Eagles add to Bears’ misery
PHILADELPHIA – The expression on the face of Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky reflected a blend of frustration and bewilderment as he slowly pulled on his street clothes. The visitors locker room at Lincoln Financial Field had cleared out quickly following the Eagles’ 22-14 victory Sunday.
Bears players had no desire to hang around after again under-performing as their losing streak extended to four games, dropping their record to 3-5.
They had entered Sunday’s game against the Eagles well aware of the urgency with which they needed to execute. But the points of emphasis and preparation from the week of practice leading up to the game didn’t carry over onto game day, and the reasons why again remained elusive.
By the time he finally finished dressing, collected himself and faced the music at his postgame news conference, Trubisky was less disheveled physically and mentally but he was still visibly upset.
“The frustration: It’s losing. It’s not playing up to what we’re capable of. It’s making simple mistakes,” he said, ticking off the emotions and thoughts that swirled around in his head and locker room. “It’s getting out-executed, outplayed. We know we’re more talented, and we keep coming up short. Simple things. Game day, coming up short, and that’s why we have this crappy feeling.”
The Bears weren’t supposed to have many of these feelings this season, at least not by their estimations.
Last season they used the creativity of first-year head coach Matt Nagy, the talents of their second-year quarterback and the ferocity of their defense to win the NFC North with a 12-4 record and reach the postseason.
They expected this season to represent a step forward in the progression and translate into a deep postseason run.
But here they are midway through the season, and little has gone right.
Their defense has remained among the best in the league but not quite at the level of 2018 when they racked up a league-leading 36 takeaways, positioning the offense for favorable situations and scoring opportunities.
But most glaring is the regression of the offense. Trubisky receives the bulk of the scrutiny because he has yet to look like a player deserving of the No. 2 overall selection and the bevy of picks that the Bears gave up to acquire him two and a half years ago. While draft classmates like Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson have carried their teams, Trubisky has struggled mightily.
With each passing game, the scrutiny on Trubisky continues, and Sunday he again failed to do enough to silence his critics.
Outside of two drives in the second half, Trubisky largely looked overwhelmed and struggled to move the ball. For a first half that saw them net only 9 total yards of offense, Trubisky and the Bears were 0-for-6 on third downs. Pocket awareness and anticipation still seem to be a problem for Trubisky, who was sacked three times and repeatedly under-threw would-be pass-catchers.
In the second half, he did take advantage of a busted coverage while connecting with an open Taylor Gabriel for a 53yard pass that set up a TD. And Allen Robinson dropped another long pass up the sideline. However, even on that play, Robinson had to stop and go up for the ball. Trubisky needed to have better led his receiver so he could have caught the ball in stride and trotted into the end zone.
Later in the third quarter, Trubisky made a couple of nice throws to move his team into scoring position again. But as is often the case, the sample size was too small, and Trubisky concluded his fifth game in seven outings without having thrown a TD pass.
Usually with a young quarterback, the recipe for success features a blend of a strong run game and dominant defense. And the Bears did receive key defensive contributions from their defense Sunday, but the players on that side of the ball also fell short when their team needed them most.
The unit held the Eagles to 12 points in the first half and produced second-half stops that helped give the offense a chance. But on the final Philadelphia possession, the Bears allowed Carson Wentz and company to convert four consecutive third downs.
Although frustrations ran high, the Bears tried to maintain a sense of belief.
Said defensive back Prince Amukamara: “We put ourselves in this mess. One of the best coaches, Tom Coughlin, used to always say, ‘When you’re going through hell, just keep going through it. Don’t camp in it.’ That’s what we have to do, and don’t feel sorry for ourselves. A win will cure everything.”