Chicago Sports

Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell informed his team on Sunday that he is leaving the school, paving the way for him to become the next head coach at Wisconsin.

A person with knowledge of Fickell’s decision told The Associated Press that Fickell was leaving and veteran assistant coach Kerry Coombs was being named interim coach of the Bearcats.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because Wisconsin was still finalizing approval of Fickell’s contract.

Wisconsin’s Board of Regents scheduled a special closed meeting for Sunday afternoon “to consider employment and additional compensation agreements for the UW-Madison head football coach,” according to a meeting notice posted online.

Another person familiar with the situation told the AP earlier Sunday that Wisconsin and Fickell were progressing in negotiations toward a deal.

Fickell, 49, has posted a 57-18 record in six seasons at Cincinnati and helped the Bearcats earn a College Football Playoff berth last year. The former Ohio State linebacker went 6-7 as the Buckeyes’ interim head coach in 2011, after Jim Tressel’s resignation.

Fickell will take over for interim coach and former Badgers star player Jim Leonhard, who replaced Paul Chryst on Oct. 2.

Chryst went 67-26 in 71/2 seasons. He was fired one day after the Badgers lost 34-10 at home to an Illinois team led by former Badgers coach Bret Bielema.

Wisconsin (6-6, 4-5 Big Ten) is awaiting its bowl assignment. A loss in their bowl game would cause the Badgers to finish below .500 for the first time since 2001.

Leonhard was promoted from defensive coordinator after Chryst’s firing and led Wisconsin to a 4-3 record over the final seven games of the regular season. Leonhard said Saturday after the Badgers’ 23-16 home loss to Minnesota that he had interviewed with athletic director Chris McIntosh earlier in the week.

“I think whoever hires coaches is going to be an idiot if they don’t hire coach Leonhard,” safety John Torchio said after the Minnesota game. “I don’t know if I should say that, but I’ll say it.”

The Badgers instead are hiring the guy who led Cincinnati to the first CFP berth for any Group of Five school. Fickell won several national coach of the year awards last season for helping Cincinnati go 13-0 before losing to Alabama in a Cotton Bowl semifinal.

That 2021 Cincinnati team produced nine draft picks for the third-highest total of any school, behind only Georgia’s 15 and LSU’s 10. Five Cincinnati players were selected among the top 100 overall picks.

After replacing all that NFL talent, Cincinnati has gone 9-3 this season. The Bearcats didn’t qualify for the American Athletic Conference championship game that takes place Saturday.

Cincinnati went 4-8 in Fickell’s debut season of 2017 but has gone 53-10 since.

Fickell’s Cincinnati players also succeeded in the classroom. Heading into this season, Cincinnati had a 100% graduation rate among players who had stayed in the program for four years under Fickell.

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — When Bears defensive tackle Justin Jones turned around after Jets quarterback Mike White’s second-quarter completion to wide receiver Garrett Wilson, he saw safety Eddie Jackson on the ground at the Bears’ 30-yard-line, and knew the Bears were in trouble.

“I knew it was gonna be a touchdown after that,” Jones said. “He’s our safety [valve]. He’s supposed to keep everything underneath. And once he went down, I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s a touchdown right there.'”

It was big trouble at the moment and even bigger trouble for the game — and perhaps beyond that. Jackson suffered a non-contact injury to his left foot, was unable to put any weight on it and was taken to the locker room on a cart. The Bears almost immediately ruled Jackson out for the game.

Jones is a staunch believer in next-man-up when players are injured. But even he recognized that losing a captain, leader and voice like Jackson is a tough hit.

“Yeah, man it is,” he said. “He’s a [bleeping] leader, man. He’s a hell of a player. I hope he’s OK. I just hope he comes back soon, because we need him on defense. We really do.”

Jackson’s injury was part of a one-two punch in a 31-10 loss to the Jets at MetLife Stadium that threatens to be a knockout blow to what was — just a week ago — a fairly promising rebuild season for general manager Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus.

In the third quarter, wide receiver Darnell Mooney — the team’s leading receiver — left with an ankle injury and did not return. Mooney was injured when he was blocking on a David Montgomery running play and Jets safety Jordan Whitehead fell on his ankle.

“It stinks,” quarterback Trevor Siemian said. “As a player, [it’s] terrible. But if you spent any time with Darnell, he’s one of the best dudes in the locker room. That’s a part of the game that stinks. But he’s a strong dude. [It’s bad] when anybody gets hurt, but especially Darnell, it’s tough to see.”

Injuries are starting to pile up for the Bears. They started Sunday’s game without quarterback Justin Fields (separated shoulder), cornerback Kyler Gordon (concussion) and safety Jaquan Brisker (concussion). On Sunday, starting right tackle Riley Reiff left after the first series with a shoulder injury. Larry Borom, who replaced Reiff, left late in the game with an undisclosed lower-body injury.

“It’s tough,” center Sam Mustipher said. “Moon, BoJack, Larry, Riley … that’s tough. It’s a violent game. You never want to see guys you go to battle with every day go down.”

Like his teammates, Mustipher was hoping for the best. But the injuries to Jackson and Mooney in particular appear ominous.

The non-contact nature of Jackson’s injury on MetLife’s Stadium’s slit-film artificial turf could put more focus on the NFL Players’ Association’s recent criticism of artificial turf as dangerous for players. According to the NFLPA, studies show that between 2012-18, NFL players had a 28% higher rate of non-contact injuries than on grass.

“I think the injuries at this stadium kind of speak for itself,” Mustipher said. “We’ve had to play twice [at MetLife] twice this year. I think you’ve seen a few soft-tissue injuries. It’s tough. The injury rates are proven.”

Defensive end Trevis Gipson said he notices the artificial surface being less stable in certain circumstances.

“There’s certain athletic positions you get in where you feel it, like get-offs or re-directing — which is really the main things we do,” Gipson said. “Eddie’s not 300 pounds, but he’s great at changing directions, so that tells the story.”

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Bears S Eddie Jackson and WR Darnell Mooney both suffered injuries in Week 12 blowout loss to Jets

The Bears loss to the Jets was hard to watch. However, it got worse as the game went on. First, star safety Eddie Jackson went down on a non-contact injury which is never a good sign. Still awaiting an injury designation but it did look more like a foot injury. Jackson was having a resurgent season and was the veteran voice for a young Bears D.

On the offensive side, the Bears were already missing Justin Fields and Khalil Herbert. It got even worse when star WR Darnell Mooney went down with a leg injury. More specifically, looks like an ankle injury. His leg get caught after a player was blocked into him. Mooney was the Bears WR1 all season and has never missed a regular season game in his young career.

It’s also worth noting that Chase Claypool was dealing with an injury late in the game. He was seen on the sidelines trying to jog it off but had a noticeable limp.

Despite the loss on the scoreboard, the Bears suffered even more losses on both the offensive and defensive end. Moreover, they were injuries to key impact players. The season got even more rough for the Bears and their fans.

Wishing for a speedy recovery to all the injured Bears.

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The temptation is to say that the Bears’ loss Sunday lacked any redeeming value, but that would ignore the fact that a rebuilding team didn’t hurt its draft position next year with a meaningless victory and that an inactive Justin Fields didn’t get hurt tripping over a headset wire on the sideline.

The most entertaining part of the day came before kickoff, when the Bears dropped the weeklong subterfuge and announced that Fields wouldn’t play against the Jets because of an injured left shoulder. That meant Trevor Siemian would start at quarterback … until he strained an oblique muscle warming up before the game. That meant third-stringer Nathan Peterman, who hadn’t started since 2018, would lead the Bears against the Jets … hold it! … until it was announced that Siemian, with help from modern medicine, would give it a go.

That’s it, folks. Hope you enjoyed the show. Don’t forget to get your parking ticket validated.

The Bears lost 31-10 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and, again, the urge is to call it a waste of aviation fuel, uniform detergent and a driving rain that soaked everyone and everything. And, you know, as I continue to write this column, I find myself giving in to that urge. Safety Eddie Jackson and wide receiver Darnell Mooney were injured during the game. Petitioning the league for a team-wide personal day wasn’t an option for the Bears?

Selfishly, I wanted Fields to play Sunday, as long as there was no serious danger to his separated, non-throwing shoulder. I wanted him to see him — what’s that obscure phrase? — throw the football. Because of the shoulder injury, there would have been no way the Bears would have asked him to run and risk further damage. Fields’ passing ability would have been on full display. We haven’t seen much of it in his two seasons with the Bears. We sure haven’t seen it since offensive coordinator Luke Getsy turned him into a track star in October. I wanted to see if Fields’ right arm could make his two legs proud.

He threw before the game under the eye of the medical staff, head coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles. They decided the shoulder wasn’t ready for a tough Jets defense. It’s hard to argue against prudence. The “wow” factor was nonexistent with Fields out, but so was the “ow” factor. Still … sigh.

For a little while, there was a bright flashing light: Siemian went 8-of-11 for 127 yards and a touchdown in the first half, and wasn’t sacked. He looked very Zen in the pocket as he surveyed the field. That very small sample size raised some very large questions. Have we been too hard on the offensive line’s blocking this year? Has Fields been too quick to give up the pocket and run? Have the Bears been hiding Fields’ weaknesses as a pocket passer by turning him into a runner? Has Fields ever looked comfortable in the pocket, even when he’s had blocking?

The mind was power wandering.

Soon, the rain wasn’t the only thing falling to earth. After scoring 10 points in the first half, the Bears didn’t score again. Siemian had only 52 passing yards in the second half, was sacked twice and intercepted once.

It’s impossible to say what Fields would have done in similar circumstances. He’s had some very nice throws during the season, but you won’t find anything definitive about his passing ability in that. For whatever reason — a lack of blocking, hesitancy on his part, the shift to the running game, a lack of accuracy — we don’t know yet if Justin Fields is a great thrower.

We’ll find out someday. That day wasn’t Sunday.

The Bears are 3-9 and have lost five straight games. Don’t tell them that’s a good thing. They don’t want to hear it. But a victory Sunday might have negatively affected their position in the 2023 draft, which is the most important thing about this season after Fields’ development as a quarterback.

Watching him embarrass opposing defenses with his running has been the best part of Bears games this season, but Sunday was a reminder, an elbow to the ribs, that we need to see more.

Well, we need to see him healthy. Then we need to see more.

Eberflus said he believes Fields’ shoulder is getting better, but if you expected the clandestine coach to announce that the kid would start against the Packers next week, you haven’t read many spy novels.

“I suspect we’ll see where it goes,” he said.

You can’t get more definitive than that.

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — A few minutes after his Bears became the latest thing to be buried at the Meadowlands, head coach Matt Eberflus was asked whether quarterback Justin Fields’ left shoulder would be healthy enough to face the Packers on Sunday.

Implied in the question was this: without him, what’s the point?

Bears fans got their first look at the 2022 Bears without Fields on Sunday, and it wasn’t pretty: a 31-10 loss to a Jets team that had benched their own quarterback five days earlier. Receiver Darnell Mooney and safety Eddie Jackson left with serious injuries while an undermanned defense allowed the last 24 points of the game.

Quarterback Trevor Siemian, who went from backup to starter to backup to starter again during the 90 minutes before kickoff, coaxed the Bears to 10 points in their first two drives — and none on the remaining eight.

After that drudgery, the question was too tempting: could Fields return to face Aaron Rodgers and the Packers?

“That’s a good question,” Eberflus said. “We think that he’s getting better every single day.”

Eberflus dodged a similar question all last week but showed his cards Sunday. Fields — who separated his left shoulder and suffered partial ligament damage against the Falcons — was never cleared by team doctors to play in the game. It’s fair to wonder whether he will be this week; if not, the Bears’ bye after the Packers game would give Fields more time to recover.

Fields was listed as questionable for the Jets game after being limited in three-straight practices. But on Eberflus’ list of three prerequisites for Fields to play — the quarterback needed to feel good, the coaching staff had to believe he could thrive and doctors needed to clear him — he went 0-for-3.

“We decided it was in the best interest of Justin and also the Chicago Bears that he was inactive,” Eberflus said.

The second-year quarterback did about 15 minutes’ worth of light throwing before the team’s inactives deadline an hour-and-a-half before kickoff. Afterward, Eberflus said he met with general manager Ryan Poles and the medical staff.

“Justin didn’t feel, that way, he could protect himself and perform the way he wanted to perform,” Eberflus said. “It’s about mobility and strength in his left arm … It really comes down to one thing: strength. He didn’t have the strength to protect himself in the game properly and to perform the way he wanted to perform.”

That was the most likely outcome all week. Siemian said he didn’t know that Fields would sit out until Sunday morning, though he suspected there was a “good chance I’d play” during practices.

The weirdness, though, was just getting started.

Siemian said he strained his oblique while going through pregame warmups.

“Throwing, something wasn’t right,” he said. “It flared up on me. Got back in the locker room and figured something wasn’t right again.”

About 50 minutes before kickoff, the Bears announced Nathan Peterman — the practice-squad quarterback who was promoted Saturday — as their starter. Peterman had thrown only five regular-season passes since being benched by the Bills after a loss to the Bears in 2018.

Tight end Cole Kmet said the last ball he caught from Peterman was during May OTAs. The uncertainty before the game Sunday reminded him of the lead up to the Bears’ Dec. 26 game against the Seahawks last year. Nick Foles was given his first start of the season — and Ryan Willis was named the backup — because Fields hurt his ankle and Andy Dalton had hand and groin injuries.

“I’ve learned since being here to just kinda focus on my thing. …” Kmet said. “Whatever it was, it was. I was just ready for anything at that point.”

Center Sam Mustipher said he was “trying to figure out what the hell was going on” during pregame warmups.

“Bizarre week,” he said.

Siemian said he took medicine — and not an injection — in the locker room and started to feel better. He wound up starting and played every snap, even diving head-first for a first-down marker in the first half.

“I could play,” he said. “I could do everything I needed to do.”

Both Kmet and Mustipher praised Siemian’s performance, given the circumstances. He didn’t make many mistakes — but clearly lacked the dynamism of Fields. Siemian went 14 of 25 for 179 yards, one touchdown and one interception — and a passer rating of 75.2.

He peaked when the Bears took a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter. They averaged 3.6 yards per play the rest of the way.

“Honestly, I’m more embarrassed,” Siemian said. “You get an injury. I got guys in there that are playing — what are we in, Week 12, 13? [They’re] going through hell. And I’ve got a non-contact thing show up. So, yeah, not ideal.”

None of it was. And it might not be next week, either.

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — One of the Bears’ most urgent projects is getting relatively new wide receiver Chase Claypool more involved in the offense, but they haven’t seemed to be in much of a hurry to do it.

By the way, how long can someone be called the new guy? Claypool is almost a month into his Bears career and played his fourth game for them Sunday as they fell 31-10 to the Jets.

Claypool appeared to be a bigger part of the game plan and got a team-high five targets. He turned that into two catches for 51 yards, which wasn’t bad considering quarterback Trevor Siemian managed to complete just 14 of 25 passes for 179.

Claypool had just 32 yards on five catches over his first three games.

“I’m feeling more comfortable in the offense, and they’re getting me some looks, like they always have been,” he said. “Sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn’t.”

It worked out very well for him on the Bears’ second possession of the game. On first down from their own 29-yard line, they got the Jets to bite on play action, and Claypool slipped uncovered into the second level of the defense for a 20-yard catch.

Siemian went back to him on a deep shot down the right sideline a few plays later, and Claypool made a terrific catch over rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner. The ball was underthrown, but Claypool turned back for it, bobbled it for a moment, then secured it for a 31-yard catch despite the rain and Gardner committing pass interference.

That got the Bears to the Jets’ 9-yard line, and they scored a touchdown a few plays later to take a 10-7 lead.

That was it for Claypool — and for the offense as a whole. Siemian completed 7 of 16 passes for 59 yards the rest of the way.

Claypool also had a scare in the fourth quarter with an apparent knee injury, but said it was just a “tweak” and he could’ve stayed in the game if needed.

“It could’ve been the turf,” he said. “We’re gonna see how it feels [Monday]. It could just be sore.”

Pringle’s play

Wide receiver Byron Pringle was one of the Bears’ more notable free-agent pickups, but they haven’t gotten much from him because of injuries.

Pringle had two catches for 12 yards, including a tough one in the end zone for his first touchdown. Siemian threw a wobbly ball that looked like it was going to be broken up by cornerback D.J. Reed, but Pringle reached over him to wrest the catch.

Pringle has five catches for 57 yards in six games.

Injury concerns

The Bears dealt with injuries all day, but their trouble went beyond losing Darnell Mooney and Eddie Jackson.

Claypool’s situation merits monitoring, and so does fellow receiver Equanimeous St. Brown’s. St. Brown appeared to hurt his right leg late in the game, though the Bears did not report an injury. St. Brown has played the second-most snaps among wide receivers and has 14 catches for 195 yards and a touchdown.

The Bears also lost starting right tackle Riley Reiff to a shoulder injury, which sent them back to Larry Borom. Borom also missed time with a leg injury and was replaced briefly by guard Michael Schofield.

Bears special teamer Dane Cruikshank also reinjured the hamstring that has been hindering him.

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Three takeaways from the Bears’ 31-10 loss to the Jets:

Montgomery burns

Running back David Montgomery said he was comfortable on the Jets’ troublesome turf — “I felt fine,” he said — and it showed.

His 79 yards on 14 carries were his second-most of the season. Add three catches for 34 yards, and Montgomery brought his career total to 4,550 scrimmage yards, passing tight end Mike Ditka for 11th on the Bears’ all-time list.

Darrynton in

Darrynton Evans, who’d played only two offensive snaps this season, replaced a healthy Trestan Ebner as the Bears’ backup running back. He carried nine times for 34 yards and caught a career-long 33-yard pass in the first quarter.

With the performance, the former third-round pick by the Titans out of Appalachian State earned himself more playing time until Khalil Herbert returns.

“It was great for him to get that opportunity,” head coach Matt Eberflus. “I thought he performed well.”

Slump

The Bears have lost eight of their last nine games and are in the midst of a five-game losing streak. They’re at risk of surpassing their longest slide in franchise history — eight games. Their remaining games are against the Packers, Eagles, Bills, Lions and Vikings.

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That was one of the best opening weeks in a long time.

Kenwood knocked off Young in a thriller on the first night of the season and set the stage for a grudge match that could happen three more times this season.

Joliet West arrived as a fully-formed powerhouse and beat St. Rita, St. Louis Cardinal Ritter and Metamora in Washington.

Hillcrest didn’t miss any of the transfers, producing impressive wins against Bloom and Marian Catholic in Chicago Heights.

Oak Lawn, which was expected to be intriguing, shocked heavily-hyped Mount Carmel and Brother Rice knocked off Curie to establish early Catholic League supremacy.

Proviso East didn’t win the championship in St. Charles but played Benet tight and had a breakout week from Bryce Coleman, a well-known player that has found the right spot to sparkle.

A heard raves about St. Ignatius and Benet. West Aurora and New Trier looked like promising squads.

The season hits another gear this weekend with the Chicago Elite Classic. Simeon vs. St. Rita and Joliet West vs. Kenwood are the headline games but all of Saturday’s matchups are solid. We will have a preview of the event tomorrow.

Super 25 for Nov. 27, 2022With record and last week’s ranking

1. Simeon (0-0) 1Opens vs. Thornwood Tue.

2. Joliet West (3-1) 4Beat St. Rita, Metamora

3. Kenwood (1-0) 3Handled Young

4. St. Rita (2-2) 2Faces Simeon Saturday

5. Young (2-1) 5Deeper than expected

6. Brother Rice (4-0) 8Beat Curie

7. Rolling Meadows (4-0) 7Cruised at Fenton

8. St. Ignatius (4-0) 10Phoenix Gill has arrived

9. Hillcrest (4-0) 16Don’t worry who left

10. Curie (4-1) 6Plays Vashon Saturday

11. Oswego East (4-0) 14Beat West Aurora

12. Glenbrook North (4-0) 12At Niles West Friday

13. Benet (4-0) 15Champs in St. Charles

14. Bolingbrook (2-1) 11Lost to MacArthur

15. Bloom (3-1) 13Fell short vs. Hillcrest

16. Oak Lawn (4-0) NRKnocked off Mount Carmel

17. Marian Catholic (3-1) 17Lost to Hillcrest

18. Mount Carmel (3-1) 9DeAndre Craig hit 1,000 points

19. West Aurora (3-1) 18Still developing

20. New Trier (3-1) 19Solid start

21. Evanston (4-0) 20Hosts Glenbrook South Friday

22. Lyons (3-0) 21Beat Lincoln-Way East

23. Hyde Park (2-0) 24Took down North Lawndale

24. Proviso East (3-1) NRBryce Coleman stepping up

25. Lemont (4-0) NRCastillo twins get it done

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The Chicago White Sox are in agreement to sign free agent right-hander Mike Clevinger to a deal, pending a physical.

Per Ken Rosenthal, the White Sox reached an agreement with former San Diego Padres starter Mike Clevinger pending a physical. Clevinger, 31, had a 4.33 ERA in 22 starts with the Padres while struggling the last two years with staying healthy due to knee problems.

The White Sox could benefit from a bounce back campaign for Clevinger as the last three years have been short. Hoping to regain the form he had with the division rivals Cleveland Guardians in which he posted a 2.71 ERA in 21 starts. The details of the contract remain to be seen but this brings Chicago a solid arm to fill the back end of the rotation behind Dylan Cease, Lance Lynn, and Lucas Giolito. 

Hoping to get a full season out of Kopech and potentially looking a bringing Johnny Cueto back could give the Sox some versatility and reliability from the starting the rotation. Moves like this make sense for the Sox being a low risk high reward signing.

Keep on a eye on the White Sox as this move could be one of many this offseason in order to improve the roster and try to regain the AL Central Division crown.

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The Chicago Bears got rocked in New York

The Chicago Bears had way too many injuries to their starters before the game to compete with the New York Jets. The Bears were without their best player this season, quarterback Justin Fields, who was inactive with a shoulder injury. The offense started decently enough without him. But Fields dynamic skills were sorely missed when the Jets made defensive adjustments.

More injuries continued to plague the defense during the game. The result was a three-touchdown loss to the Jets. Here are three studs in duds from the Jets’ 31-10 blowout of the Bears in the Big Apple.

Studs

Chase Claypool’s production

Chase Claypool had been a small part of the Chicago Bears’ offense in the previous few weeks. Claypool needed to learn the playbook before earning a larger role on Sundays. He had a few more opportunities against the Jets.

Claypool finished with two catches for 51 yards. He had a chance for a touchdown in the first quarter that should have been called for pass interference. Claypool also defended a lousy pass that could have been intercepted in the second half. The progress is promising for the player the Bears traded a second-round pick for.

Passing check-downs

The Chicago Bears’ offense looked good in the first quarter. Quarterback Trevor Siemian hit check-downs on those early drives that set up pass catchers for great yards after catch opportunities. That’s a big part of the passing game the Bears have missed this year. Fields was hopefully taking notes as to what those plays can earn for the offense in the future.

David Montgomery

David Montgomery was the Chicago Bears’ offense against the Jets. Montgomery finished with 14 carries for 79 yards. He added 34 yards receiving on three receptions in the passing game. He was the Bears’ best option on offense, with over 100 yards of total offense. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to put more than ten points on the board. However, Montgomery is showing that he can be a big part of the passing and running game going forward this season with Khalil Herbert on injured reserve.

Duds

Chicago Bears Injuries

The Bears had major injuries to starters before the game against the Jets. The Bears missed rookies Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Godron, who were out with concussions. The secondary added Dane Cruikshank and Eddie Jackson to the injury list Sunday. The Bears were already short of health on the offense. Offensive lineman Riley Reiff and wide receiver Darnell Mooney were both injured against the Jets.

Trevor Siemian

The Bears had an interesting lead into the game. They announced Siemian would be the backup to Nathan Peterman against the Jets after sustaining an injury in warm-ups. The Bears promptly reversed that decision before the first snap.

Siemian looked competent in the Bears’ first few drives. He led the team down the field and patiently hit check-downs that set the Bears up for two scoring drives on their first two possessions. His only touchdown of the game on the second drive was not a good pass and should have been picked off.

Siemian finished 14/25 passing for 179 yards and one touchdown to one interception. However, he showed why the Chicago Bears needed a dual-threat quarterback like Fields. Siemian legs didn’t give the Bears enough options on the first drive in the red zone.

Once the Jets adjusted their game plan in the second quarter, the Bears had several three or four-play drives. The passing quarterback didn’t give the offense enough dynamic options to keep the Jets guessing. The Bears need Fields legs to move the ball in the running game and open up the passing game.

Matt Eberflus defense

Eberflus was hired in part because he’s supposed to be good at elevating average or mediocre talent. Eberflus has stressed technique over having big named players on the defense. And to be fair, the  Chicago Bears’ defense was terrible before they traded Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn. But now the Bears are seeing ridiculous numbers being given up on that side of the ball. Quarterback Mike White of the Jets replaced Zach Wilson as the starter Sunday. He threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns.

Eberflus and defensive coordinator Alan Williams do not appear to be elevating that side of the ball this season. It’s concerning, given the Bears spend draft capital on that side of the ball with their first two draft picks. (Gordon and Brisker were out against the Jets, but it’s been just as bad all season.)

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