The Chicago Bears lost their Week 5 matchup against the Green Bay Packers in spectacular fashion. That's putting it mildly, considering the final score of 31-7.
For two weeks in a row, the Bears found a lot of success with two different quarterbacks in Case Keenum and then Tyson Bagent. Head coach Ben Johnson has expressed nothing but confidence in his entire quarterback room, but Sunday against the Packers saw them hardly show up.
Lambeau exposed both of Chicago's illusions
Tyson Bagent was favored for the start, and it was announced so days in advance. However, Bagent only completed 12 of his 21 passes on the day for a measly 87 yards and two interceptions before being benched late in favor of Keenum.
Bagent garnered a lot of trade interest prior to the start of the Bears training camp, but Bears' general manager Ryan Poles repeatedly asked a very high price for him. But when preseason games started, Bagent had seemingly taken a step back from that prowess he enjoyed behind Caleb Williams.
When the Bears played Bagent over Keenum against the Jets in Week 4, the Bears run game won the day. It's true that Bagent threw for 268 yards and went 25 for 34, but he threw for zero touchdowns and an interception. He threw four total interceptions on the day, but penalties repeatedly brought them back.
Combine that performance with Week 5's against the Packers, and it's clear that Bagent is showing interception issues. Many people thought the Bears would ride the high of Case Keenum's dramatic performance against the Eagles in Week 3.
But even when the Bears went to Keenum late against the Packers, there was nothing doing. By that point, the Packers were all over the Bears, and they were working against a 20+ point deficit.
The Bears rushing game was also shut down by the Packers defense, only netting 81 total yards. It was a far cry from the rushing success that Chicago has enjoyed all season long, and it may be enough to remove the Bears from their perch as the team with the best run game in the NFL.
The two week story was that the Bears could survive on defense and the run game without Caleb Williams. Sunday killed both premises at once: the quarterbacks turned it over repeatedly, and the league best rushing attack netted 81 yards. If Williams is not back for Atlanta, that combination stops being survivable, and the 3-1 start starts looking like the ceiling of the season instead of the floor.
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