A battle of two winless teams was as poorly played as expected, but in the end the Broncos got their first win of the season, and the Bears yet another ugly loss.
The final score, 31-28 Broncos, masks what a badly played game it was for both teams. The Broncos’ defense was absolutely dreadful for most of the game, but Justin Fields made enough late mistakes to hand the win to the Broncos.
Those mistakes included a fourth quarter fumble that the Broncos returned for a touchdown, and an interception on Fields’ last pass of the game.
Mistakes from the Bears also included an inexplicable decision by head coach Matt Eberflus to go for it on fourth-and-1 with the score tied 28-28 late in the fourth quarter and the Bears in field goal range. Eschewing the field goal, Eberflus first called timeout and then sent the Bears’ offense back on the field, where a predictable run up the gut was stuffed.
Both of these teams are bad, but the 0-4 Bears are a complete disaster. The 1-3 Broncos will at least hope that this win can build some momentum for Payton.