Chicago Bears: 3 Duds from the Week 7 loss to the Buccaneers

The Chicago Bears gave a miserable effort on the road against the defending Super Bowl champion, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The difference in both teams between last year and this year is evident and it showed on Sunday in Florida when the Bears had some looks of a college team playing in the NFL.

A lot of blame to go around, but which Chicago Bears players deserve the most?

Chicago Bears Week 7 Loser No. 1: Justin Fields

As much as we try to avoid putting the blame on a rookie quarterback under immense pressure, it was a rough game all around for Justin Fields. While he did not necessarily play badly, he did not protect the football, which has become a common theme for him.

We have seen how names like Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold, both high draft picks, have been under scrutiny because they cannot prevent turnovers. Hopefully, Justin Fields can learn how to feel pressure better to reduce sack fumbles as well as not force a throw downfield when he does not have to.

In terms of accuracy, most of Fields throws are right on the money. The arm talent is there and there is no doubt about that. He is a loser for this game because he did not respond to the Buccaneers’ defense as well as he should have.

Although he was plagued by some timely drops and little to no pass protection, Fields still struggled to see the field enough to make a play when he could have. There are too many instances where he has an open receiver but does not see them because he is looking to the wrong reads or he is trying to run.

Not all of this falls on him, but with all the praise he got for how he can see a field and understand how to make the right plays, he has not shown the ability to consistently do that yet. Seven weeks and five starts in the improvements have been subtle, but he is still making some of the same mistakes every week.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers secondary was weakened by injury and even lose Jamel Dean during yesterday’s game. The Bears should have been able to take advantage and get something going through the air, and a lot of that falls on Justin Fields as the quarterback.