The Chicago Bears had multiple opportunities to come away with a win in Week 9 against the New Orleans Saints but instead lost their second-straight game. Neither team seemed to want to take over the game in the fourth quarter.
Tyson Bagent turned over the ball thrice in the fourth quarter, with the Saints up 24-17. The Saints turned over the ball on downs, missed a field goal, and punted once with excellent field position.
Head coach Matt Eberflus has talked about how he believes the team will finally “crack” and turn around their losing ways. It felt like the Bears were going to do that Sunday when the Saints kept giving the Bears chances to tie the game.
Unfortunately, turnovers killed any chance of a Bears victory. They will take a 2-7 record into their Thursday night matchup with the Carolina Panthers in Week 10.
Justin Fields might start that contest, but most fans watching the game will be thinking about how the highest draft pick in 2024 between the Bears and the Panthers will likely be spent on bringing another quarterback to Chicago.
Here are three studs and duds from the loss.
Chicago Bears studs
Cole Kmet
Kmet had a big performance for the Bears Sunday. He finished with 55 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Kmet is having a nice season for the Bears after signing his contract extension. He now has five touchdown receptions in 2023.
Darnell Mooney
Mooney started the week rumored as a player the Bears could trade before the deadline. Against the Saints, Mooney looked like a wide receiver who knows he has to put up better tape for his next contract. He finished with five catches for 82 yards.
Mooney showed nice speed and ability to run after making a catch. It was his best performance of the season, and he’ll need to show more of that to stay in Chicago.
Linebackers
Jack Sanborn and T.J. Edwards were all over the field making plays. Sanborn finished the game with ten tackles and one tackle for loss. Edwards finished with 15 tackles and one tackle for loss.
The Bears asked Sanborn to step up with Tremaine Edmunds unable to play with a knee injury. Sanborn and Edwards snuffed out the Saints’ dangerous rushing attack.
Chicago Bears duds
Tyson Bagent
There’s no quarterback controversy in Chicago. Bagent’s lost fumble and three interceptions cost the Bears a chance to win their third game of the season. Bagent started the game hot, throwing for 47 yards and a touchdown on the Bears’ first possession.
However, Bagent, like last week against the Los Angeles Chargers, struggled in obvious passing downs when the team was behind. Bagent’s interceptions seem to be a cause of velocity, and his physical limitations at the NFL level are apparent.
Offensive line/penalties
Turnovers might have put the Bears six feet under, but penalties were the shovel that dug the grave. The offensive line was the main culprit for bad penalties. A holding penalty by Darnell Wright on the second drive put the Bears in a bad situation on second down, and that was the play Bagent forced a pass downfield that was intercepted.
The Bears were penalized eight times for 71 total yards against the Saints. The Saints had just one penalty for five yards. Turnovers and penalties are the hallmarks of a poorly coached team.
Pass Rush/Montez Sweat
The Bears traded a second-round pick for Sweat before the trade deadline. They extended the pass rusher to a four-year deal worth over $100 million Saturday. Chicago can cut Sweat some slack, as it was his first week with the Bears.
But the overall pass rush was non-existent with Sweat in the game. The Bears recorded no sacks against the Saints. That needs to change soon with the money they’re investing in Sweat.
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