Bears' loss to Eagles hints at something a little more sinister than just a blowout

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It would’ve been one thing for the Bears to lose to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday because of the significant talent gap a 3-8 team and a 10-1 outfit. But not only were the Bears completely out-manned at Lincoln Financial Field, they were undisciplined and sloppy in a 31-3 defeat.

Where to begin? Six bullet points here:

— The Bears’ second-longest offensive play of the first half came when Mitchell Trubisky was intercepted by Malcolm Jenkins, who was stripped of the ball by Dion Sims, with Tre McBride recovering the fumble. That play gained 10 yards; only an 18-yard completion to Dontrelle Inman on third-and-21 was longer.

— The Bears had more penalty yards (36, on six flags) than offensive yards (34, on 16 plays) in the first half. Ex-Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery caught five passes for 52 yards in the first half, including a touchdown with five seconds left.

— The Bears did not record a first down in the first half, while the Eagles racked up 16.

— Trubisky completed five of nine passes for 27 yards with in interception and rating of 21.3 in the first half. Jordan Howard carried five times for six yards, four of which came on one carry.

— Two of the Bears’ first-half drives began between their own 40-yard line and the Eagles’ 40-yard line. On those two drives, the Bears ran eight plays for 13 yards. The Bears also had two drives in the first half start inside their own 10-yard line due to special teams penalties.

— LeGarrett Blunt averaged 9.6 yards per carry in the first half, punctuated by a highlight-reel hurdle of safety Eddie Jackson. Carson Wentz completed 15/22 passes with three touchdowns, and his 16-yard scramble — triggered by an eye-popping spin move to avoid a blitzing Cre’Von LeBlanc — was another exclamation-point play.

These focus on the first half since, essentially, the game was over after 30 minutes. The Eagles held a 24-0 lead going into halftime and understandably took their foot off the gas a little in the final two quarters — something the best team in the NFL can afford to do against one of the worst. The Bears had previously played close games against most of their opponents, but losing by 28 with such poor play on Sunday doesn’t reflect well on anyone wearing a Bears jersey or cap on the sidelines.

The Bears are now 3-8 in 2017 and 12-31 in the John Fox era.

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