For those new to the site, when a player or coach doesn’t really show up during a Bear’s game, they get put on the Milk Carton. As most of you know, people’s pictures used to be put at the back of milk cartons when they went missing. So the Milk Carton for the Bears is more about who went missing or played terribly during the game. Here are the nominees.
They made it! What a relief. That game was ugly and beautiful at the same time but the Bears once again showed resiliency and found a way to pull out a win. There are definitely holes in this team, but they have shown early this year that they don’t quit.
This Milk Carton is based solely on injuries because there was a plethora of them. Let’s start with Brandon Marshall, who was clearly not 100% throughout the entire game. I’m concerned about his health, especially because the Packers are right around the corner. He had one catch for six yards, but he would have been able to turn it up field if he wasn’t hobbling.
Sep 22, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) is injured during the first half against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Defensively, the Bears secondary faced some serious adversary because of injuries. Ryan Mundy going down could have been huge. Conte’s injury was more expected, but it easily could have cost the Bears the game. I think he would have been able to make a play on the Jets lone touchdown, but McCray couldn’t. Speaking of McCray, his injury led to Brock Vereen coming in and playing decently, pulling Jeremy Kerley out of bounds to win the game. The replacements did a great job against Geno Smith, but Aaron Rodgers is not that easy to beat. The Bears are going to need to get healthy for next week or it could be another long day against Green Bay. However, let’s not take anything away from the defense who was stout and flexible enough to stop New York.
Sep 22, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Chicago Bears strong safety Ryan Mundy (21) runs back an interception for a touchdown as New York Jets running back Chris Johnson (21) chases during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Offesively, I firmly believe the run game will be a lot better once Slauson is back. He’s a mauler and Ola is not quite as good. However, they seemed to improve a bit later in the game against another elite rush defense and I expect the run game will be a huge factor next week against the Packers average defense.
Overall, the Bears should be proud of yet another hard fought 8-point win. The defense held their own on the road against a tough team. Let’s hope the guys are healthy for next week’s huge rivalry matchup.