The Chicago Bears’ 10 thoughts on Week 12 loss are shared by Brad Biggs and Matt Eberflush

“Football season starts after Thanksgiving” is a cliché that former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick frequently used at this time of year. “.”.

That was easy to say when Tom Brady was his quarterback and there was a good chance the Patriots would be playing deep into January or even February. With their fifth straight loss—a 30-27 overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at Soldier Field—the Chicago Bears’ season is all but over.

The Bears (4-7) are stuck in last place in the NFC North. They are two times as near the No. 1 draft pick — two games ahead of the New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Las Vegas Raiders, who are tied for the league’s worst record — than they are to third place in their division. It’s true that the Bears trail the Green Bay Packers by four games, the Vikings by five, and the Detroit Lions, whom they play at Ford Field on Thursday, by six.

There will be no final loss for the Bears. 1 draft pick for the third year in a row. However, there’s no way to predict when this losing run will end.

Following another defeat on the game’s last play, here are ten things to consider.

1. . Good coaches and talented rosters manage to win close games on a regular basis. Bad rosters that are poorly coached do the opposite.

The Bears will be able to identify their problems as they prepare to make changes and attempt to find a way out of the NFC North cellar over the course of the next six weeks as they grind through a challenging schedule against teams that are all very much in the running for the playoffs.

Though not particularly outstanding and most likely not as good as anyone had hoped when the season started, there are enough on-field examples to make one feel good about the roster. With two consecutive strong performances, quarterback Caleb Williams is on the rise once more following an offensive rut that cost coordinator Shane Waldron his job. There will be a lot more on Williams soon.

Once again, playmakers are getting the ball and an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities.

With some clutch grabs and run after the catch, Keenan Allen recorded a season-high nine receptions for 86 yards while overcoming an injury to the same foot that had plagued him two months prior.

DJ Moore had seven receptions for 106 yards despite being targeted seven times. He set up the game-winning field goal at the end of regulation by hauling in a 27-yard pass on a deep in-breaker.

Cole Kmet, a tight end, made a comeback as the dependable target he should be every week in the middle of the field with seven receptions for 64 yards.

Rome Odunze had a 14-yard gain on fourth-and-3 before the touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

With a fantastic extension of the play by Williams, running back D’Andre Swift appeared to be a natural, hauling in a 30-yard pass down the sideline.

All of that was verified.

When seven players combined for nine hits on Sam Darnold, the pass rush came alive once more. The Bears also had three sacks, one each from Jacob Martin, DeMarcus Walker, and Montez Sweat. They were not under enough pressure, though, to make Darnold make the interceptions that marred some of his previous performances.

It appeared as though the Bears would be blown out, but they persevered. They haven’t scored 17 points in the fourth quarter since Week 9 of 2021, when they scored 21 points in a 29-27 loss to Pittsburgh. They forced overtime on Sunday by scoring 11 points in the last 22 seconds, thanks to a crucial onside kick from Cairo Santos.

However, they are once more searching for positives in the wake of another defeat that was decided by the final play, Parker Romo’s 29-yard field goal after the Bears went three-and-punt to start overtime.

When questioned about losing on the last play for the third time since the Week 8 upset at Washington, coach Matt Eberflus responded, “I don’t think we expect things like that to happen.”. We simply need to perform better in the final stretch, in my opinion. In the final stretch, we must coach more effectively. It affects everyone.

“Is it difficult? Yeah, it is difficult. It’s hard to lose three games like this. You must have a strong will. This league will have no sympathy for you. We must go prepare for our match against Detroit. For your teammates, it’s crucial that you take responsibility for everything in front of everyone. Work to identify good solutions after that. It is up to the coaches to position them. We’ve got to do a great job of finding the right answers to execute. “”.

The Minnesota Vikings are the most recent chapter in the Chicago Bears’ “Wild Ways To Lose In The Final Second” book.

If it’s beginning to sound repetitive from Eberflus in the postgame setting, that’s because it is. The players are also frustrated, but he is more so than everyone else who is demanding that he be fired.

When we first got the ball (in overtime), we obviously didn’t do enough offensively, Kmet stated. When the game is over, you never want to give it to them. Regretfully, I am once again proud of the way the guys fought today. The outcome is what it is. It causes pain. We’ve already seen a number of heartbreaking games, you know. We’re not a bad team, in my opinion. It is simply regrettable. “”.

The Bears’ crushing defeats at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots following the Hail Mary fiasco against the Commanders, along with a problematic 21-16 loss at Indianapolis in Week 3, made it impossible for Eberflus to win.

A lot of games are decided by three or perhaps four snaps out of 130 total. At the start of Week 12, the most games in NFL history—78—had been decided by six points or less. There have been four more that fit that description this week entering Monday.

Ultimately, that will likely be the main thing that kills Eberflus. In this case, one of the 138 snaps could have changed the outcome in the Bears’ favor, but they were unable to come up with it. At crucial moments, he has failed to lead his team to victory.

“Very disheartening defeat,” he declared. I expressed to the guys my pride in their ability to stick together and the perseverance and resolve they displayed in order to force overtime. There are a lot of positive aspects to that. played football with a strong team today. Again, Minnesota deserves all the praise. ”.

It has a knock-on effect because the Vikings will be analyzing game film and searching for corrections on Monday morning, just like the Bears. Going through that process is much simpler when you’re using the close games and making notes about your areas of improvement and what needs to be emphasized. The Bears attempt to turn that Monday around in a positive way, and it will be a quicker process with the next game on Thursday. However, they struggle to do so because they continue to play week after week without the break that a victory would offer.

The Bears’ roster isn’t bad, in my opinion. Yes, they do have a flawed roster. So do about 28 or 29 other teams. A weekly to-do list for general manager Ryan Poles’ offseason could easily be placed in this column, highlighting areas that require competition, upgrades, or replacements.

Are the Bears better than their 4-7 record suggests? Perhaps marginally but remember the old Bill Parcells’ quip, “You are what your record says you are. They’ve shown they can persevere against the Packers and Vikings at home by playing a challenging schedule. However, they have done what bad teams or teams with poor coaching do, which is to come up with creative ways to lose when the game is on the line.

Eberflus has a limited amount of time to address that persistent issue.

2. . Caleb Williams is developing into a serious contender at the position, which is cause for optimism despite the Bears’ struggles with offensive coordinator changes.

The No was Williams’ development. He’s starting to show himself as the season’s main focus. In the league’s best division this season, the Bears have a significant gap to close, and Williams won’t accomplish it alone. However, it appears that Williams has a chance to play for the Bears in the future, which is something you can’t say without wishful thinking when you see other young prospects fill the position.

Along with leading the Bears with 33 yards rushing, the rookie finished 32 of 47 for 340 yards and two touchdowns. He tied the Bears’ rookie passing touchdown record at 11 and tied Charlie O’Rourke’s (1942) record for passing yards, setting the franchise record and surpassing Mitch Trubisky (2,193 yards).

You are aware that the Bears’ rookie passing records are the lowest possible, and Williams is on track to reach 3,641 yards with 2,356 yards. Williams has attempted 193 consecutive passes without an interception, the longest Bears’ streak since Brian Hoyer had 200 attempts in between interceptions in 2016. He is the first quarterback to start five straight games for the Bears without recording an interception since at least 1950.

What Williams accomplished in the final seconds Sunday—connecting with Rome Odune to link safety Camryn Bynum and cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. for a 14-yard gain—was more significant than the numbers. On fourth-and-three at the Vikings’ 33-yard line, he connected with Keenan Allen for a 1-yard touchdown before passing to DJ Moore for a two-point conversion pass, bringing the Bears within 27-24 with 22 seconds left.

With the Bears gaining possession at their own 43-yard line following the successful onside kick, Williams knew he might have one more play to get to field goal range without using timeouts. The Bears got exactly what they wanted when the Vikings defended against a sideline route: a higher-percentage shot deep over the middle to Moore for a 27-yard gain.

“We talk about this a lot, and if this occurs on this play, this is what we’re going to do and this is where I want you to be,” Williams stated. “To be able to tear it up and get the ball to you, I’ll be right there.”. The work of the other guys was excellent. Everyone is obviously a target, but the other guys diverted attention and let that gap widen. I ripped it to the DJ after seeing it. landed a fantastic catch and went down. “.”.

Williams’ ability to create plays was evident from the beginning. In the first quarter, he gained 40 yards by threading a pass to Allen that Andrew Van Ginkel, a diving outside linebacker, could not reach. Two plays later, with Van Ginkel pressuring him out of the pocket and linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill bearing down, Williams lofted a pass down the sideline into the hands of running back D’Andre Swift, who was between linebacker Blake Cashman and safety Harrison Smith.

Cole Kmet remarked, “He put that on a thread, the drop in the bucket (to Swift) and one to Keenan.”. “The perfect throw has no defense. The one at the end of the game (to Moore) is truly unbelievable, but there were some that were pretty. demonstrates his arm talent to a great extent, and I believe that everyone, including them, is aware of where the ball should go in that situation.

The ability to arrange the ball in that manner, fit it into that window, get it to DJ, and carry out that scenario is truly amazing. Something I haven’t seen here, of course. These are all the advantages. Clearly, the outcome is what needs to be altered in this situation. “.”.

Undoubtedly, the Bears were worried about Williams’ ability to manage the pressure that aggressive Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores was putting on him. With seasoned offensive lines, he can fool seasoned quarterbacks, but Williams never seemed confused or flustered. The running back was not used as his hot on the play because he miscounted the front on the long pass to Swift, he said. He was able to turn a mistake he made prior to the snap and some degree of confusion into a huge positive, even on a play.

There is still much to clean up, and it wasn’t flawless. With 10 minutes left in the third quarter and trailing 17-10, the Bears attempted to score a touchdown on fourth-and-4 from the Vikings’ 27-yard line, but were thwarted by pre-snap confusion.

Prior to the snap, the play clock was almost at zero because Cairo Santos began to run on the field but the Bears wanted to go for it. Matt Eberflus stated that the sideline operation was not properly communicated and that it was approved all the way to keep the offense on the field.

“You want to get set, have your play, and be able to see what’s going on, so you don’t really want to run against the clock in those moments,” Williams stated. Having the play arrive a little later, I believe there would have been confusion. We scrambled to get to the huddle. In the end, I misheard Thomas Brown’s words. From there it went downhill. “”.

Williams attempted to hit Allen on a fast out, but the throw escaped his fingertips because it was a bit high and wide.

Williams remarked, “This is an incomplete pass on a play that I didn’t necessarily want to run.”. Since you are aware that the game will be close in the end, you will obviously not attempt to use another timeout after that. We have already utilized one. It’s imperative that you get up there quickly, make a few checks, and snap the ball. The league is still matchup-based. You guys should go to your best matchup. I went to Keenan right then and there, but we just missed. “.”.

Williams made the game’s most significant error during overtime on second-and-nine from the Bears’ 31-yard line. He continued to fade and retreat as the play called for him to target someone on the right side of the field. He had the opportunity to throw the ball away, but he ate it for a 12-yard loss and a sack by Jonathan Greenard. The Bears were unable to overcome the third-and-21 deficit, especially not with a penalty for delay of game prior to the subsequent play.

Williams stated, “They knew we needed a good chunk play, so they dropped a bunch of guys out.”. “I held the ball too long and they made a great play. To have survived to see another down and another play, I should have simply thrown the ball out of bounds. That’s not what took place. “.”.

It doesn’t seem like the loss is depressing Williams, and the Bears are feeling confident about him if you’re looking for another upside. After the game, he’s not glum. He’s not making accusations. He has been cheerful all week. Even though there were doubts about that only a few weeks ago, he still has the locker room’s faith.

Allen stated, “He’s a ball player.”. “He will make a play when we ask him to. When the game is on the line, he’s a terrific guy to have. ”.

He’s also got the belief of the Vikings.

Kevin O’Connell, the coach of Minnesota, stated, “I’ve known Caleb for a long time and I think the world of him.”. He simply keeps getting better and better. And, you know, you can see it when he starts creating off-schedule and that change of direction and athleticism, and we had him dead to rights a couple times, and he gets out and makes huge plays.

“It’s going to be a challenge. As he keeps getting better, we’ll need to play against him as consistently and disciplinedly as we can. He’s going to be a really good player, so I’m excited about the challenge of playing against him. “”.

3. Another defeat was largely caused by special teams, and the Bears were unable to run the ball against the league’s top team. The defense was a huge disappointment, but the offense only managed 78 yards on 22 carries.

Sam Darnold of the Vikings continued to make his case for a big contract in free agency by completing 22 of 34 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns, while Aaron Jones, a familiar opponent, carried the ball 22 times for 106 yards, surpassing 100 yards for the third time in his last five bears games. When subtracting the yardage lost on three sacks, Darnold averaged 8 points per attempt.

This indicates that there were far too many big plays against a defense that had generally not allowed many explosive pass plays. In addition to Darnold’s six passes that went for 20 yards or more—including gains of 69, 45, 41, and 34 yards—Jones ran for 41 yards.

On the first play, Darnold connected with Jordan Addison on a deep over route that resulted in a 69-yard gain as Addison managed to tip-toe down the sideline following a failed tackle attempt by fill-in safety Jonathan Owens. Minnesota led 14–10 at the end of the half.

After a forced fumble at the goal line in the first quarter, Owens said, “I could have wrapped up there.”. “I was trying to go in and just kill him. It’s a play that you wish you could go back and change. I believed him to be off-limits. However, it is never advisable to enter and aim for the kill shot. That was one of those moments of education. something I’m going to improve on. “”.

The Vikings wound up only getting a 40-yard field goal after being first-and-goal from the 8-yard line but there were too many chunk plays all over the place for Darnold, like the 34-yard shot to tight end T. The J. With less than four minutes left in regulation, Hockenson was on third-and-12 from midfield. Once more, the Vikings were turning the tide, but the defense bowed and held Minnesota to a field goal.

In overtime, and facing third-and-10 from the Vikings’ 21-yard line, Darnold hooked up with Addison for a 13-yard gain in front of safety Kevin Byard. It was too easy with too much space on a play when the defense needed to get off the field.

“Little bit of everything,” Byard said when asked what plagued the defense. “Just not really playing clean enough. Giving up penalties, not playing tight enough in coverage. That was really just our Achilles’ heel today. Gave them too many big plays and penalties in crucial situations. We didn’t play well enough to win on defense today. “”.

Jaylon Johnson, a cornerback, received two unusual pass interference penalties. One was very obvious. The other one appeared marginal. Nothing was in sync for a unit that has been more buttoned up, even though the pass rush was better than it had been and Minnesota played the majority of the day with their third left tackle in since Cam Robinson was sidelined due to a foot injury. In the game, the Vikings needed 8, 13, 12, and 10 yards on third downs, which is a surefire way to lose.

Addison recorded 162 yards on eight catches (nine targets) a week after Christian Watson of Green Bay had four receptions for 150 yards. The Bears had no answer for Addison, but they did limit Justin Jefferson to 27 yards on two catches (five targets). For the first time since Weeks 11 and 12 of the 1989 season, the Bears have given up 150 yards or more in consecutive games to a single player (Mark Carrier of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had 164 yards, and Art Monk of Washington had 152 yards).

The Bears played man coverage and they got beat. They played zone and they got beat. They didn’t have enough answers and that’s bothersome because usually when you have that kind of success against Jefferson, it’s going to be a positive outcome.

4. The late start in divisional play delayed the Bears getting a handle on how they stack up against their rivals. The results aren’t positive.

Yes, they lost to the Packers by one point and the Vikings on a field goal in overtime but the standings don’t look good. It will take a miracle for the Bears to not finish last in the NFC North for the third consecutive year. Yes, they were one play away from beating those teams, but they’re a four-game winning streak and a four-game losing streak by the Packers away from being in third place.

Discussion for coach of the year candidates should start with Kevin O’Connell. This was supposed to be the year the Vikings took a step back. Most figured they would transition from Sam Darnold to first-round draft pick J. J. McCarthy at some point in the middle of the season. McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury in preseason and Darnold has been a heck of a reclamation project.

They lost their left tackle Christian Darrisaw, the second-best player on the roster, to a season-ending knee injury in October. They started the season without tight end T. J. Hockenson, who was returning from a knee injury.

On defense, the Vikings brought in six new starters — defensive lineman Jerry Tillery, outside linebackers Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel and Jihad Ward, linebacker Blake Cashman and cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

And the Vikings are rolling with a 9-2 record. That’s what has to irritate the Bears. In a year they hoped to rise, they’ve struggled and are watching the Vikings overachieve again.

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An expert scout declared, “They’re winning with Sam Darnold.”. There, that is where your conversation begins. How many places has he bounced around to since he flamed out with the Jets? They don’t have a No. 3 receiver. When it came to free agency, Aaron Jones wasn’t very popular. Again, Cam Akers is their backup. Did anyone want him? Due to his history of Achilles injuries, he was not desired. Even without the best ingredients, O’Connell is producing a fine meal from scratch. It’s best expressed that way.

“There are enough ingredients for the Bears.”. Their defense ought to rank among the top ten. They’re having trouble this year against the run. It hurts that Andrew Billings is not there. They have both a top cornerback and a top pass rusher. It hurts to lose Jaquan Brisker. That makes sense. Kevin Byard was purchased, and he has been doing well. Kyler Gordon is a talented slot corner for them. Their investment in linebackers is substantial.

“You can always complain about the offensive line when you’re on offense. This regime did not draft Teven Jenkins, but he was a high pick, and Darnell Wright was a high draft pick. Nate Davis didn’t work out. However, they added two players who can play center and they have the No. 1 pick overall at quarterback. D’Andre Swift was a running back they purchased. They made a huge payment to Keenan Allen in exchange for him. They selected Rome Odunze in the top 10 and paid DJ Moore a huge sum of money in the trade. Don’t claim that they lack ingredients. Yes, they do. They are also losing. I can’t even begin to imagine the atmosphere in that building when you lose five straight games. “”.

5. In times of crisis, drastic measures are necessary. Perhaps in the near future, the Bears will reveal a special teams fake if Matt Eberflus is feeling that way.

Although Eberflus, who is in charge of setting up a trick play, doesn’t seem to have much of a taste for sex, the Bears had better prepare for that and more in the short week leading up to their game against Detroit on Thursday.

Dan Campbell and the Lions push the boundaries of special teams gadget plays more than anyone else. The Lions have attempted 12 fake punts since Campbell took over at the beginning of the 2021 season, converting nine of them, while the Bears haven’t attempted a fake on special teams since Week 9 of the 2020 campaign.

I’m not sure where to look for a useful research tool to examine special teams fraud. Last week, I went down the rabbit hole to try to figure out when each team last tried a fake on special teams, such as a punt, field goal, or extra point. After searching the internet for a few hours, I’ve discovered that the only teams that have outlasted the Bears since their most recent special teams fic is the Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, and Washington Commanders.

Some teams, such as the Lions, have implemented several fakes since Chris Tabor, the former special teams coordinator, called one up against the Tennessee Titans in the middle of the 2020 season, and coach Matt Nagy approved it.

The Bears’ own 36-yard line was forced into a fourth-and-six situation. In the game’s final rush, which ended in a 24–17 loss, personal protector DeAndre Houston-Carson took the direct snap and passed it to linebacker Barkevious Mingo on an end-around, who gained 11 yards. The Bears actually punted from the Titans’ 45-yard line on fourth-and-2 after three more plays.

The Bears have punted 272 times without a fake since then. Richard Hightower, the special teams coordinator, and Eberflus should be surprised if and when they approve a fake. The Bears are always keeping things close to the vest, so who would expect them to become cunning?

The Dallas Cowboys would be considered a team that uses creativity (and risk) in times of need after being forced to use backup quarterback Cooper Rush. They had punter Bryan Anger loft a pass from their own 33-yard line on fourth-and-9 last Monday. The play was sniffed out by John Metchie III, and Juanyeh Thomas was tackled well short of the line to gain after Anger made contact with him. In a 34–10 loss, it was an embarrassing early failure.

The Colts’ most embarrassing special teams mishap in NFL history may have been their most recent attempt at a fake. There are undoubtedly worse outcomes, such as a turnover that could result in an instant score. Center Griff Whalen, who was actually a wide receiver, snapped the ball to quarterback Colt Anderson, who was actually a safety, in the Colts’ ridiculously poor attempt to force the Patriots to commit a pre-snap penalty. A posse of Patriots players immediately surrounded Anderson, who was the only Colts player in the middle of the field.

Considering that the Colts have changed their coaching staff several times, it makes sense that they are scarred and perhaps hesitant to call a fake.

Campbell will be inventive from anywhere on the field, so the Bears must be ready for anything when playing the Lions. During the 2023 season opener, Detroit ran a fake inside its own 20-yard line and made the conversion. When it comes to fourth-and-long situations, Campbell also uses creativity. He had punter Jack Fox throw the ball when he was set up to kick on fourth-and-12 from the Detroit 20-yard line back in Week 2. He passed for 17 yards. Over his career, Fox has completed four of five passes for four first downs and 61 yards.

Bears long snapper Scott Daly, who spent the last three seasons with the Lions, said, “It was all Campbell.”. “Every week, Dan would drop by Dave Fipp’s office, the special teams coordinator, and say, ‘Hey, I saw this. Perhaps we could use it for X, Y, and Z. It’s a little crazy.

“Guys adore it.”. It’s not the same. It’s artistic. You go through the same things, like, “This is what they’re going to show us,” so it’s kind of cool to have something creative on hand. The mere prospect of doing it excites men. ”.

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The angle that doesn’t get discussed enough is that the Lions have been so aggressive in calling and executing fakes that Fox rarely faces pressure when he’s actually punting. He’s skilled, for sure, but everyone fears a fake with Detroit so it’s extremely risky to go for a block or bail out to set up a return.

Entering Week 12, Fox ranked second in the league with a net average of 46.0 yards and third with a gross average of 51.3 yards. The Lions rank fourth in the league in punt return average allowed at 6.9 yards.

“Teams aren’t aggressive against them because of that reason and they have to respect that they’ve run so many fakes and they don’t want to get burned,” Daly said. “I don’t think the Lions have had a serious punt rush at all this year because they have to account for the wide sweep plays, they have to account for the pass. You must take into consideration each and every fake because Jack can throw the ball really well.

Jack keeps that in the back of his mind. He can simply rip it at his own pace. On the opposite side, there is an issue with his leg and that combination. “.”.

“Has the Lions ever installed something really out of the ordinary that they just never got to?” I asked Daly. “Yes” was the response. ” When preparing for the Cowboys in 2022, the Lions worked on something they dubbed the “Dallas Two Pack. “.”.

Daly stated, “We were going to run a fake punt, get the first down, and then get back on the ball and run a play again real fast.”. “Very strange. The intention was to try and surprise them. Perhaps they set off a timeout or something similar. It would keep them on their heels and if they weren’t ready, we’d just run a regular run play. We didn’t get to it. We were losing by so much that game it was ridiculous. That was one we were hoping to run that we never got to. ”.

So, maybe be on the lookout for the “Chicago Two Pack” on Thursday or something else cutting-edge when it comes to fake plays by Campbell. Or, who knows, perhaps Eberflus gets desperate and puts a fake on.

6. The Bears have a special teams problem. A week after Cairo Santos’ 46-yard field goal was blocked on the final play, a 48-yard attempt in the first quarter was blocked by Minnesota’s Jerry Tillery.

Protection was an issue again. The trajectory was low. Santos atoned later when he executed an onside kick and drilled a 48-yarder as time expired to force overtime, but you can’t have kicks blocked in consecutive weeks.

“I feel like part of it is just unlucky that we’re getting the trajectory of the ball going over the line and they’re getting that penetration exactly where — because sometimes they make a good rush but the ball starts kind of in a different part of the line to make the goal post and (the) kick goes through,” Santos said. “But it could’ve got blocked had the ball started on that line. So it’s just kind of matching the good rushes from them and good penetration and the ball starting that way.

“I kick a certain way here that’s resulted in a lot of success but things are happening and I’m working to get that changed so I can control that on my end as well. ”.

Long snapper Scott Daly said it was difficult to diagnose specifically what happened without reviewing the video.

“They did a great job of making it look like they were going to put a focus on the A gap and they went to the C gap, left block,” Daly said. “They attacked that area. ”.

Santos had hiccups on extra points and made adjustments and it sounds like he’s working to tweak his game with the trajectory on longer kicks. That fix doesn’t happen in a week but the Bears have to be better across the board — protection and kick — to avoid more miscues.

The onside kick was a thing of beauty. Santos executed what’s called a “spinner,” kicking the ball on its side.

“Dallas did a good job of being the first to do that with Greg Zuerlein in 2020,” Daly said. “They got the first one with it and teams didn’t know how to respond to it. A lot of teams are starting to use it now. Cairo did a great job. He worked really well on it and got some good spin during the week.

It can have a little bounce or rut on the grass, so you need to decide whether to attack it or let it come to you after you get the spin and add some pace. “.”.

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Camryn Bynum, the Vikings’ safety, fielded the ball before it traveled ten yards, and Tarvarius Moore was there to successfully recover it when it touched off him. The kicking team has a difficult time because they have to read the other team and determine whether they attempt to field the ball before it travels the required 10 yards before they can legally touch it first.

Josh Blackwell, a safety, stated that he expected the ball to come to him. “I should receive it. Bynum came up and grabbed it. We expect them to arrive and retrieve it. There, we are playing for the ricochet or the rebound. It was awesome. All we have to do is finish. “”.

After making the late long field goal, Santos felt better, but he’s evaluating his performance.

“I accept some of the responsibility for the current stench on our field goal unit,” he stated. We had kicked 16 50-yarders in the previous two years without having a kick blocked, and we had gone so long without having a kick blocked. And occasionally, they occur back-to-back. I knew I wouldn’t miss the ball wide, so I first trusted that I could hit the ball well enough to make a clutch kick if it came to that. I’m just getting it blocked or making kicks. Despite my strong self-confidence, I need to improve in order to prevent this situation from happening to us again.

“It’s difficult for me to continue and change because I simply don’t see a mishit type of low kick. However, I do have a driven, piercing ball flight that helps me make my kicks in windy conditions, which we had.”. It’s always windy here, but the wind wasn’t too bad. You always try to hit the ball the same, but this week I’m always looking for how can I maximize my height with my ball flight so I don’t have to rely on playing the wind as much. So it’s a learning curve for me too and I take responsibility for that. ”.

7. Aaron Jones scored a 1-yard touchdown run to put the Vikings ahead 24–10 after DeAndre Carter muffed a punt late in the third quarter, dealing a severe blow to special teams.

It was an uncharacteristic error by the veteran Carter, who was trying to get away from the bouncing ball that was recovered by linebacker Bo Richter after it hit him.

“That’s on me,” Carter said. I need to get better. I made an attempt to call a “Peter.”. Gotta get out of the way of the ball. That’s on me. I let the team down today. Game shouldn’t have been in the situation it was in. I felt bad for the guys. Richard Hightower, special teams coordinator, made me feel sorry for him. He is an incredible coordinator. does a fantastic job. And it makes me very disappointed in myself that I put the team in such a precarious situation. “”.

Carter’s 55-yard kickoff return to the Minnesota 40-yard line should not be overlooked in the comeback as the Bears scored 11 points in the final minute to get to overtime. If Carter doesn’t flip the field, there might not have been an onside kick attempt.

“I wouldn’t say I was making amends,” Carter remarked. “We didn’t win the game.”. But the guys in front performed admirably. On it, Collin Johnson had an excellent block. It simplified my work.

The only thing we need to do is be more consistent. I’ll say that for myself. simply carrying out your daily duties. according to play by play. All of us are looking for that. “”.

Overall, Carter has been good. He is averaging 33 points on kickoff returns, including a 67-yarder, and 9 points on punt returns. During a game in which the Bears made far too many serious errors, he made a glaring error.

8. After the Bears scored with 7:22 left to pull within 24-16, many people contacted me on X, the social media site that was formerly known as Twitter, to ask why in the world they attempted a two-point conversion.

Keenan Allen’s pass attempt was not completed. It makes sense based on the analytics. Going for two makes sense when a team is down 14 points late in a game because it effectively gives them a chance to win in regulation.

“This topic is essentially beating a dead horse,” Football Perspective wrote in 2015. “The math has been clear for so long, and been presented by so many writers.”. It has always made sense for a team to go for two points late in a game after scoring a touchdown to reduce a lead from 14 to 8. Two chances are given to the trailing team. “.”.

According to the theory, you can win the game with a touchdown and an extra point if you score a touchdown and make a two-point conversion to get within six. After a second touchdown, you can still tie the game with a two-point conversion if you miss the conversion, as the Bears did.

Why is it that winning the coin flip is so strongly correlated with winning overtime? Even though Matt Eberflus supported the plan to win the game in regulation, the Bears lost the game despite winning the flip.

“We have a great two-point play,” Eberflus remarked. “We intended to win the game with a touchdown. At that point, we were satisfied with where we were in the game and how it was flowing. We believed that to be our best chance of winning. “.”.

You can learn more about it by reading the Football Perspective article.

9. . In the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 24-19 snowy loss to Cleveland on Thursday, Justin Fields saw some action.

With six games left, it’s important to keep an eye on Russell Wilson’s performance because the Bears will need a fourth- or sixth-round draft pick to complete the trade. Wilson has been excellent for coach Mike Tomlin so far.

According to the agreement, the Bears will get a sixth-round selection. It becomes a fourth-round pick if Fields plays more than half of the offensive snaps for the Steelers. Fields got off to a strong start by starting the first six games of the season. As I stated when he was benched for Wilson in October, Fields needs to play approximately three complete games, or eleven more quarters, to guarantee that he receives more than half of the snaps.

That seems unlikely at this point unless the Steelers (9-2) bench Wilson or an injury occurs. Fields carried the ball three times, including a 30-yard run, during his seven snaps against the Browns. The previous week, he played three plays against Baltimore. Every little bit helps but he will need to reclaim the starting job for the pick to improve.

10. If you are wondering about the draft, the Bears would be selecting at No. 12 in the first round based on the current standings, according to Tankathon . com.

They are at the bottom of a group of 4-7 teams based on strength of schedule (. 558). Barring a shift there, the Bears will lose a tiebreaker with every team picking ahead of them. They could move up with more losses but any tie or logjam will likely result in them being behind any team(s) they are tied with.

The pro-tanking crowd should think long and hard about the benefit of Caleb Williams and other young players performing well down the stretch to have a platform to build upon in 2025. That’s real. This team needs to figure out how to win, especially in these close games.

10a. Safety Tarvarius Moore didn’t just have the recovery on the onside kick. He was credited with three solo tackles on special teams. That’s a bright spot for that group.

10b. The “no”. 1 CBS crew of Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson will call the Bears-Lions game on Thanksgiving from Ford Field.

10c. At Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, the Lions were a 10 1/2-point favorite to defeat the Bears in Thursday’s game at Ford Field. Detroit has lost seven consecutive games on Thanksgiving, including to the Bears in 2021, 2019 and 2018.