Bears slow start isn't surprising, but alarming

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CHICAGO – Easily the most encouraging aspect of the Bears’ ugly 19-11 loss on Sunday afternoon is that they don’t have any time to think about it. On their best day, it’s not impossible to imagine Matt Nagy and company giving the Colts – who are clearly a better team right now – a run for their money, but Sunday wasn’t that. Really, it’s hard to say *what* Sunday was.

“Obviously, offensively, we know that we’ve got to be a lot better,” Nagy said after their first loss of the 2020 season. “Eleven points doesn’t do it … You have to be able to run for more than 28 yards in a game.” 

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Miscues kneecapped the Bears from, quite literally, their first possession of the game. Seven plays into the Nick Foles era, a blocked punt from Indy’s Jordan Glasgow gave the Colts great field position near the 50. Six plays after that, Phillip Rivers gave the Colts a lead. Things didn’t get much better after that: a flat start quietly became a flat first quarter, which then (less quietly) snowballed into a flat first half. By the time Allen Robinson scored the Bears’ only touchdown of the day, a one-score game felt like anything but. 

“I mean obviously the outcome sort of shows how we executed,” Foles said. “But at the same time, I felt like we continued to communicate well between the players and coaches. We continued to work together to adapt throughout the game. And the big thing is we never gave up.

For a second straight week, penalties were an issue on both sides of the ball. Kyle Fuller was called for pass interference twice, and both Cordarrelle Patterson and Robert Quinn were flagged for 15-yard personal fouls. The team lost 103 yards on their eight penalties, half of which came on special teams. 

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“Too many penalties, I thought,” Nagy said. “You just felt penalties at inopportune time.” 

Given the Bears’ tight schedule this week, it’s easy to understand that an hour after the final whistle, Nagy was already talking about what Tampa Bay prep his evening had in store for him. Short memories are a requirement when you have to turn around and play the greatest quarterback of all-time in 75 hours, but they’re also a preference when you finish a game with 11 points. 

“I think the biggest thing, as players, is we have to take ownership to get better,” Foles said. “And this locker room has that ability … We have coaches that are ready to roll who are going to put us in position and we’re going to continue to grow from this. I’ve been on some special teams where we’ve had a few hiccups along the way. And it’s how you deal with these situations that makes you a special team.”

“So I like the locker room we have here and I believe in it.”

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