Picture this: You are walking out of work on a Sunday at 6 p.m., you started your shift at noon and have not checked your phone (other than the time) all day. Finally, you nervously look at your phone in anticipation of how the Bears game turned out, and you not only become elated that they won, but also the fact that Mitch Trubisky conducted a 21 unanswered-point comeback to end the game. Oh yeah, on top of that, the red-hot Alec Mills threw a no-hitter while the Cubs squashed the Milwaukee Brewers 12-0. You scream in shock and joy, throw in a little happy dance, and think that you just HAD to miss the most fantastic Chicago sports day of the year.
The scenario above was exactly what I experienced this past Sunday, although I desperately wish I could have been there to witness the entirety of it, I can probably relate to most fans by saying that I have not felt that happy and pumped up in quite some time.
Within this article, I will give my thoughts and recap on the game v.s. the Detroit Lions and preview the upcoming matchup we have v.s. the New York Giants.
If you haven't already, please feel free to check out my introduction article, I had a blast putting it together. You will get to know more about me, my background, and my plans for this website here:
My Early Week Prediction For Game: Lions Win 24-17
Actual Score: Bears Win 27-23
Boy, Did We Get LUCKY
D'Andre Swift, Hurt In Disappointment As He Dropped A Game Winning TD Pass v.s. Chicago
(Credit: MSN)
Let us be real, as beautiful as the team’s comeback was, the Bears got exponentially lucky on how it all ended in their favor. Lions rookie Running Back D’Andre Swift was wide open near the end zone, QB Matthew Stafford threw a perfect pass that even my 13-year old dog could have caught, and Swift dropped it. As happy as I am for my team to score their first season-opening win since 2013, I feel awful for Swift. He is a talented back that I believe has a bright future ahead of him, yet he just so happened to make a crucial mistake at the absolute worst time possible. No matter how his career ends up, he will always be remembered for how he dropped a wide-open game-winning pass in his debut. The incident will be a challenging hole for Swift to climb out of, but I am confident he will shake it off and generate positive noise in this week’s matchup v.s the Green Bay Packers and down the road.
Not only did Chicago get lucky with Swift’s mishap, but Lions Kicker Matt Prater missed a 55-yard field goal with four minutes remaining in the 4th quarter too, giving the Bears a much shorter field to drive down and score. If Prater made that kick, the Lions would not have to of hurried and score a touchdown while down by four at the very end, but rather slow down and run the clock once they entered field goal range. Is it guaranteed that Prater would have made a potential game-winning field goal at the end? No, but the odds would have been much better to pull off a victory if he just made the kick minutes before.
Instead, the Bears pull away with the W and start 1-0, while the Lions start the season on a gloomy note with a loss that left a brutal mark.
As Great As Trubisky’s 4th Quarter Heroics Were, Please Do Not Get Carried Away Just Yet
As much as I, and most football fans, crap on Trubisky, one thing has been previously proven: He has stood up and performed well in clutch moments throughout his career. The problem is that whenever he would complete his heroics, other people *cough* *cough* kickers *cough* *cough* eventually ruined it for him. So the QB deserves credit in those regards, and we are incredibly fortunate that the outcome finally went in his favor for once, resulting in a win. Not only did he just perform in the clutch on the final drive that resulted in an absolute DIME (shocked that I just said to describe a Trubisky throw) to Anthony Miller for what would be a 27-yard game-winning touchdown. You must give him and the offense credit for their performance at the end, as it could be a scarce occasion for us to celebrate our team’s offensive display this season.
Mitch Trubisky, Celebrating His Game Winning TD Pass To The Man Who Caught It, Anthony Miller
(Credit: Chicago Tribune)
However, let us please pump the breaks a bit, shall we? Unsurprisingly, the group of die-hard Trubisky supporters rose to the spotlight and deafeningly claimed that "he is back!" It would only be a matter of time before the pleas of those people would rise whenever the QB would have one good performance again. But to my surprise, that exact scenario just so happened to occur immediately at the start of the season.
I get it; I am happy that the avid Trubisky supporters had their moment right away, as I am also someone who, despite my criticisms, am obviously rooting for the man to succeed consistently. But I put a strong emphasis on the word “consistently”; we need to see more quality play from the QB in a span of multiple games. Also, we cannot just be limited to seeing him succeed in the 4th quarter, as their eventual comeback overshadowed the awful, bland first three quarters of the Bears performance. Fans must also consider that the team was facing the Lions defense, a unit with a few good players but is an overall mediocre bunch that is hardly a challenge to defeat in the first place.
Overall, we need to see Trubisky play consistently well while doing so at times against (at worst) above-average defenses. Fortunately for the offense, they (as of now) do not face a defense worth truly worrying about for quite some time. The Bears following five games include matchups v.s the New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Carolina Panthers. Although teams may change as weeks go by, Trubisky may be able to play well in some, if not all, of those upcoming games. But let us see how he does versus a quality defense or two in order to truly judge him and his season.
The State Of The Opponent: New York Giants
The Giants were penciled in to play in the first Monday Night Football game of the year, but disappointed in a 26-16 loss v.s. the Pittsburgh Steelers. QB Daniel Jones entered 2020 with high expectations for a second-year breakout but is unfortunately caught in a cycle of a tough opening schedule of good defenses to face. Last week was a match against (who I believe) is the best defense in the league in the Steelers. Now, this week is test against the Bears, while the San Fransisco 49ers and L.A. Rams follow afterward.
So far, Jones is an up-and-down QB, who can light up the stat sheet one week and have a colossal amount of failures another week. But that sort of inconsistency is common for a young QB, and I believe the talent of Jones will consistently shine sooner than later.
Believe it or not, Jones has YET to play a snap with his entire arsenal of starting weapons in his career so far. This includes Running Back Saquon Barkley, Wide Receivers Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate, Darius Slayton, and Tight End Evan Engram. If Golden Tate can remain off the injury report come Sunday, we will finally see what Jones can do with his entire offense on the field. Besides Barkley, none of the players mentioned should be considered significant, but no one can deny that they are all (at least) quality players.
Daniel Jones, In Motion In A 2019 Week 12 Matchup v.s. The Bears (Credit: Big Blue View)
The Giants defense, on the other hand, is nothing worth bragging about. I dislike having to face a familiar Green Bay foe in Linebacker Blake Martinez, but no one else on the defense intimidates me. The defense got carved out QB Ben Roethlisberger last week while also allowing backup Running Back Benny Snell Jr. to come in and rush for over 100+ yards, too.
The State Of The Bears
We got our fortunate win in Detroit, so as chaotic and unique as everything was last weekend, it is now time to move on to what is ahead of us with New York. However, as Bears Nation wanted to focus on their upcoming matchup at hand, the Allen Robinson contract saga reached new heights early in the week, and it became quite tense.
Reports came out that the star Wide Receiver was still unhappy with his contract situation, as he is only under control for the remainder of the season. In fact, it got so ugly, the reports indicated that Robinson had requested a trade out of Chicago. The fear of losing our ONLY solid offensive player draped over Bears Nation, sending everyone into a frenzy. That was a future article that I was not hoping to write. Thankfully, Robinson and his agent, Brandon Parker, at least denied the trade request, as tensions now seem to be lowered, at least for now. I am all for #ExtendAR; the man deserves his money and is far too important to let go. But the last thing Coach Matt Nagy and his squad needs are to have a controversy involving one of your best and most beloved players right at the beginning of the year.
Excuse The Blurry Photo, Instead Admire The Hilarious And Factual Meme
(Credit: Chicago Bears Memes)
Anyway, the Bears may be no Steelers, not even close, but I believe our offense has enough to get past the Giants defense. The only problem is despite last week’s heroics and a win, Trubisky and company must remember again that you must try to perform well in all four quarters, rather than just one. Regardless, it will likely another display of a below-average offense v.s. a below-average defense.
My Preseason Prediction For This Game: Bears win
My Pick Now: Bears still win
Final Score: Bears 27 - Giants 19
Heading into this week, I have picked the game to be a little closer than I originally anticipated. But I still predict the Bears to pull out of this one with a victory.
If Golden Tate is healthy, having Daniel Jones with a complete arsenal of healthy weapons could be more impactful than I believe fans realize. A huge key for the Giants will be having Saquon Barkley rebound from an abysmal showing last week, as my Offensive Player Of The Year pick had 6 yards on 15 carries, tallying 0.4 yards per carry v.s. the stout Steelers defense. I do not care if Barkley and the Giants were facing eleven T-Rex’s on the field, 0.4 yards per carry is an embarrassment for a man as amazingly talented as Barkley is. I will not expect a ton from him against Chicago, but it should not be challenging to bounce-back from his stat-line last week. However, it is not enough for them to secure a win, yet rather start the year 0-2.
What is making me genuinely confident in picking the Bears this week is their own rushing attack, as I think David Montgomery will have himself a great game. As I mentioned, the Giants defense gave up 100+ yards to Benny Snell Jr. While he appears to be a good, up-and-coming Running Back, I believe Montgomery could have an even better outing. The Iowa State product averaged just under 5 yards a carry against the Lions, recording 64 yards on 13 carries. If Matt Nagy unleashes him a bit, and the Offensive Line performs well again (two big ifs), I would not be shocked if Montgomery has 100+ yards himself and a TD come Sunday.
David Montgomery, Showing You Just How High Your Potential Is
(Credit: Bears Wire - USA Today)
The Giants offense, if fully healthy, v.s. the Bears defense will be an underrated match that is worth watching. But whichever team weakness (Bears offense or Giants defense) fails more will likely determine how the game ends up. By no means should you sleep entirely on New York this week, but nothing changes with my early season prediction, as I have faith in the Bears having a recently rare 2-0 start by the week’s end.
If you read through this whole article, pat yourself on the back because you are a gem. While you are at it, please feel free to let me know what you think and tap the heart icon at the bottom, if you wish.
Thank you and Bear Down!