The Chicago Bears had chances to win each of the last two games. Both times they failed to finish. That is pretty much the story of this team. They play hard for 60 minutes but clearly lack the talent and execution necessary to close games out. It isn’t anything surprising. The new regime gutted the roster this past off-season to kickstart a rebuild. It is now one of the youngest rosters in the NFL. Mental mistakes and an overall lack of depth at key positions should be expected.
Losing to the Detroit Lions is never easy. They’re not a good team, either. Losing after being up 24-10 makes it even worse. That doesn’t mean it was all bad. Watching the game, plenty of things stood out in a positive light. Something that should have Bears fans excited for the future. More bumps are on the horizon. It will be a tough journey. Still, it could be worth the wait, given how things continue to unfold.
If there were any lingering doubts that what Justin Fields has done the past few weeks was a mirage, he put that to bed in this game. The Bears’ offense was horrible when watching individual performances. Their receivers rarely got open, and the offensive line couldn’t pass protect. It didn’t matter. Fields continued to make things happen with his insane athletic ability, throwing two touchdowns and rushing for two more. It is a crime that he’s put eight touchdowns on the board over the past two weeks and lost both games anyway.
Watching the undrafted rookie linebacker excel in the preseason was a fun story. Then again, it wasn’t anything new. The Chicago Bears have had rookies do that in years past, and it never amounted to much. When Roquan Smith departed, it presented a rare opportunity for the Lake Zurich native to get on the field. His first game against Miami was encouraging, with seven solo tackles. Nobody expected what was to come as Sanborn gobbled up 12 tackles, two tackles for a loss, and two sacks in his second start. He was everywhere. Poles may have uncovered a future starter for this defense at a bargain bin price.
Everybody was ready to cut bait on the former 2nd round pick. Understandably so. After October 24th in New England, he’d gone 28 games in a row without a touchdown. Now Kmet has five in the past three games. That is an astounding breakout for a player many felt was overdrafted two years ago. He has obvious chemistry with Fields, and it’s manifesting into more and more big plays.
Losses are never fun, but they do lead to potential benefits down the road. Their defeat against Detroit now puts the Chicago Bears in control of the 6th overall pick in the 2023 draft. That would be an excellent position for Poles to land a potential blue-chip talent for his roster. Not many games left on the schedule look winnable for this team too. Atlanta is up next. After that, it’s primarily teams that are playoff contenders or division rivals. There is still a possibility the Bears may push for the #1 overall pick.
