5 Chicago Bears takeaways from the Week 8 loss vs. the Chargers

The honeymoon was nice while it lasted, but reality is still undefeated as the Chicago Bears embarrassed their fans once again on prime-time national television.

We all should’ve seen this coming. The Chicago Bears haven’t won two games in a row during the entire tenure of the current regime. It doesn’t matter who plays quarterback.

While that may have been understandable last season when the tank was clearly on, the same cannot be said for this year. The Bears may not have been considered contenders, but they were supposed to be better than this.

I don’t know about the rest of the Windy City faithful, but squinting my eyes to see progress is getting rather old.

These are the five biggest Chicago Bears takeaways from the 30-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 8.

1. Tyson Bagent wasn’t the problem for the Chicago Bears. He also wasn’t the answer.

I am well aware of the current chaotic discourse among Bears fans, so let me make this clear off the bat.

I am glad that Tyson Bagent is on this team. I have been extremely impressed by Tyson Bagent. I fully believe that Tyson Bagent will have a long career in the NFL, hopefully on our roster.

With that being said, while Tyson Bagent was not the sole reason that the Chicago Bears lost, he also didn’t contribute much to a potential win.

This week has been marked by aggressive and sometimes vicious arguments about Bagent’s role with the Chicago Bears. A large contingent of fans were adamant that Bagent was the savior that the Bears have been waiting for at QB, a sentiment that is extremely unfair to Tyson Bagent.

While none of us know just how good Bagent will become one day, the hype train needs to slow down.

Tyson Bagent has solid qualities, but he shouldn’t be saddled with unrealistic expectations as a rookie backup. Cris Collinsworth, in one of the most cringeworthy performances from a commentator that I’ve ever heard, didn’t get the memo.

Bagent’s current limitations were apparent, but that’s not a criticism. He’s far ahead of where he should be considering that he’s a Division II undrafted player. Despite his mistakes, he made some really nice throws.

Still, there is a reason why Justin Fields should be the starter when he is healthy. Former Chicago Bear Khalil Mack essentially made that same point after the game.

Mack’s observation serves as proof of how our quarterback room is viewed around the National Football League. Excuse me if this sounds pompous, but I trust the players on the field who have to play against our QB.

Look no further than Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert when considering how valuable it is to have elite talent behind center. The Bears’ defense had no answer for him until the Chargers went into clock management mode.

Herbert is not infallible, however, as shown by his play the previous three weeks. Luckily for him and the Chargers, the Bears’ defense was perfectly willing to be the medicine for their sickness.