The Chicago Bears’ defensive effort against the Dallas Cowboys can be best summed up in the words of linebacker Roquan Smith. He called it “embarrassing. His head coach Matt Eberflus took a more academic approach and said the 49-29 loss was “unacceptable”. Both men were right this time.
“We just got to get better,” Smith said. “We got to take this one on the chin. Hats off to those guys. But we got to get better. It’s embarrassing on the defensive side.” (h/t Chris Emma/670 The Score)
Dallas rolled up 200 rushing yards on the day. The Bears had 240 on the ground themselves. But one Cowboys sprint – a 54-yarder by Tony Pollard – “summed up” the Bears’ day.
And Smith had a front-row seat for it leading to some social media backlash.
Bears’ Roquan Smith Called Out After ‘Embarrassing’ Loss
Play of the Game
Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com recapped the play and, while it begins with Smith’s whiff, it involves most of the stars and every level of the Bears’ defense. Everyone from EDGE Al-Quadin Muhammad to Smith and fellow linebacker Nicholas Morrow to safeties Jaquan Brisker and Eddie Jackson.
This man cannot be stopped! @Tp__5 gets his 3rd TD of the day!
📺: #CHIvsDAL on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/QMxVpZl61r pic.twitter.com/KHOE8E8j7J— NFL (@NFL) October 30, 2022
Smith, who can be seen getting tripped up on the play by a diving Jackson, claimed Bears defenders “erred”.
But, for a player seeking to reset the market for his position, this was a game to forget. The former seventh-overall pick was credited with five total tackles (four solo) – his fewest for a game this season.
Roquan Smith took a HORRENDOUS angle on that TD. That shoulda been a TFL. #DaBears
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) October 30, 2022
Smith entered the week leading the NFL in both total and solo tackles.
He had missed just 4.9% of them but they seem to come at the most inopportune moments – the missed tackle on New York Giants backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor in Week 4 for example.
This has been a tough week for the Bears and Smith in particular after the team traded his friend, veteran Robert Quinn, to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2023 fourth-round pick. Perhaps that was still heavy on his mind.
At any rate, the Bears gave up a trio of scores on the ground to Pollard and one to Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott on a play that seemed right out of the Bears’ tweaked playbook.
Fields Goes Step Too Far
For all of the hand-wringing over the defense – which gave up touchdowns on each of the Cowboys’ first four possessions – the offense made tremendous strides. Dallas managed to gum up the works a bit with newly acquired Johnathan Hankins.
But Fields finished with 151 yards and two scores while completing 74% of his passes adding another 60 yards and a score on the ground on eight totes.
Justin Fields today
120 Passer Rating (career high)
3 Total TD (career high)
73.9% comp pct (career high) pic.twitter.com/iW57hLxckm— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 30, 2022
He came close to throwing several interceptions – even having one called back on a penalty.
Still, the second-year passer finished with the highest passer rating of his career continuing a trend of growth now spanning several games. If there is one play he surely wants back, however, it is not touching down Cowboys defender Micah Parsons who returned a David Montgomery fumble 36 yards turning a 12-point deficit into a 19-point one.
After the game, Fields owned up to the mistake saying he just has to “be aware in that situation”.
It’s hard not to put this one on the defense, though, given how easily Dallas moved the ball.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
