{"id":126404,"date":"2021-12-21T07:20:49","date_gmt":"2021-12-21T12:20:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=126404"},"modified":"2021-12-21T07:20:49","modified_gmt":"2021-12-21T12:20:49","slug":"the-chicago-bears-struggles-continue-as-need-for-change-grows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2021\/12\/21\/the-chicago-bears-struggles-continue-as-need-for-change-grows\/","title":{"rendered":"The Chicago Bears Struggles Continue as Need for Change Grows"},"content":{"rendered":"

With about 2:30 remaining until the opening kick, Chicago Bears<\/a> (4-10) rookie quarterback Justin Fields<\/a>,\u00a0 jogged to the 10-yard line at the South end of Soldier Field ahead of a Monday Night Football tilt against the Minnesota Vikings. A season that hasn\u2019t quite gone how either team planned it still matters to the players and the fans.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the home team is who we thought they were, to paraphrase the late Dennis Green. They couldn\u2019t muster up enough offense to compete against a Vikings squad coming off of clinging onto a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers to snap a two-game skid.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Chicago Bears Found New Struggles on Monday Night Football<\/span><\/h2>\n

Where to Start<\/span><\/h3>\n

Fields\u2019 11th and 12th fumbles of the season ended in mixed results as the Bears recovered the second. David Montgomery<\/a>\u2019s first of the year ended a drive that had matriculated its way down the field into the Vikings red zone. It effectively took points off of the board in a game where, as usual, they came at a premium.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Bears started their first four drives and six of their first eight drives with run calls. They ran it pretty well overall too, with Montgomery averaging a better clip than Dalvin Cook on the night though the latter had 89 yards to the former\u2019s 60.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chicago had the advantage through the air on the evening. Fields threw for 285 yards to just 87 for Cousins.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the Vikings didn\u2019t need much, outgaining the Bears 132-115 on the ground.<\/span><\/p>\n

More penalties extended drives for Minnesota and others that stalled out an already lethargic Bears offense. Matt Nagy<\/a> was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty while Teven Jenkins<\/a> received an unnecessary roughness penalty after pushing a defender off of Fields following a late hit the wasn\u2019t called.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vikings EDGE D.J. Wonnum had all of Minnesota\u2019s sacks, getting home three times as Fields was caught in no man’s land trying to make something happen.<\/span><\/p>\n

We are far beyond the point where the concerns over Fields\u2019 play, and specifically the number of turnovers, are warranted. The question now is whether or not he can invalidate them under some new guidance.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Coach Nagy is meeting with the media.@Hyundai<\/a> | #MINvsCHI<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/fEGiDdGpGZ<\/a><\/p>\n

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 21, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n