Right now, almost everything about the Chicago Bears feels broken.
As the winless Bears (0-4) visit Washington (2-2) Thursday night, Chase Claypool, the receiver that the Bears traded for to help Fields, is not even allowed to be at Halas Hall, much less playing football. The defense is allowing 34.5 points per game and has given up 1,533 yards already this year. They looked to have Denver beaten last week, only to allow the Broncos to come back from a 21-point deficit (28-7) to get the win (31-28).
And quarterback Justin Fields, drafted in the 2021 draft as the future savior, might not be a lost cause, not at all, but he looks like a beaten man. Take a look at the AP photo from this story.
It’s no secret Fields hasn’t been great this season. But he is coming off a performance where he missed only seven passes (28-of-35), threw for 335 yards, and four touchdowns. He was intercepted and he was sacked four times. Struggles of a young quarterback often include an offensive line that’s – well, offensive.
Still, Fields is at least part of the reason the franchise has lost 14 straight games dating back to last season, and there’s even a rumor that coach Matt Eberflus won’t even make it out of Washington tonight if the Bears lose (Would Chicago Bears actually fire Matt Eberflus at mini-bye?)
And what’s scary about that is that it comes from longtime NFL wiseguy Peter King, who has broken way more than a story or two in his day. King is one of the most respected journalists ever to cover professional football. If he says there’s truth to the possibility Eberflus might be let go during the season, believe it.
Still, the Bears have tonight to focus on. Here’s the Associated Press preview of the game, and a bit more on the Bears’ plight: Mired in chaos off the field and winless on it, the Bears visit Washington hoping to spring an upset.
One can’t help but wonder, what if the San Francisco 49ers had picked Fields instead of Trey Lance in that draft; if Fields and gone to the 49ers and Lance had gone to Chicago, would both be thriving?
What if.
Washington, on the other hand, has to feel pretty good about themselves. They did lose to Philadelphia, but they took the defending NFC champs to overtime, a week after getting blasted by Buffalo (37-3). It’s certainly not time to throw a party if they manage to beat the Bears. But it would leave them 3-2, a few days off before going to Atlanta the following week, and the New York Giants – who are also a mess right now – on Oct. 22.
Howell is 94-of-140 for 961 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions, and led by Brian Robinson, the team has 426 rushing yards and is averaging 106 rush yards a game.
Defensively, though, they could be better: two interceptions by the Commanders’ defense all season, and only three fumble recoveries. They do have 13 sacks to date, and 27 tackles for loss.
For the record, the staff here at thefootballbeat.com was almost unanimous on this pick, in favor of Washington — only videographer Jacob Lucas picked the Bears to get their first win.
See the more on the NFL’s schedule this weekend, and our complete picks, here on the site on Friday.
