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Mistakes outweigh success in Chicago Bears loss to Miami

By Chris Costanzo

MIAMI, FL - OCTOBER 14: Danny Amendola #80 of the Miami Dolphins is picked up by Leonard Floyd #94 of the Chicago Bears in the first quarter of the game at Hard Rock Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - OCTOBER 14: Danny Amendola #80 of the Miami Dolphins is picked up by Leonard Floyd #94 of the Chicago Bears in the first quarter of the game at Hard Rock Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /
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Sloppy play Sunday afternoon has cost the Chicago Bears another win. Offensive turnovers and poor defensive play resulted in the Bears shooting themselves in the foot.

The Chicago Bears offense got off to a slow start Sunday morning. In fact, Chicago went into halftime with zero points. This is the result  of a failed fourth down conversion in Miami territory and a Jordan Howard fumble at the goal line. The Chicago defense was playing well, holding Miami to only seven points and intercepting quarterback Brock Osweiler right before halftime to keep it a one possession lead.

MIAMI, FL – OCTOBER 14: Mitchell Trubisky #10 of the Chicago Bears looks to pass against the Miami Dolphins in the first quarter of the game at Hard Rock Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL – OCTOBER 14: Mitchell Trubisky #10 of the Chicago Bears looks to pass against the Miami Dolphins in the first quarter of the game at Hard Rock Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

Chicago came out of the locker room on fire after halftime. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky continued to progress in his development and showed why the Bears traded up to take him at the number two overall pick. Trubisky threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns. Although, he did have an interception which was the result of a suspect pass interference call by the referee. Trubisky threw what would have been his fourth touchdown pass if the phantom flag wasn’t thrown.

Although 28 points in the second half seems like a lot, it wasn’t enough. The Bears defense picked the wrong day to forget how to tackle, as the Dolphins had over 200 yards after the catch. Simple bubble screens turned into 75 yard touchdowns with multiple missed tackles.

Generating pressure on the pass rush seemed to be a problem in the second half as well, which isn’t good for a defense that lead the NFL in sacks coming into Sunday. This could be a result of an injury to star pass rusher Khalil Mack, but others need to do their job as well. Chicago finished the day with zero sacks, two interceptions and a fumble recovery on defense while allowing over 400 yards. Tough outing for the number one D.

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The Bears had plenty of opportunities to win this game, that’s why it’s such a hard loss. Too many plays beat themselves, including fumbles from both running backs Tarik Cohen and Jordan Howard. These were both in key moments, Howards being at the goal line and Cohen’s during what could have been the game’s final drive. Trubisky appeared to be marching the Bears down the field for a game winning drive before the tragic play.

MIAMI, FL – OCTOBER 14: Cody Parkey #1 of the Chicago Bears misses a field goal in overtime against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL – OCTOBER 14: Cody Parkey #1 of the Chicago Bears misses a field goal in overtime against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images) /

Finally, head coach Matt Nagy got conservative on third and four in overtime and elected to run instead of riding the arm of his red hot quarterback and ended up settling for a 53-yard field goal attempt. Cody Parkey would eventually miss the game winning attempt and Chicago would go on to lose.

Chicago is going to have to make improvements by next week if they expect to bounce back. Mistakes aren’t going to cut it next week, as the New England Patriots aren’t a team you can afford to make crucial mistakes against. So far it seems as if we’ve seen a new Chicago team each week.

This is expected with a young talented roster. The season started with poor offensive play and a dominant defense. Then transitioned to domination on all phases of the ball. Now we saw what Chicago is capable of with good offensive play and poor defensive play. Once Chicago figures out how to piece it all together they are going to be a dangerous team moving forward.

Although the game was sloppy, there are a lot of positives to come out of it. The roster is young and deep with talent, and they are getting better each week. The offense continues to improve and score more points, and Trubisky is starting to hit all the throws he needs to hit. It’s exciting watching a Bears game and being able to be confident in quarterback play for once.

Next Sunday against New England is a huge game for Chicago. How will they overcome a loss like this? Are they a contending team? A win next week would be huge not only for the Bears, but for their division chances as well. Only time will tell how they respond to such a sloppy outing, but there are plenty of things to be confident about in Chicago.

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