Oh brother. What can we say about the Chicago Bears game on Sunday at Soldier Field? The Jacksonville Jaguars somehow pulled out a miraculous victory over the Bad News Bears 17-16.
It was really kind of ridiculous. The Bears led all game…..the entire game until #21 Tracy Porter slipped on the grass while covering Jaguars WR Arrelious Benn who caught the pass, fell down, proceeded to get up and run for a 51 yard TD with 2:49 left in the game to give the Jags a “cheap” win. Where was the safety to help Porter? #29 Harold Jones-Quartey seemed to have no clue where the ball was and didn’t hustle enough to help Porter. There really was no excuse here. Go ahead and watch the replay. It’ll make your head spin like Linda Blair.
It’s a shame really. Chicago played pretty well for most of the game on Sunday. In fact, the Bears led 13-0 going into the 4th quarter. The stats were all in favor of the Bears. The Jaguars weren’t very good. They sometimes resembled a team in shambles. One time I saw Jags RB Chris Ivory and it reminded me of Keenen Ivory Wayans. Then it hit me, this Jags offense is comical, maybe as funny as “In Living Color”. Well, the joke is on us Bears fans because they ended up beating Chicago in a joke of a game 17-16.
How did this happen? Once again these guys left me feeling sick to my stomach about 3pm Central time on Sunday afternoon. I’ve suffered through too many games like this over the years. I should be used to it by now after so many years of losing but it just leaves me feeling empty once again. Why does it even matter at this point? 2016 is looking like a complete waste of time for this sorry sack of pros, dropping to 1-5 for the season. Unless the Bears win ALL of their 10 remaining games, it looks like another season where they’ll go home without a playoff game. I find it very disappointing because this team is better than this 1-5 record. Nonetheless, they find a way to lose games. Of course, the NFL is filled with parity and just when you think a team is good, then they lose. The key is you need to make some key plays down the stretch to win games and the Bears simply aren’t doing that enough to win these close games right now.
Game Balls 
#17 Alshon Jeffery – After plenty of attention last week about not getting enough targets from #2 Brian Hoyer, Jeffery played a solid game vs Jacksonville. The Bears seemed to make it a point to get the ball to Alshon and he delivered, at least in the 1st half. Overall he caught 7 balls for 93 yards on 13 targets. The problem was once again the Bears forgot about him in the 2nd half. He only registered one catch for 3 yards after Halftime.
#81 Cameron Meredith – Where Jeffery left off, Meredith picked up the slack if you will. He caught 11 passes for 113 yards over 15 targets. Meredith seems to really be “getting” the offense now and taking advantage of Kevin White’s injury. These are the really good signs that Chicago needs to take solace in despite the 1-5 record.
#25 Ka’Deem Carey – Carey provided some energy in a sluggish Bears running game on Sunday. Jordan Howard was getting stuffed, uncharacteristically, against a Jags defense that seemed to focus on him. So when the coaches gave Carey a chance he took it and ran with it, literally. Carey had 9 carries for 50 yards, both season highs. Carey’s best attribute is he has speed and quickness to the hole. He takes it hard which is a joy to watch for Bears fans that saw Matt Forte dance for too many years.
OC Dowell Loggains – I hesitate to give a Game Ball to a coordinator that once again headed a group that only put up 16 points. However, I thought Loggains put together some impressive series of play calls that left the Jaguars befuddled. On the other hand, settling for 3 more FG’s with only 1 TD drive left Bears fans wanting more. Overall, I’ll stick with my first impression which was that Loggains deserved more praise than what he’ll probably get, simply because Tracy Porter slipped and the Bears lost. Had Chicago won the game 16-10, we’d probably be heaping praise on the play calling so……sure, give him Game Ball.
#4 Connor Barth – One final Game Ball goes to Bears Kicker Barth. He converted on all 3 Field Goal attempts, hitting from 36, 24, and 32 yards. He also made his only PAT attempt. In our Preview, we mentioned that Barth was one to “Keep an Eye On”. We speculated that he might be fighting for his job with another missed FG or two. Luckily for Barth, and for Chicago, we don’t have to worry about that for now. The Bears have enough problems to correct without worrying about the kicker too.
Player of the Game
#97 Willie Young – Young is a consistent contributor to the Bears defense the last few weeks. In this game, he registered some impressive numbers. He had 3 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 sacks, 2 QB hits, and a forced fumble that was recovered by teammate #96 Akiem Hicks. Willie now has 6 sacks on the season, with 5 sacks over the last two weeks. Without Young’s pressure on opposing QB’s, where would this defense be right now? At least Young is giving consistent effort and building a name for himself. His sack dances are fun too, even if you don’t love fishing.
Next up:
Green Bay looks to get back on the winning track versus a reeling Chicago team on Thursday Night Football on CBS. Both teams had disappointing home losses. In fact, these were two out of only three home teams, along with Oakland, to lose on Sunday in the entire NFL.
Dutch Lion Sports 