Mondays after a loss are difficult, especially when you are the only team in the division that failed to pull off a victory. That is where the Chicago Bears find themselves after their 21-16 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3.
The Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings all notched victories on Sunday, dropping the Bears to the basement of the NFC North.
Things mostly get bleaker from there too.
Bears’ Drop to NFC North Cellar Leads News Roundup
Bears Players Weigh In on Loss to Colts
Several Bears players took to social media after the game. There was some understandable frustration with narrow defeats coming in back-to-back weeks. But there were also expressions of continued faith.
DeMarcus Walker questioned how his apparent strip sack was taken away.
Officials blew the play dead due to forward progress, negating Andrew Billings’ mid-air fumble recovery.
The play looked even worse when officials allowed Colts running back Trey Sermon’s rush to continue despite his forward progress appearing to stop. During the game, announcers commented how Sermon’s momentum halted only to be picked back up with Richardson’s help.
Jaquan Brisker posted four vomiting emojis first. He deleted that, replacing it with the more positive messaging.
“We gone be fine. #Trust,” Jaquan Brisker posted on X on September 22.
Brisker’s defensive backfield running mate Kevin Byard came close to an interception on Sunday but was also a cog in the overall efforts by the unit that held Colts QB Anthony Richardson to a 39.0 passer rating.
Byard has also become a voice and leader for the group, putting those skills on display after the loss.
“Tough loss but I still believe in this team. #BearDown,” Byard posted on X.
It is fair to wonder if it is too soon for such declarations, but the defense has played up to standard for the majority of the last two games and the second half of the regular season opener.
Former Bears QB Justin Fields 3-0 as Steelers Starter
Admittedly, up until the Bears traded him, it looked like they could be building a roster to support the former No. 11 overall pick.
The Bears had already acquired offensive linemen Coleman Shelton, Matt Pryor, and Ryan Bates, running back D’Andre Swift, tight end Gerald Everett, and wide receiver Keenan Allen in free agency or via trade by the time they dealt Fields to Pittsburgh.
Fields’ expiring rookie contract is a big part of why he is no longer in Chicago.
However, he has maximized his opportunities in his new situation so far, guiding the Steelers to their first 3-0 start since 2020.
“I think I’ve just grown a lot over the past year, over the past few months. Really just this year,” Fields told reporters after the Steelers’ 20-10 victory over the Chargers. “Definitely feeling more confident and more comfortable out there on the field.
“Just overall. Seeing the field. I feel like I’m just very calm out there. Cool, calm, and collected on the field. And really just that sense of peace out there on the field and not really rushing things internally in my brain. Just staying calm in the pocket, and I’m just making plays when I can and just doing my job.”
It took for intended starter Russell Wilson to suffer a calf injury for Fields to get the job he is still officially only temporarily manning.
And the Steelers’ defense is allowing just 8.6 points per game this season; tops in the NFL.
But Fields’ improvement is notable. He is completing a career-high 73.3% of his passes with 516 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception on the season. His sack rate is a career-low 7.4% and he has still contributed on the ground with 90 yards and 1 score on 28 totes.
Fields will lead the Steelers into Indianapolis in Week 4, giving the fourth-year QB a chance to perform against the same defense that stifled his former team for much of the day in Week 3.
Red Rifle, Ryan Pace Thriving in NFC South
The NFC South features two teams with strong ties to the Bears in the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers.
Both teams are 1-2 but that is not where the intrusive lies
Former Bears general manager Ryan Poles was promoted to the Falcons’ vice president of football operations/player personnel in August. He has made his mark on the roster, with a pair of former Bears in Darnell Mooney and Eddie Goldman.
Mooney was the Bears’ No. 1 receiver for the first three years of his career and has a 1,000-yard season to his credit.
He was allowed to walk in free agency with the Bears’ revamping the position.
Mooney has 12 catches for 168 yards and a score through three weeks. His yardage would lead the Bears while he would be tied for the team lead in touchdowns with those stats on the current roster.
The Bears cut Goldman in 2022. He had opted out of the 2020 season and returned to play 14 games for Chicago in 2021.
Goldman retired after signing with the Falcons in March 2022.
He was reinstated in 2023 but placed on the exempt/left team list and did not play during the season. Goldman re-signed with the Falcons over the 2024 offseason and has played in all three of their games so far.
Carolina has gone away from 2023 No. 1 pick Bryce Young, starting former Bears QB Andy Dalton in their 36-22 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3.
Dalton completed 70.3% of his passes for 319 yards and 3 TDs in Week 3.
Dalton surpassed the 300-yard barrier twice in his lone season with the Bears. He never threw 3 touchdowns and had just two outings with 0 interceptions during his eight games played with six starts.
More importantly, Dalton showed the current Bears regime the value of having a veteran to run the offense over an inexperienced QB. It was but one game and the Raiders had an all-around meltdown.
Still, the Bears threw Williams to the wolves despite ample evidence that patience is prudent.
Monday Night Football Could Be Bad News for Bears
The Bears will be off but the Monday Night Football matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Commanders has plenty of storylines that tie into the organization. Chief among them is Commanders QB Jayden Daniels, the No. 2 pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Daniels has completed 75.5% of his passes for 416 yards on the season. He has 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions but has 132 yards and 2 scores on 26 attempts.
His performance versus Cincy could put a negative spotlight on the Bears.
Williams has completed 59.3% of his passes with a 630/2/4 line on the season. He has added 67 yards on his 11 rushes. Williams has shown flashes of what made him the No. 1 pick, but the situation is eerily similar to 2023.
The Bears passed on Young and Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, who earned Pro Bowl honors as a rookie and beat the Bears in Week 2.
Whether or not the Bears made the right decision then or now will not be decided on Monday.
However, any internal pressure that may be building, and certainly the noise from the outside, will ratchet up if the older Daniels looks dramatically better than Williams has while commanding an offense designed by the Bears QB’s former offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury.
The Bears’ entire operation will (again) come under scrutiny. It is a damning spot to be in so early in what is a long grind of a season.
