Whose arrows are up and down after the Bears' 41-25 loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The McCaskeys avoid mid-season firings like the plague, but if Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace lost their jobs tomorrow, would anyone be surprised? Or find it unfair? The Bears were already well short on talent going into Sunday night’s game against Green Bay, but their 41-25 loss looked about as apathetic as any loss in the Matt Nagy era. After another thoroughly unenjoyable waste of primetime television, here’s where the arrows are pointing:
Arrow Down – Buster Skrine Davante Adams is as tough an assignment as anyone, but Skrine got worked pretty good on Sunday night. Adams finished with six catches for 61 yards and a touchdown, though that’s not all Skrine’s fault – some of that came after he was switched off him out of necessity. The Packers attacked Skrine early, often, and with consistent success. He also somehow finished with a game-high 11 tackles? It was a weird night.
Arrow Down – Chuck Pagano Perhaps no one got more exposed on Sunday night than Pagano, who was so thoroughly out-coached in the first half that it didn’t much matter what happened in the second. By halftime, the defense had already allowed 27 points, 213 yards, 18 first downs, and a 83% success rate on 3rd down (5-6). Akiem Hick’s absence was glaring, though arguably not as much as Danny Trevathan’s (and Buster Skrine’s, but we talked about that already) limitations in pass coverage. Chicago spent much of the first half only rushing three or four, which, if you can believe it, didn’t really work against Aaron Rodgers; the Packers’ offense was on the field for 22 of the first 30 minutes. It felt like every Green Bay receiver had 5-6 yards in front of him after the catch. The game plan didn’t work from the get-go, and by the time adjustments were made, it was too late.
Arrow Up – David Montgomery His 57-yard run in the first quarter was the longest of his two-year career, so that’s nice for him. He was as involved with the offense as he’s been all year, finishing with 103 rushing yards (11 rushes) and 40 receiving yards (five catches) with a touchdown. He ran hard through the whistle all night, which is commendable on a night where not everyone on the Bears can say the same.
Arrow Down – Mitch Trubisky While something about the offense does seems to work “better” with him in there, there’s no denying that Trubisky played poorly. Both interceptions he threw were textbook Mitch, complete with staring down his guy before trying to force a throw into coverage that wasn’t there. He overthrew guys, under-threw guys, and ran out of bounds for a loss instead of throwing the ball away. He finished with 242 yards, if that’s something you cared to know. It is what it is at this point – he’s got five games left in Chicago.
Arrow Up – Allen Robinson Crazy what happens when you target your best players in the red zone! Robinson left a touchdown on the field in the first quarter, but played well after that, catching eight balls for 74 yards and two scores.
Hon. Mention Up: Darnell Mooney; that one Jaylon Johnson hit; the game ending before midnight
Hon. Mention Down: Where to starrt? The pass rush; Eddie Jackson; tackling; Robert Quinn; Jimmy Graham; the O-Line; TV execs who keep putting the Bears on primetime; empty Lambeau Field
