming of the draft is hard to do this early, but when you’re searching for hope, anything is better than nothing.

Don’t be surprised when the “Tank for Caleb Williams” crowd gets extremely loud if this season plays out who it looks it will. Meanwhile, I’ll be busy praying that the Chicago Bears figure out how to run an organization well on a consistent basis.