The Chicago Bears won their first game of the 2021 season, 20-17, over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday to move to 1-1 on the year.
Through three and a half quarters, it seemed the Bears were on their way to a dominant win at Soldier Field. The defense was firing on all cylinders and had completely shut down Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ offense.
However, games change fast, and we saw that firsthand as the Bengals scored two touchdowns in less than two minutes to cut the Bears lead to three points. The Bengals push was enough to give Bears fans a scare, but it was ultimately too little too late as the Bears picked up win number one on the season.
Sean Desai’s Chicago Bears defense looked much better in Week 2
After a poor showing in week one, the Bears defense stepped up big time, forcing a total of four turnovers and three interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown by Roquan Smith.
Forcing turnovers in the NFL isn’t easy, and getting four in a game is very impressive regardless of the opponent. Additionally, the Bears held Cincinnati to under 250 yards of total offense. There are still questions about Chicago’s defense, but they passed this week’s test with flying colors.
Justin Fields got real playing time
After being used in certain packages last week, rookie Justin Fields got his first taste of leading an offense in the second half when he replaced the injured Andy Dalton. Fields played like a player who was in his first game. There were some good and some bad from Fields, but more than anything, it was exciting to see him get extended playing time.