The Chicago Bears waste another brilliant effort from Justin Fields in a loss

For many Chicago Bears fans, losses have become easier to swallow these days as Justin Fields continues to ball out and has shown improvements while providing plenty of highlight reel plays.

The offense is suddenly showing signs of life thanks to Fields’ improved play and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy utilizing his skillset much better since the Washington game. This is despite the defense continuing to struggle while the receivers are unable to create much separation and the offensive line struggles in pass protection.

Last week, Justin Fields’ historic day made it so much fun watching despite their 35-32 loss to the Miami Dolphins. The Detroit Lions seemed like a perfect opponent for the Bears to get their first victory since the Monday Night Game against the New England Patriots — even though the Patriots stunned the Green Bay Packers a week ago.

Justin Fields continues to shine for the Chicago Bears despite losing

However, Sunday’s 31-30 loss left many with sick feelings and anger despite another brilliant day from QB Justin Fields, who was 12 of 20 for 167 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while gaining 147 yards on 13 rushes.

For all the brilliance Fields has shown in the last two games, it has not translated to victories.

The game was tied 10-10 at halftime. However, in the third quarter, the Chicago Bears took a 24-10 lead, thanks to a pair of touchdown passes from Justin Fields to tight end Cole Kmet. The one he threw to a wide-open Kmet, who had to adjust in the air while dealing with the sun for 50 yards had the stadium buzzing. The Chicago Bears were 15 minutes away from securing the victory.

However, the Lions close the gap to 24-17 early in the 4th quarter, capped off by a nine-yard touchdown run by D’Andre Swift. The drive was largely aided by the referees, who threw three questionable penalties, two of them against cornerback Jaylon Johnson for illegal use of hands, allowing the Lions to extend the drive and score.

Then on the next Chicago Bears possession, Fields threw a bad interception that was picked off and returned for a touchdown by his ex-Ohio State teammate Jeffrey Okudah, completing a 14-point comeback.

Fields made up for the bad interception with a 67-yard touchdown run on the next possession. As soon as he saw an opening, he took off and blew away every Lions defender, including Okudah, who was the last defender to have a chance of tackling him.

He set the longest rushing yard rushing play by breaking his own record, which he set a week ago when he scored on a 61-yard touchdown run — truly a special talent.

Despite his brilliance once again, the Chicago Bears defense imploded, and special teams were uncharacteristically bad. After Fields’ record-breaking touchdown run, Cairo Santos missed an extra point. And the defense promptly gave up a winning touchdown with 2:21 left in the game.

On the Lions’ game-winning touchdown drive, they went 91 yards on eight plays in just three minutes. The backbreaker was a 44-yard catch and run by Tom Kennedy on 3rd and 8 from their own 42. It was his only catch of the day. The Bears’ defense didn’t put up a fight throughout the day.

The loss leaves the Bears at 3-7, 0-3 against the NFC North, dead last in the division. Their remaining schedule is still filled with Super Bowl contenders Philadelphia and Buffalo at home, at surging NY Jets, who beat Buffalo last Sunday, on Thanksgiving holiday, and the division leader Minnesota Vikings to end the season.

As the losses pile up, the chatter of better draft pick positions and focus on next season will only grow louder. The players aren’t dumb. Why should they care about the draft position when most of them are on a one-year deal and their NFL future is at stake?

Winning today would have gone a long way towards building confidence and a winning habit that Eberflus was preaching in his postgame press conference.

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The Chicago Bears are obviously rebuilding, but there are a few players on this team who need to be shown the door or back end of the depth chart in 2023.

That is why the loss to the Lions was such a letdown and a gut punch. Now, the players must labor through another week of practice while lamenting a missed opportunity.