3 Takeaways from Bears' Week 11 Loss
A week off couldn't get the Chicago Bears back on the right track. Instead, their recent struggles continued after the bye even though they were facing an opponent that was missing some major players.
On Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field, the Bears took a 16-13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, who were without star quarterback Lamar Jackson and top wide receiver Marquise Brown, among others. After a 3-2 start, Chicago has dropped five consecutive games to fall to third place in the NFC North.
The Bears took a 13-9 lead with one minute, 41 seconds to go in the fourth quarter when Marquise Goodwin caught a 49-yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton, who had come in for an injured Justin Fields. However, the Ravens reclaimed the lead for good on Devonta Freeman's 3-yard TD run with 22 seconds remaining.
Here are three takeaways from Chicago's Week 11 loss.
Fields Fails to Impress Prior to Injury
Fields was knocked out of the game with injured ribs in the third quarter. But before that, the rookie quarterback wasn't playing well against a Baltimore defense that has been susceptible to giving up some big numbers throughout the season.
Prior to his exit, Fields went 4-of-11 for 79 yards. He had four carries for 23 yards, but he was also sacked twice. And Chicago didn't score any points until after Dalton took over at QB. There have been times when Fields has impressed this year, but he's still struggling more than he should be.
Dalton threw for 201 yards and two touchdowns, but he also completed only 11 of his 23 passing attempts. It's possible he will start the Bears' Thanksgiving Day matchup against the Detroit Lions if Fields isn't healthy, but there may not be much benefit to the veteran remaining the starter down the stretch considering Chicago is falling out of the playoff hunt.
Fields didn't break any ribs and is scheduled for further testing, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, so he may have avoided a long-term injury. Whenever he returns, he will need to start to string together solid performances considering he now has a decent amount of NFL experience.
The Defense Failed at the Worst Possible Time
Although the Bears didn't play great for much of the day, their defense was solid for three-and-a-half quarters. They had held the Ravens to a pair of second-quarter field goals, and by the end of the game, Baltimore still had only 299 total yards despite possessing the ball for 38:50.
But Chicago's defense couldn't come up big late. Justin Tucker gave the Ravens a 9-7 lead with 3:41 to go. After the Bears responded with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to move ahead 13-9, they needed their defense to close things out with a final stop.
Instead, the Ravens took over at their own 28-yard line with 1:33 remaining and went 72 yards in five plays, with Freeman's touchdown run leading them to victory.
"Well, it's sickening," Chicago defensive end Robert Quinn said, per Gene Chamberlain of the Associated Press. "I'll just put it that way. It's a punch to the gut. We had the lead. The Ravens had the ball. It was on the defense to close it out, and we didn't do that. Yeah, it's a gut punch."
If the Bears had scored more points earlier in the game, their defense wouldn't have been in that position. Still, it was surprising that Chicago couldn't get a final stop against a Baltimore offense that had Tyler Huntley at quarterback. The defense needs to perform better when it's put in these situations.
The Matt Nagy Era Could Be Nearing the End
It's clear that Bears fans aren't happy with the team's recent performance and how things have transpired under head coach Matt Nagy. There were even videos circulating on social media of "Fire Nagy" chants at Soldier Field.
Although Nagy led Chicago to the playoffs in two of his first three seasons in charge, it went 8-8 in both 2019 and 2020. There's a good chance that 2021 will result in the Bears' first losing season of the Nagy era given they are 3-7 with seven games to play.
Could Nagy's time as Chicago's head coach be nearing an end? It's possible, as the team hasn't been trending in the right direction. And it's clear that at least some fans would like to see a change at the top.
It's unlikely the Bears go on a run now because after their matchup with the Lions, they take on the Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers. They also still have two games to play against the Minnesota Vikings down the stretch.
So if Nagy is coaching for his job, he's not facing an easy stretch. It will be interesting to see how things unfold and if the Bears decide to make a change.