Wk 1 // Bears def. Lions 27-23

[dplank]

I'm not 100% ready to blame Pagano. I would shed zero tears if he was fired, but I think we're all seeing how much of a treasure Fangio was, and how brilliant of a gamesman he is. He's missed in that building.

Losing Goldman and Quinn not dressing sucked, but nothing's scarier than Khalil Mack being a non-factor, which he mostly was. That worries me a ton.

Yea fair point. It’s all about the pass rush, everything revolves around that. We need Quinn out there, but Mack/Hicks gotta get more pressure. I don’t know why the pass rush has tanked sine Vic left, but it has.

[The Cooler King]

I'm not 100% ready to blame Pagano. I would shed zero tears if he was fired, but I think we're all seeing how much of a treasure Fangio was, and how brilliant of a gamesman he is. He's missed in that building.

Losing Goldman and Quinn not dressing sucked, but nothing's scarier than Khalil Mack being a non-factor, which he mostly was. That worries me a ton.

While Pagano is no Fangio, the explanation is unfortunately likely much simpler. Elite Ds rarely stay elite long. This iterations elite window may be closed, and Pace locked into part of it this offseason with Danny T and he looked slow today.

This Bears team is bad, but not bad enough to be in a position for Lawrence probably.

[wab]

On a positive note, Bilal Nichols looked really good.

[UOK]

Part of why it failed is that Fangio has a renowned ability to create mismatches and predict opposing offense's next moves. He's a chess master, and that's why he's a head coach.

Pagano simply isn't special. The beauty of the Nagy/Fangio dynamic for that one magic season was akin to Ditka/Ryan - two head coaches joining their efforts to create something special. That's not something that really happens in the NFL anymore - hell, it didn't really happen then, either.

[Xee]

Losing Goldman and Quinn not dressing sucked, but nothing's scarier than Khalil Mack being a non-factor, which he mostly was. That worries me a ton.

Just curious as I wasn't paying attention, how many people did they have on Mack during the game?

[Mikefive]

This game was an absolute gift from the Lions. Rookie drops game winning TD at the end. And the Matt Patricia lions let another 4th quarter lead slip away. They helped us out A LOT.

Having one of their starting LBs get tossed was a complete joke. The guy was trying to illustrate something to the ref and made inadvertent contact. That shouldn't be cause to eject a player. The refs have discretion on calls like that. At worst, he should've gotten a verbal warning from the official. And if you're going to say "the rule is that a player can't touch an official", then Mitch Trubisky and another player should've also been booted, since I saw 2 other instances of official touching. I say this as a former official.

I'm sorry, but this is a scary game to me. We were supposed to see a QB who has improved and who has no shoulder issue holding him back. Instead we saw same old Mitch, who can't do squat until we're behind and the other team goes prevent. He was under 50% in the first half when Detroit was playing regular coverage. Sure, Mitch made some good throws in the game. But he made a LOT of really bad ones that were wildly inaccurate with bad footwork on full display. I think we're going to see Foles by week 4-5.

I wonder if anybody noticed that Jaylon Johnson was a total stud out there today. I isolated on him some and he was outstanding. Allowed 1 tightly contested catch and caused the interception. Can't say enough praise for that guy's first NFL game. We might have the best 1-2 CB combo in the league right now.

I did like Nagy's commitment to the run game today. That was nice to see.

I saw Mack get a number of pressures or near-pressures. I don't think he was as bad as many are making it seem. I never noticed Hicks until he got his sack late in the 4th. And he was playing against a rookie RG. He must have an issue. Their run game showed that we really missed Goldman.

[IotaNet]

Bottom line: #LionsGonnaLion

A couple other notes:

I think that a lack of a preseason hurt the offense from a “get in synch” standpoint.

Quinn was supposed to be a difference maker - his absence allowed them to key on Mack.

I’m still not sold on our running game.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

What a day for Chicago sports!

Bears come back for the win, and the Cubs pitcher tosses a no-no. Wow!!

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

Losing Goldman and Quinn not dressing sucked, but nothing's scarier than Khalil Mack being a non-factor, which he mostly was. That worries me a ton.

Just curious as I wasn't paying attention, how many people did they have on Mack during the game?

Most of the day it looked like one.

[MoFugger]

Yea we’re done. Tank for Trevor time

Not trying to be a dick......

But I LOVE this halftime post

[The Cooler King]

Yea we’re done. Tank for Trevor time

Not trying to be a dick......

But I LOVE this halftime post

dplank is still right. We should probably be tanking for Lawrence.

[dplank]

Yea we’re done. Tank for Trevor time

Not trying to be a dick......

But I LOVE this halftime post

It’s my usual

[docc]

When a team, is UP 23-6 in 4th..it should NEVER come down to one drop..
If it does..you were beat..

[docc]

TDs
Aaron Rodgers
GB 127.5 32 44 72.7 364 8.3 4 0 17 0 0 0 0
Russell Wilson
SEA 143.1 31 35 88.6 322 9.2 4 0 15 3 23 1 0
Patrick Mahomes
KC 123.3 24 32 75.0 211 6.6 3 0 16 1 8 0 0
Gardner Minshew II
JAX 142.3 19 20 95.0 173 8.7 3 0 11 4 23 0 0
Mitchell Trubisky
CHI 104.2 20 36 55.6 242 6.7 3 0 15 1 28 1 0

3Tds..No Ints..will go a long way.. I value that most. rating ? Just get 3-4 Tds and no ints..and have the D do what it SHOULD,
IF he can continue and start it earlier. First half was like preseason..shaky and disorganized.
Second..and 4th quarter was awesome and CLUTCH

[wab]

It’s incredible that he can be shit for two quarters and still pull this off.

242 yards
20/36
3TDs
0 INT
104.2 rating
1W

[docc]

I expected NO ONE to look great early..no live action..no preseason..
Now the test is on..

[dplank]

It’s incredible that he can be shit for two quarters and still pull this off.

242 yards
20/36
3TDs
0 INT
104.2 rating
1W

I guess I'm crazy, but I didn't think he looked bad in the first half. He wasn't our problem at all, Graham missed a couple plays that really could have helped him, one for a score. And our defense couldn't get off the field on 3rd downs, limiting our opportunities.

I'm very satisfied with his play, if he can play like this all season I'll eat crow on him and hope we sign him to a long term deal.

I'm also happy with our OL play and running attack.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

The question is now. Will Nagy start calling the game in such a way that it gets Trubisky into a 4th quarter comeback mentality from the start of the game. Bootlegs, scrambles, etc. Or is he going to continue to push to keep Mitch in the pocket, and force him into being something he's not.

[The Cooler King]

It’s incredible that he can be shit for two quarters and still pull this off.

242 yards
20/36
3TDs
0 INT
104.2 rating
1W

I guess I'm crazy, but I didn't think he looked bad in the first half. He wasn't our problem at all, Graham missed a couple plays that really could have helped him, one for a score. And our defense couldn't get off the field on 3rd downs, limiting our opportunities.

I'm very satisfied with his play, if he can play like this all season I'll eat crow on him and hope we sign him to a long term deal.

He wasn't 2019 awful, but also far from good. Even if you give him the couple Graham plays, it definitely looked like a QB unfamiliar with his supporting cast, at best (but still had some happy looking feet). Let's hope it was preseason rust and he can overcome that, and the 4th quarter magic was real.

[MoFugger]

Not trying to be a dick......

But I LOVE this halftime post

It’s my usual

It reminded me how much I miss watching games with my dad.... Only he wouldn't wait till halftime.

[britbear]

I don't know - maybe I'm seeing the glass half full because of the W - but I wonder whether the 3 quarters of crap were down to no preseason games? Perhaps by the 4th they seemed to have got their regular season heads on their shoulders. Certainly mistakes were to be expected.

Then again, would I have been writing this if the Detroit RB had caught that TD? Probably not.

I guess we'll know more next Sunday when we play the Giants.

[HurricaneBear]

It’s incredible that he can be shit for two quarters and still pull this off.

242 yards
20/36
3TDs
0 INT
104.2 rating
1W

I guess I'm crazy, but I didn't think he looked bad in the first half. He wasn't our problem at all, Graham missed a couple plays that really could have helped him, one for a score. And our defense couldn't get off the field on 3rd downs, limiting our opportunities.

I'm very satisfied with his play, if he can play like this all season I'll eat crow on him and hope we sign him to a long term deal.

I'm also happy with our OL play and running attack.

I felt the same way. He had a few bad please but also a few plays where Graham, Robinson, and Miller all left him hanging Imo. He was far from great but give him those plays And its a much different first half for him and the Bears

[HisRoyalSweetness]

The offense had one penalty, the delay of game. Think about that fellas - one!

No false starts, no holding, no illegal hands to the face, no illegal formations - that's a huge advance compared to last year.

Combined with how effective the running game was, huge kudos have to go to Castillo for getting the O-line playing as well and cleanly as they did especially with all the preseason limitations.

[VA_Mountain_Bear]

Besides the killer comeback for Mitch lets not forget that in teh first half if A. Rob holds onto that laser from Mitch it's a TD, or we get the PI call, we likely score one. If Graham jumps on time we get another 1st and possible at least get FG, if Nags kicks instead of going for it on 4th and 8 we get another FG....in which case it wouldn't even matter if Swift held on or not at the end.

Here are some take aways: 1. Mitch was going through his progressions and not getting antsy in the pocket better than I have ever seen him. He was stepping into throws with much better feet and hips. Not saying he was perfect, but come one guys, you have to have noticed as well.
2. Oline - the run blocking and pass pro were probably better today than any game last season. Mitch had time to throw, RBs had a chance.
3. While Monty was clearly not ready for a full load with groin, he made good when used, Patterson as a sub-in RB is a good choice, and Cohen was used better overall though I'd like to see him go out in the slot more than horizontal down the flat. Still an improvement.

Most other things about the Dline and Nag's play calling have been mentioned, I hope both improve, but I think Nags DID show some improvement in game design over last year.

[Xee]

I don't have a detailed breakdown but I just want to say I'm just going to enjoy this win for now. It was an exciting 4th quarter with one of most improbable wins since the '06 Arizona game. And if you look at the numbers, we actually came back from a bigger deficit in a shorter amount of time.

Yes, there's a lot to say about us being in that position in the first place but good teams find a way to win and that's what the Bears did today.

[GSH]

ya boy put $20 on the bears at the start of the 4th when we were 250-1. Thats pretty much a new set of tires paid for on my porsche, lol. Love you Lions.

[grendel2000]

I think Mitch's problems are between his ears. The more he has time to think the worse he is. When he's on the move (improvising) and when they go to Hurry-Up he's MUCH better and I can only assume it's because he has less time to f*ck with himself mentally.

I Half way wonder if it's confidence that trips him up. The he has that extra time maybe it allows him to second guess decision instead of just DOING / reacting to what he sees.

Nagy would do well to keep things more up temp and keep Mitch moving around more often. Keep him out of his own way!

[HisRoyalSweetness]

Bears: 17
Lions: 13

@Middleguard, there appears to have been a small problem with my prediction. The 2's I typed seem to have registered as 1's! Do take that into consideration when doing your calculations there's a good chap.

[BreadNCircuses]

Outside of Wilson/Rogers/Jackson, I didn't see a whole lot of QBs firing on all cylinders today. Both Brady and Brees had much worse games than I'd expected.

I'm going to be happy with this win this week, and see how we build off it the next couple weeks. I liked the improvement I saw in the run game, I didn't like how the defense looked for much of the game. Let's see how we look next week.

[dplank]

Outside of Wilson/Rogers/Jackson, I didn't see a whole lot of QBs firing on all cylinders today. Both Brady and Brees had much worse games than I'd expected.

I'm going to be happy with this win this week, and see how we build off it the next couple weeks. I liked the improvement I saw in the run game, I didn't like how the defense looked for much of the game. Let's see how we look next week.

Yea me too. I can’t believe our defense could be this bad, really hoping they get it together fast. But I’m thrilled with our OL and Mitch both. Quinn needs to get out there and Chuck needs to find a way to create pressure.