{"id":122636,"date":"2021-10-03T17:54:25","date_gmt":"2021-10-03T21:54:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=122636"},"modified":"2021-10-03T17:54:25","modified_gmt":"2021-10-03T21:54:25","slug":"chicago-bears-see-justin-fields-rebound-defense-show-cracks-in-week-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2021\/10\/03\/chicago-bears-see-justin-fields-rebound-defense-show-cracks-in-week-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Bears see Justin Fields Rebound, Defense Show Cracks in Week 4"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Chicago Bears<\/a> have to be happy to see their rookie quarterback Justin Fields<\/a> rebound.\u00a0 Their 24-14 victory against the Detroit Lions in Week 4 comes a week after being decimated, both literally and figuratively, by the Cleveland Brown in Week 3. That final score of 26-6 looked better than the nine sacks Fields absorbed (on top of many more hits).<\/span><\/p>\n

However, in Week 4 against the \u201cget right\u201d Lions, the Bears did just that bringing their record to 2-2 on the season.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Bears Needed a Win and for Justin Fields to Rebound and Got Both<\/span><\/h2>\n

Fields of Dreams<\/span><\/h3>\n

Fields finished the day 11-for-17 for 209 passing yards and an interception. The numbers may seem pedestrian. But he led three touchdown drives that were finished off by running backs David Montgomery (twice) and Damien Williams (once). Nevertheless, the rookie showed poise under duress and much better timing with his pass-catchers.<\/span><\/p>\n

He showed an affinity for second-year wideout Darnell Mooney. Mooney had five grabs for a career-high 125 yards with a carry for 10 yards to boot.\u00a0 Their connection on a 32-yarder in the third quarter was a wonderful glimpse into the future for this team.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not to be left out, Allen Robinson finished with three grabs for 63 yards of his own; 55 of which came on two catches.<\/span><\/p>\n

In total, Fields had five throws go for more than 20 yards on Sunday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those kinds of \u201cexplosive\u201d plays are widely accepted as a good indicator of offensive success. As you may have guessed, are an area in which the Bears have struggled for years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They also had 187 yards on the ground giving them 372 total yards on the day. That’s the most they\u2019ve had on the young season. This was also a game where Matt Nagy turned over play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Similar to last season, it\u2019s not that Lazor is calling plays in wins. It is that he calls plays that make sense.<\/span><\/p>\n

The biggest criticism of Nagy in that role is that it often seems haphazard with little being done to set opponents up from one play or series to the next. On Sunday, the Bears ran it early and they ran it often. Even after Montgomery (23-106-2) went down with a knee injury, they continued to lean on the ground game with Damien Williams (8-55-1).<\/span><\/p>\n

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Line \u2018Em Up<\/span><\/h3>\n

Fields did take a sack, which resulted in a fumble. For the second time in as many weeks, though, he fought to get back on top of it. It\u2019s a moral victory, sure. But most will remember how Cam Newton was blasted for not falling on a loose ball in Super Bowl 50.<\/span><\/p>\n

Against an easier foe than last week, the Bears offensive line held up fine.<\/span><\/p>\n

First, the rushing yards are nice to see. And the steady attempts are surely appreciated by the guys up front like 39-year-old Jason Peters. It wasn\u2019t a perfect performance. But they came away with just one penalty against them, a false start by James Daniels on Chicago\u2019s third possession.<\/span><\/p>\n

The best evidence of the line\u2019s improved play remains those splash plays.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Many teams intend to make the opposing offense dink and dunk their way down the field. Chicago\u2019s five-man group hadn\u2019t shown that they could do that up until Sunday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Switching to Lazor is every bit as much about the blocking as it is about Fields. After last the loss to Cleveland, he said there were protections in the offense that would have prevented the most important player on the team from getting beat up. That the Bears never went to them might have been the most compelling reason for the change.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whatever the case, this is sustainable.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Bears are heading into the most grueling part of their schedule. They need to know what they can do well offensively.<\/span><\/p>\n

They face three straight offenses ranked in the top 10 entering Week 3, starting with the Raiders in Las Vegas next week. And, in Week 8, they take on a Green Bay Packers team that\u2019s scored 65 points over the last two weeks after a three-point dud in their opener.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The Bears have 190 yards rushing, their best total on the ground since Week 15 of last season (33-27 win over the Vikings). Only the third time under Matt Nagy they\u2019ve hit 190 rushing yards.<\/p>\n

— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) October 3, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n