Nothing went right for the Chicago Bears in a 31-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 5. It'll be one of those proverbial "burn the tape" games, once lessons are taken from all the lumps that were absorbed.
Front and center in coming up short in the unfriendly confines of Lambeau Field was quarterback Tyson Bagent. A week after defensive penalties bailed him out of multiple interceptions against the New York Jets, the Packers were not as accommodating.
It's no understatement to say that Bagent's showing against Green Bay was among the worst games ever seen by years of quarterback fans, regardless of age.
That sound you just heard is Bagent's perceived trade value going up in smoke. If a Day 2 draft pick was ever on the table last offseason, general manager Ryan Poles should have taken it and pivoted to another backup quarterback option.
After missing the last three games, Caleb Williams seems to be on a good track toward returning in Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons. And he will, of course, be welcomed back with open arms by everyone involved.
One stats perfectly sums up how much Bears need Caleb Williams back
The accuracy issues Williams has had are easy fodder for non-Bears fans, who conveniently ignore context like credited throwaways and the drops Bears pass catchers had last season. It's also safe to say Williams has never had a game like Bagent just did.
According to Jacob Gibbs of CBS Sports, citing Fantasy Points Data, here are the players who have the lowest catchable target rates in Week 5 (minimum five targets, before "Monday Night Football").
"25% - Laquon Treadwell
40% - CeeDee Lamb
40% - Colston Loveland
44% - Rome Odunze
50% - Kevin Coleman
57% - Darnell Mooney
60% - Reggie Virgil
60% - Carnell Tate
67% - Josh Downs
67% - Luther Burden"
Unsurprisingly, with what we saw, mostly from Bagent but also Case Keenum after him, if we're being fair, the Bears' top three pass catchers made the list.
While there's plenty of consternation out there about Odunze's performance (three catches for 40 yards with a fumble), just four of his nine targets were deemed catchable.
Loveland continued to crush his fantasy managers' dreams with two catches for 19 yards against the Packers, but two of his five targets were considered catchable.
Burden had four catches for 47 yards against the Green Bay, and Fantasy Points called four of his six targets catchable.
Add it all up, and half of the 20 targets Odunze, Loveland, and Burden had against the Packers were deemed catchable by Fantasy Points Data. So half were regarded as uncatchable. Reviews of the tape that have come out the day after the game have particularly shown Bagent turning down, or failing to see, opportunities to throw the ball to any one of Loveland, Burden, or Odunze.
Odunze, Loveland and Burden each had a notable positive play after Keenun entered the game.
Read more: Jaylon Johnson showcased why Bears can no longer trust him in the secondary
When a backup quarterback has to start, there will naturally be some good and some bad. But it's safe to say Bears fans are (and should be) over the novelty of Bagent now. The way he legitimately made life harder for the team's top three pass catchers against the Packers just adds to the list of reasons.
Keenum knows his limitations, and he should be the starter over Bagent in Week 6 if Williams can't go.
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