Sloppy weather at Soldier Field led to some sloppy play for the Bears offense on Sunday, including four interceptions. But the Bears didn’t blame the weather for their poor play after the game. In fact, Cole Kmet took accountability for his part in allowing the Cardinals to get out to a 14-0 first quarter lead, based on a ball that he dropped that turned into an interception.
“Mine, I thought kind of set the tone for the rest of the game,” Kmet said. “So, I put that on myself. Yeah, (the weather’s) tough. But we’re professionals. We have to be able to execute when needed, regardless of the conditions outside.
“Ball is wet and kind of just slips through, and you’ve just got to be able to focus and be more focused on catching the ball than what you’re going to do after the ball. So yeah, just have to be better about that.
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At that point, the Bears were only down 7-0, and were on the Cardinals’ 20 yard line. While a short field goal isn’t a given, especially in the rain, it felt like the Bears could cap a long drive with at least three points. Instead, the ball ended up in Budda Baker’s hands, and Baker took it 77 yards to the Bears’ 15 yard line. Five plays later it was 14-0.
From that point forward the game always felt out of reach for the Bears, even though they made it a one-score game midway through the second quarter.
“We as receivers feel like if it hits our hand, we’ve got to catch it or at the very least be able to knock it down,” Kmet said.
