Has everybody caught their breath by now? It took most Chicago Bears fans a while to come back to earth after a thrilling, dramatic and downright insane Week 9 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. That was one wild ride, to say the least.
A day after the game, though, fans everywhere have to start getting realistic. After all, it's what we do best. One of the most glaring issues over the past few weeks that reared its ugly head against Cincinnati was something even legendary quarterback Kurt Warner pointed out in his analysis.
"CHI D didn’t cover anybody all day," the Hall of Fame quarterback included in his assessment.
Warner has kept his recent tradition of watching weekly film on games throughout the week, and it just so happened that he got to the Bears/Bengals matchup quickly this week. Let's just say, "we're with you, Kurt."
Kurt Warner hinted at Ryan Poles' main focus for the second half of the season
Whether this is via the trade deadline or taking a look at the scarce free agent pool this late in the year, general manager Ryan Poles has to put in some effort when it comes to shoring up the Bears' secondary.
If he doesn't, then it'll be a bad look for Poles. He'll essentially be holding out for the return of Jaylon Johnson late in the year -- if he's able to return at all.
That's not a risk that fans want to see this franchise take.
Chicago's defense gave up a whopping 470 passing yards to 40-year-old Joe Flacco on Sunday. A win is a win, and we have to take them as they come. However, considering how poorly the Bears' secondary performed, the issues are almost entirely the fault of those cornerbacks.
Tyrique Stevenson, the Bears' top corner at the moment, was caught out of position on multiple occasions against guys like Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase. That wide receiver room made Stevenson look like a junior varsity player out there.
Nahshon Wright and Nick McCloud weren't impressive either. The only real standout was the recently-acquired CJ Gardner-Johnson.
The Bears' pass defense is now ranked 8th-worst in the NFL, pending Monday Night Football. Funnily, that actually feels generous. But the Bears have also been opportunistic and continue to lead the NFL in takeaways with 19 on the year (Pittsburgh is the next-closest with 16).
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Warner is right on. Fans want to see the cornerback depth improve. Now, it's on Poles to figure this one out.