14 Thoughts On The Bears’ Heartbreaking Loss To The Dolphins
Dhruv Koul shares his in-game reactions, thoughts and observations from the Dolphins-Bears game at Soldier Field. Follow him on Twitter @DhruvKoul to continue the conversation.
CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears got blown out last Sunday in Arlington, but fans came away feeling very positive about Justin Fields and the Bears’ offense. That’s right! A 49-29 loss to the Cowboys felt like a win.
And that’s the goal of this season. Have Fields keep stacking good performances and justify spending this upcoming offseason building around him. He has certainly done that the last two weeks.
The biggest positive from Justin Fields' performances the last two weeks:
You actually feel confident with the ball in his hands. No cringing when he's dropping back. No "Ah fuck, where's the ball going?" decisions.
Haven't been able to say that since 2013 McCown.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) October 31, 2022
Of course, the team became very different this week heading into the game against Miami. Roquan Smith was shipped to Baltimore (following Robert Quinn’s trade to Philadelphia). And the Bears acquired Chase Claypool from Pittsburgh at the deadline, too.
No doubt, the Bears are trying to shift their makeup towards a team that embraces offense. Good to see.
Of course, Sunday’s opponent is a blueprint for building around your QB. The Miami Dolphins had significant questions about Tua Tagovailoa heading into 2022. And while they still definitely should, what they’ve done bringing in Mike McDaniel and Tyreek Hill has catapulted the floor of this offense to remarkable levels, and the ceiling to quasi-historic levels.
The Bears hope to do this for Fields next offseason.
Meanwhile, this game was an opportunity to watch some extremely fun offensive play designs and exceptional wide receiver play (from Miami). The Bears needed a win to keep up their extremely faint Wild Card hopes … a loss would essentially bury them.
In the end, the Bears fell short in a wild shootout at Soldier Field, dropping to 3-6.
I shared my in-game reactions, thoughts and observations from the game below. Follow me on Twitter @DhruvKoul to continue the conversation.
Thoughts and Observations
1. (PREGAME) — It appears that rookie WR Velus Jones Jr. is a healthy scratch for this one. Obviously, never a good sign for a third-round pick, but Jones has struggled mightily in both the PR role and as a route-running WR. More thoughts in the tweet below.
While you don't like seeing a third-round pick be a healthy scratch, props to the coaches for embracing accountability.
The hope is Velus uses this as a lesson to come back stronger.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 6, 2022
2. First set of drives: kinda what you’d expect. The Bears took the opening kickoff and went pass-heavy against the Dolphins’ stacked boxes. Justin Fields generated 20 yards through completions and 28 more targeting Chase Claypool downfield, drawing a PI. Unfortunately, they stalled in the red zone and kicked a field goal.
Meanwhile, Miami sliced through the defense in six plays, attacking the seams twice for big gains and then Tyreek Hill drew a PI on Kindle Vildor in the end zone. 7-3 Dolphins after a drive apiece — the defense struggling is not surprising. Virtually zero pass rush on the quick-to-throw Tua. The hope is the offense can make it a game (at least keep it entertaining).
3. Incredible second drive for the Bears. They took over seven minutes off the clock with a steady diet of screens, quick throws, runs, and various other plays to keep the Dolphins off balance. A couple of big conversions on third down kept the chains moving — including a great escape on a Fields scramble.
Cole Kmet with another touchdown — his second in as many weeks. Is he starting to come into his own?
That fake was Rodgers-esque. Lovely.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 6, 2022
Too easy for the Dolphins on the ensuing drive, though. They didn’t even get to a third down. I know man coverage will NEVER work against Miami’s weapons, but zone coverage sure as hell ain’t working… (doesn’t help that the pass rush does not exist). 14-10, Dolphins.
4. A blocked-punt touchdown for Miami makes it 21-10 and probably puts this game away early, given how the defense is playing. Jaelan Phillips came in unblocked and completely smothered Trenton Gill’s punt. On the bright side, the Bears’ offense goes back onto the field again. I guess?
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 6, 2022
5. Impressive response by the Bears after going down 21-10. A couple of nice designed runs for Fields picked up ~25 yards. David Montgomery ran hard and doled out punishment.
David Montgomery is doling out punishment like a guy who is glad he wasn't traded.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 6, 2022
And then Fields hit Darnell Mooney in iso-coverage against Xavien Howard perfectly for a touchdown. Beautifully done, just after the two-minute warning. Where have we seen this before?
Very impressive response after that blocked-punt TD.
Reminiscent of their response in New England going 14-10 down.
Resiliency is huge.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 6, 2022
On the back-end, just before halftime, Tyreek Hill got behind the defense by almost 10 yards on a 3rd down to set up Miami in field goal range. Fortunately, a “too many in the huddle” penalty drove them back five-yards and it resulted in an actual 4th down. The first ‘stop’ of the day. And then Jason Sanders’ 29-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left. It remains 21-17 Miami at halftime. They get the ball back after halftime, but that’s a pretty big win for the Bears there.
6. …And then they went 75 yards in four plays to open the second half. Miami gained 50 yards on their first two plays. Just murderous. 28-17.
7. Justin Fields. That is all. Elite athleticism and speed. A nice pump-fake to freeze a defender. And a 61-yard touchdown run. He is truly playing at a franchise level right now. It’s amazing to watch.
8. This Bears defense has given up 77 points in their last 6.5 quarters. Seventy-seven points. And this despite largely dominating offensive time of possession. It’s historically bad right now.
This Bears defense has given up 77 points in their last 6.5 quarters.
And this is after doing incredible work on offensive time of possession.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 6, 2022
9. Justin Fields, man. He’s having a doozy of a day. You know who else is? Cole Kmet! The Bears’ TE1 is trucking people, taking jet sweeps, taking short-yardage sneaks, and blocking well. If he keeps this up, the Bears may truly have an answer at TE. It’s 35-32 Miami with 11 minutes left in the fourth.
What a truly fun football game to watch.
Was that the same play they missed on at the end against Washington?
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 6, 2022
10. Hooooo boy. What an interesting turn of events at Soldier Field. After a terrible DPI call on Eddie Jackson got the Dolphins in Bears territory, a huge Kyler Gordon stop on 3rd and 2 brought up 4th down. Mike McDaniel opted to go for it, and the wind caught Tua’s throw and the ball fell incomplete. The Bears have a chance to tie and take the lead.
Justin Fields deserves to be rewarded for his great performances.
Calls like we've seen on this drive simply deflate the stadium.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 6, 2022
Mike McDaniel with the right call to go for it. Why wouldn't he?
This is so interesting now…
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 6, 2022
An opposing team opting to go for it because of how the Bears’ offense is playing is something I never imagined in my lifetime. Win or lose — this is fun.
11. After another Houdini-escape picked up a first down, they couldn’t gain much more and punted back. It was nice seeing Fields composed in that moment, but they never really threatened even for field goal range. A first-down sack hurt the drive.
The game is back in the defense’s hands.
12. Justin Fields was robbed.
And the Dolphins escape. Horrendous officiating at Soldier Field.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 6, 2022
Perfect throw to ESB on 4th down. That has to be a catch. Brutal.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 6, 2022
Simply brutal sequence of events for the Bears.
13. That ended up being a fun, spirited game. Credit the defense for a couple of big stops late to give the offense a chance, despite being toyed with for much of the afternoon. Unfortunately, they fall short.
But Bears fans can feel confident in their QB right now. He played great and has been for the last month.
14. The Detroit Lions visit Soldier Field next Sunday for the teams’ first matchup of 2022. The Lions are not good. But their offensive line is a miserable matchup for this Bears defensive front. As good as the Bears have been at dominating TOP, I’m not sure they’ll have answers for Detroit. The hope is Justin Fields continues to show the growth he has been.
Early prediction: Bears 29, Lions 27.