3 takeaways from the Bears 30-13 Loss To the Chargers
Everyone has heard the phrase the lights are on, and nobody is home. Well, that was the case for the Chicago Bears and their fans this past Sunday night in primetime against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Bears could not sustain drives or slow the Chargers down under the bright lights. This meant the Bears got dominated from start to finish. While some fans saw this outcome as a possibility, many thought the Bears would keep it close. Ethier way, Bears fans are disappointed with what they saw on the field on Sunday night. Through that disappointment, here are the three biggest takeaways from the loss to the Chargers.
Defense Regresses
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The Bears’ defense looked to be on an upswing after their improved play over the past couple of weeks. While the defense’s improvement was exciting it was against weaker competition, so it was hard to tell if they had actually improved. Well, the Chargers showed that the Bears’ defense was not improved. When quarterback Justin Herbert went 31 of 40 passing for 298 passing yards and three touchdowns on the Bears’ defense. Herbert played this well because the Bears’ defense was not able to pressure him. This meant Herbert had clean pockets all day. These clean pockets led to easy third downs, which the Chargers converted 53% of the time. That third down conversion rate is closer to what the Bears were allowing the first four weeks of the season. The defense also went back to not finishing tackles. This allowed the Chargers to have multiple big plays. Giving up big plays due to missed tackles helped swing this game in the Chargers’ favor even more. The defense reverting back to the habits that were seen in the first four weeks of the season is frightening and shines a negative light on the coaches.
Tyson Bagent is not starting caliber
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For the Bears fans hoping Tyson Bagent could wrestle the starting job away from Justin Fields, it’s just not going to happen. Bagent showed why he won’t be the Bears’ full-time starter in the loss to the Chargers. On Sunday night, Bagent was tasked with carrying the team on his back after getting down early. Even though that is an unfair task for the young quarterback, it was the reality. However, he could not get the Bears back in the game because he struggled to make plays consistently. This is seen in Bagent’s stat line. Where he was 25 of 37 passing for 232 yards and two interceptions. Even though Bagent’s completion percentage was high, he made costly mistakes that took the Bears’ offense off the field. While Fields can also commit costly turnovers, he has shown more of an upside to counteract those turnovers. Ultimately, Bagent has not shown he can be a full-time starter in his two games. That is okay, though, because he has shown he can be a serviceable backup who can win games if everything goes to plan.
Velus Jones needs to be cut
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If Velus Jones Jr has proven anything in his time with the Bears, it is that he can't catch punts or passes. This was once again proven against the Chargers when he dropped a 40 yard touchdown pass from Tyson Bagent. While Bagent may not have thrown the prettiest ball, Velus Jones was wide open, and the ball landed in his hands. Most players in that scenario would still find a way to come down with the ball, but not Velus. Not catching the ball has been Velus's biggest problem in his first two seasons as a Bear. Velus clearly seems incapable of contributing anything to this team, so why he is still rostered is confusing. After this terrible drop against the Chargers, Velus needs to be cut.