People will find ways to blame Justin Fields for the 31-30 loss to Detroit. That is inevitable when you’re the quarterback. Anybody with common sense will understand he was the only reason they were in the game. The Chicago Bears quarterback accounted for 314 yards and four touchdowns. He put up 30 points for the third time in four weeks. Yet somehow, the Bears are 1-3 over that stretch. Nothing about that makes sense unless you accept the reality that this is not a good football team. For once in their existence, the quarterback is the best player on the roster.
Chicago hasn’t had a 100-yard receiver this season. The offensive line committed several penalties and allowed three sacks, including two on the final drive. Everybody not named Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet were non-factors in the passing game. If that weren’t enough, the defense gave up at least 31 points for the third game in a row. While it’s true they lost two key members in Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn, that kind of play is inexcusable. Fields has eight total touchdowns and posted 62 points in the past seven-day span.
Somehow the Bears are 0-2 in those games. That speaks to a bad roster.
There isn’t a single member of that offense that anybody would consider a top five player at his position. Not one. Kmet and Mooney are fine. Claypool should end up being solid. There are no stars. Fields is the only star. That is a big reason why they can’t finish games despite multiple opportunities. It’s always something. A wide receiver drop here and a missed blocking assignment there. As brilliant as Fields is, he’s still only one man among 11. It would also help if the defense didn’t get dragged up and down the field every week too.
GM Ryan Poles has lots of work to do. Having Justin Fields is only the first step in building a winner. He must find more high-end talent for this roster. That process continues next spring. The Lions’ loss, while painful, now puts the Bears in position for the 6th overall pick in 2023. That would give them a prime opportunity to land a difference-maker on either side of the ball. There is also the $100 million in salary cap space they can put to use in free agency. Barring complete mismanagement, this roster should be a lot better next season.
