Despite Poor Passing Attack, Bears Win First Game of Season in OT

Steelers free safety Mike Mitchell can't catch
Bears running back Jordan Howard on
game-winning touchdown.
(Credit: Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)

       The Chicago Bears (1-2) won their first game of the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) on Sunday. Thanks to Jordan Howard scoring in OT, the Bears avoided an absolute collapse that we have become accustomed to seeing.

       Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen balled out in this game. Howard, who played a lot of the game with a hurt shoulder, carried the ball 23 times for 138 yards. He had two touchdowns in the game as well, one being the game winner in overtime. To be quite honest, seeing Howard come out of the game repeatedly and then go back in was unsettling even if it showed how much heart he has. Testing that shoulder when its already knocked you out of the game on several occasions probably isn't the best idea long term. Despite my concern with the way Howard's injury was managed, I am really glad we have that guy on this Bears team.

       Howard's counterpart Tarik Cohen finished the game with 12 carries for 78 yards. Cohen is solidifying himself as a true star in this league. He has been so exciting when he's been on the field that it's hard to not want the ball in his hands ever single play. Cohen almost scored the game winning touchdown on an electrifying run but was ruled to have stepped out of bounds after further review by the officials. This dynamic duo will continue to be a force if Howard can get healthy.

       The Bears top two running backs got a lot of the workload on a day where offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains didn't seem to have much faith in Mike Glennon. Glennon finished the game 15 of 22 for 101 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. Though the completion percentage is good, Glennon didn't really look comfortable all day (some of the blame goes to his offensive line). Almost all of his passes were dump offs to the running backs; the wide receivers didn't have a single catch until the fourth quarter. I am not sure if I am supposed to be upset with Glennon, Loggains, or both. Glennon has shown that he has the accuracy at times, but Loggains doesn't allow him to spread the field. But does he not spread the field because he truly doesn't believe in Glennon? Only Loggains himself can tell us that. Mike Glennon will have to stop turning the ball over and actually complete passes more than 5 yards down the field if he plans to stay ahead of Mitch Trubisky on the depth chart.

       Another big key to winning this game was the defense. The Bears only allowed Roethlisberger to throw for 235 yards and held Le'Veon Bell to 61 yards on the ground. There were some big plays that the secondary made that we haven't seen out of the defense for a while, like safeties batting balls away or corners actually staying with their man. The Steelers had a couple of big plays, but this defense has continued to rise up to the challenge this season.

       Bryce Callahan had a strip sack on Roethlisberger and Young and McPhee each recorded a sack as well. 

       The Bears would have been able to breath a little easier had it not been for Marcus Coopers absolutely embarrassing goof at the end of the first half. With 6 seconds left to go in the second quarter, McManis blocked a Steelers field goal attempt right into the arms of Cooper. He then proceeded to run down the field for what should have been a sure touchdown, decided to slow down at the ten and ended up getting stripped. The Bears came away with 3 points on their untimed down after a false start by Charles Leno Jr forced Fox to kick a field goal. They showed that Cooper play so many times it has been forever ingrained in my head.

       Overall, it wasn't a bad game. The passing game needs to get better if the Bears hope to compete the rest of the season and the defense needs to continue doing its thing. If they can manage that, the Chicago Bears could be a force for the remainder of the season.

INJURY REPORT:

S Quintin Demps Chest (DNP on Monday)

C Hroniss Grasu Hand (LP on Monday)

ILB Nick Kwiatkoski (DNP on Monday)

RG Josh Sitton (LP on Monday)

Bears Looking For First Win of Season

Chicago Bears OL Kyle Long stretching before a game
(Credit: CSN Chicago)

       The Chicago Bears (0-2) are looking to win their first game of the season when the Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) come into town on Sunday. The Bears are coming off of a bad loss to Tampa Bay and hope to get back on track against a very good foe.

       Mike Glennon had a very bad game against the Bucs, throwing two interceptions and fumbling once. His other stats don't mean too much due to the fact that anything good came in the 4th quarter when the game was all but over. What sucks about the first half is that the Bears were doing well on their first drive. They were moving down the field with some ease until Glennon threw an interception. MG wasn't looking as sharp as he did against the Falcons. A lot of his passes were either thrown behind the receiver or too low. It just didn't seem that he was all the confident after his interception on the first drive of the game.

       Although Pittsburgh comes into this game as a middle of the pack offense, the Bears defense should be prepared for an air assault anyway. Roethlisberger has a huge weapon in Antonio Brown, one of the best wideouts in the game, as well as Martavis Bryant on the opposite side and Le'Veon Bell in the backfield. With a secondary that hasn't truly proven themselves yet, I expect the Steelers to go right at the Bears and see if they can handle the pressure. Brown is bound for a big play or two every single game, so I don't see why this week would be any different.

       Luckily up front we have Akiem Hicks who will try to break through Pittsburghs offensive line that is only allowing 1.5 sacks/game through two this season. The Bears will need to count on Willie Young and Leonard Floyd as well to apply some pressure on Roethlisberger. If he has too much time to throw, he will absolutely tear up the Bears defense. No way do we want one of our corners or safeties running around with Brown for too long; that's just asking for trouble.

       Although Pittsburgh could have a great day through the passing game, I don't really worry about the defense as much I do the offense. With Meredith and White both out for the season, the Bears are still trying to figure out what weapons they have on offense. Kendall Wright has been Glennons main target in terms of wideouts. The hope is that Markus Wheaton will be back for the game on Sunday, a big boost for the offense that is missing so many pieces. The key is for Glennon to have a better game this week....... duh. If he can limit turnovers and make better decisions, there is no reason the Bears shouldn't be able to compete in this game. Hopefully the playbook opens up as well.

       Jordan Howard is also off to a slow start this campaign after being the second best rusher a year ago . This past week against the Bucs, Howard had 7 yards on 9 rushing attempts. The real issue is the fact that Howard only got the ball 9 times, although some of that is due to playing from behind the entire game. Even Tarik Cohen was mostly bottled up. He also muffed a punt which led to a touchdown by the Bucs on the ensuing drive. Both running backs and the quarterback need to be at the top of their game if they hope to beat a good Steelers team.

       Things will have to start changing for the Bears and fast, or else they are looking at a very disappointing season.

INJURY REPORT:

OL Kyle Long, WR Markus Wheaton, and CB Prince Amukamara are set to make their season debuts after missing the first two weeks due to injury.

OL - Tom Compton - Questionable

RG - Josh Sitton - Doubtful (DNP all week)

ILB - Nick Kwiatkoski - Out

Bears Fall Short, Lose to Falcons 24-17

Falcons nose tackle Dontari Poe tackles Bears quarterback
Mike Glennon while he throws a pass during the second half
(Credit: Armando L. Sanchez/ Chicago Tribune)

       The Chicago Bears (0-1) lost a heart breaker to the Atlanta Falcons (1-0) on Sunday, failing to score in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. The Bears had a 1st and goal from the five yard line but were unable to complete the comeback. Bellamy dropped a pass in the end zone, more to come on that, and Howard dropped a pass at the one. 

       Overall, the Bears didn't have too bad of a game. The defense gave a really solid effort, getting good pressure on Ryan when they could and bottling up the run. A couple busted plays really hurt the Bears, including an 88-yard touchdown pass from Ryan to Hooper. Austin Hooper, the Falcons tight end, was left wide open on a play where Ryan almost got sacked but was able to get a throw off. Hooper did the rest, making Quintin Demps look absolutely silly with a strong stiff arm. Take away this lack of communication and the game might have been a lot different. The defense did what it could against a very good offense, despite being given very little chance in this game. 

       Akiem Hicks celebrated his 4 year extension with a great showing, ending the day with two sacks and good pressure overall. He did take a questionable roughing the passer call on a 3rd down in-completion by Ryan, but overall he was the best defensive player on the field. Marcus Cooper had a solid all around game as well, nearly picking off Ryan after undercutting his receiver. 

       On the offensive side of the ball, there was some really good and a little bit of "just average". The pretty good came from rookie running back Tarik Cohen. Cohen had a monster day, rushing for 66 yards on 5 attempts as well as halling in 8 catches for 47 yards and a touchdown. Cohen was all over the field during this game, showing off his speed, nifty moves, and ability to get out of possible negative plays. The Bears have a real weapon in their new rookie but will have to be careful with how they use him. He took a couple of big hits that he got right back up from, but throughout the season those dings will start to add up. Howard added 52 rushing yards on 13 attempts.

       The biggest question going into the season was how Mike Glennon would fair at QB. Although most fans were calling for Trubisky to be the starter, Fox decided to go with his veteran player and I don't think he did too bad.

       Glennon finished the day with 213 yards, 1 touchdown, and NO interceptions. Although most of Glennon's yards came in the 4th quarter, there wasn't too much to criticize of his arm throughout the game. Despite a couple overthrows, his passes were crisp, well placed, and well thought out. Glennon only had 41 yards of passing with 10 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, which I attribute to Loggains play calling. If the Bears are going to succeed, they will need to let Mike do a little more with his arm. He has the arm strength and the accuracy, but we didn't get to see too much of that with all of the short passing plays that Dowell was throwing in there. As mentioned in my last post, the issue with Glennon is his mobility. We saw at times during the game that he wasn't able to get away from defenders like other QBs would have. But that part doesn't worry me as much as the play calling. 

       With Loggains taking some of the reigns off in the fourth, Mike Glennon was able to drive the Bears down the field with under a minute left in the fourth quarter, setting up four chances from the 5 yard line. The first pass was dropped by a diving Bellamy in the back of the end zone. When I first saw this play, I immediately was furious with Bellamy. But being able to go back and take a look, it was clear that the defender got a bit of a hold on him, causing the ball to be further than it would have been, creating a hard chance to pull in the catch. On second down, Howard dropped a pass at the 1 yard line. There is no telling whether or not Howard would have been able to muscle through the defender in order to score, but the fact the ball was dropped didn't give us a chance to answer that. Third down was another incompletion on a tight window throw by Glennon to Miller. To end the game, Mike Glennon was sacked, giving the Falcons the win in the most Chicago Bears way possible.

       Although getting so close and not scoring was absolutely dreadful for Bears fans, there is still a lot of hope for this team. It came down to the wire against one of the best teams from last year and the Bears will be looking to build off of that next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

INJURY REPORT:

WR Kevin White left the game with a fractured scapula and will miss the remainder of the year. Since being drafted 7th overall in 2015, White has only appeared in 5 NFL games

ILB Jerrell Freeman will have surgery on a torn pectoral muscle suffered in Sundays game. He most likely will not return this season

RB Benny Cunningham suffered a high ankle sprain and is expected to be out 4-6 weeks

The Dawn Of A New Season

Chicago Bears Quarterback Mike Glennon
(Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

       Chicago Bears football is back as they take on the Atlanta Falcons at Soldier Field in what will hopefully be a good battle. The Bears are coming off of one of their worst seasons (3-13) while the Falcons are coming off a devastating loss in the Super Bowl. They led 28-3 late in the third quarter and then Tom Brady happened. 

       The Bears come into this season looking to prove that they are better than people make them out to be. Although many questions still exist on the offensive side of the ball, especially with Cameron Meredith lost for the season, the defense definitely has some upside. This off-season the Bears were able to add safety Quintin Demps and corner-back Prince Amukamara. With these additions they hope to take their middle of the pack defense and get back to the monsters of the midway. The Bears only managed 8 interceptions last year, tied with multiple teams for second worst in the league. They didn't force too many fumbles either (13). The front seven boasts extreme impact players including Jerrell Freeman, Danny Trevathan, Akiem Hicks, and Leonard Floyd. Floyd is especially looking to build off of a great rookie season in which he had 7 sacks. 

       Unfortunately the Bears defense will have a tough task against one of the best offenses from last year. Atlanta's high flying attack, led by Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, was mostly unstoppable last year. They ranked first in points per game with 33.8 and second in yards per game with 426. A team coming off a disappointing loss in the Super Bowl, a game they should have won, might have a bit of a chip on their shoulders. Matt Ryan was absolutely fantastic last year racking up 4,944 passing yards and 38 touchdowns. He only threw 7 interceptions last season and boasted a very high passer rating (117.1). The Bears will have to make some big plays in order to stop this high powered offense.

       The real questions start on the offensive side of the ball. With Meredith out, the Bears don't really have a number one wide receiver. So they will look to Kendall Wright, Markus Wheaton, and Kevin White to carry the load. Kevin White hasn't had the chance to get his footing in the NFL due to injuries his past two seasons. The Bears selected White with the 7th overall pick in 2015's draft, but have yet to see the player they believed they were getting. There is still hope that he can be a number one in this league and I know Bears fans are eager to see him get some more playing time.

       With all that was going on in the preseason on whether or not there was a QB battle, we are finally at the start of the season and Mike Glennon is the starting quarterback. As much as a lot of fans seem to hope that Glennon struggles so Trubisky can play, I hope Glennon has an amazing year. Glennon is only in his fifth year in the league, and has seen playing time in just four of those years. Over his career he has compiled 4,100 yards passing, 30 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, and a rating of 84.6. I believe that Mike still has a lot to show to everyone in the league. Can he make the right reads? Yes. Can he make the deep throws? Yes. The main issue with Glennon is his mobility. With his limited time in the league, we have seen that he isn't as agile as other quarterbacks. He doesn't have the type of shifty moves that someone like Wilson, Rodgers, or Roethlisberger have. Ben might be a big guy, but he sure knows how to get out of trouble. Glennon will be more of a Peyton Manning; using the pocket most often. If the Bears offensive line, who will most likely be missing pro-bowl guard Kyle Long, can give Glennon enough time, I don't believe his limited mobility will be an issue. I'm not trying to say that he won't have a chance to make plays with his feet, but in all reality, he is a pocket passer who will make the right reads so long as you give him enough time.

       Things should open up in the passing game if the offense can get some big runs going through Jordan Howard. Due to an injury to Jeremy Langford last year, Howard exploded onto the scene as one of the best rookie runners in the league, next only to Ezekiel Elliot. Howard pounded his way to 1,313 yards (2nd most in the league) and 6 touchdowns. This guy was a pleasant surprise in a season that didn't have much to offer. If Howard can manage to keep his production up, I think the Bears offense will be just fine.

       Overall, I believe the Bears can go out and upset the Falcons on Sunday, but it is going to take plays from all sides of the ball to make that a reality.