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| 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) |
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
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