Chicago Sports

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Bears’ implosion during their 49-29 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday left them with few positives, but there’s still a lot to like about their running game.

That can’t be the entirety of their offense like it was early in the season, but it’s a big part of the equation to finding a viable identity. And as they approach the trade deadline Tuesday, it would be prudent for them to hang on to running backsDavid MontgomeryandKhalil Herbert.

Those two and quarterbackJustin Fieldscombined for 212 yards on 39 rushes for a robust average of 5.4 per carry. Herbert ran for 99 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, while Montgomery added 53 on 15 and caught three passes for 22 yards.

“They’re a really good defense, but we were able to scheme up some things and get after them a little bit,” Montgomery said.

He also had one of the costliest mistakes of the game, however, fumbling on a 13-yard catch in the third quarter when linebackerLeighton Vander Eschhit him.Micah Parsonsrecovered the ball and returned it for a touchdown and a 42-23 lead.

Montgomery is the more likely trade candidate of the two running backs because he’s going to be a free agent at the end of the season. But even though Herbert is outgaining him 6.2 yards per carry to 3.9, Montgomery is by far the Bears’ best pass-blocking running back and is a reliable option for Fields as a receiver.

Jackson gets pick

There’s a very short list from which to choose, but the Bears’ best defensive play of the game was when safetyEddie Jacksoncut off a deep pass up the middle forCeeDee Lambjust before halftime and returned the interception into field-goal range.

That swung the game from the Cowboys potentially going up 35-14 at halftime to the Bears getting to the locker room down just 28-17.

Jackson had 10 interceptions over his first three seasons, making two Pro Bowls, but none in 2020 or ’21. He seems to have rediscovered his tenacity for turnovers this season with four picks.

It was uncertain whether he’d last with the Bears as general managerRyan Poleslooked to dump big contracts in the offseason, but Jackson is making a strong case to be part of the Bears’ future.

“I’m really encouraged,” Poles said last week. “He struggled a little bit last year, but his ability to make plays right now has been good. I like his physicality. I thought that was lacking a little bit before. He’s coming in and making tackles and making plays, so that’s been great.”

O-line carousel

The Bears are running out of offensive linemen.

With starting right tackleLarry Boromout because of a concussion, they used their fifth starting lineup combination in eight games. VeteranRiley Reiffstarted for Borom, andSam Mustiphermoved back to center withLucas Patrickon injured reserve after hurting his toe.

Right guardTeven Jenkins, arguably their most consistent lineman this season, missed part of the game because of an apparent leg injury, leaving the Bears to playDieter Eiselenon offense for the first time in his career. Eiselen was on the practice squad until this week.

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Takeaways from Sunday’s 49-29 loss to the Cowboys:

A shovel pass?

Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s most questionable call of the game came with 11 seconds left in the first half and the Bears facing third-and-4 at the Cowboys’ 18. Rather than throw into the end zone, Getsy had quarterback Justin Fields throw a shovel pass to David Montgomery, which went for no gain.

The Bears took a timeout and kicked a 36-yard field goal.

Head coach Matt Eberflus said he liked the play because “we know they’re going to be softer” up the middle, while Fields said execution had to be better.

“We’ve just got to have better blocking in front,” Fields said.

A rare TD for Kmet

Tight end Cole Kmet caught his first touchdown pass since Dec. 6, 2020, on the fourth play of the fourth quarter. On second-and-4, he ran a corner route on a fake handoff and slipped behind the cornerback.

“We had run multiple times earlier in the game, so it was really stable to run off the corner,” Kmet said.

Fields credited “great protection up front.”

With Jimmy Graham serving as Matt Nagy’s preferred red zone option in 2020 and 2021, Kmet had two touchdowns in his first nine career games — and then 31 games without a score.

Sacked

On third-and-12 in the fourth quarter, rookie safety Jaquan Brisker blitzed and recorded the Bears’ only sack of the game. He has three sacks this season, the most of any rookie defensive back in franchise history.

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DETROIT — Tua Tagovailoa threw a go-ahead, 11-yard touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki late in the third quarter, capping the Miami Dolphins’ rally from a double-digit, second-half deficit for a 31-27 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

The Dolphins (5-3) have won two straight since Tagovailoa returned from a concussion. The Lions (1-6) have lost five in a row.

Detroit scored on all five of its possessions in the first half to lead 27-17 after scoring a total of six points in its previous two games.

The Dolphins opened the second half with a touchdown drive, scoring when fullback Alec Ingold took a snap that fooled the defense and scored on a 1-yard sneak.

They took their first lead late in the third on Tagovailoa’s pass to Gesicki, who was wide open in the end zone, to score on a fifth straight possession.

Tagovailoa was 29 of 36 for 382 yards with three touchdowns, including two to Jaylen Waddle, who had eight catches for 106 yards. Tyreek Hill had 12 receptions for 188 yards for the Dolphins.

Hill and Waddle have 1,688 yards receiving combined, setting a Super Bowl era record for two teammates through the first eight games of a season.

Detroit’s Jared Goff was 27 of 37 for 321 yards with a touchdown. Goff would have had a second scoring pass at the end of the first half, but Josh Reynolds dropped a pass in the end zone and the Lions settled for a field goal. The four-point difference proved to be critical.

Jamaal Williams had two touchdowns for the Lions, who had a 21-7 lead after he scored for a second time early in the second quarter.

INJURIES

Dolphins: LG Liam Eichenberg had a game-ending knee injury in the second half.

Lions: TE Brock Wright left the game with a concussion and CB A.J. Parker (hip) was injured during the game.

UP NEXT

Dolphins: Play the Bears at Soldier Field.

Lions: Host Green Bay.

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At this point in my life, all I want is to be entertained. You want a pitchers’ duel, a defensive battle, a chess match? Have at it. Me? I’ll take scoring, the more the better. And I wouldn’t say no to clowns driving tiny cars, either.

I have found the perfect team. The Bears are not great, but they are gritty enough or game enough or dumb enough not to know when they’re being completely outclassed. On Sunday, the Cowboys scored touchdowns on their first four drives, which, as ominous sentences go, is right up there with, “It was a dark and stormy night.”

But the Bears, trailing 28-7 almost before they had rubbed the sleep out of their eyes, bounced back with 10 straight points in the last minute of the first half. That shouldn’t be forgotten. I’ve written more than once that the only thing that matters this season is how much Justin Fields progresses as a quarterback. But there’s something to be said for a team that keeps fighting. The Bears are stubborn, for better or worse. Better or worse can be entertaining, too.

Better was that mini-comeback against one of the better teams in the league. Worse was a 49-29 loss.

Better was the Bears running for more than 235 yards for the third game in a row. Worse was offensive coordinator Luke Getsy still calling run plays when his team was down double digits in the fourth quarter.

Better was Fields running eight times for 60 yards and a touchdown. Worse was the Cowboys sacking him four times.

Best was 29 points against a team that had given up the second-fewest points in the NFL heading into the game. Worst, by far, was the Bears’ defense giving up 442 yards of total offense and allowing Dallas to go 9-of-11 on third downs.

But who am I to complain? If I crave points, I can’t be picky about who supplies them. As I mentioned earlier, the Bears are more determined than talented, so to expect them to go toe to toe with the gifted Cowboys is unreasonable. To be impressed by how the Bears kept battling back is more realistic. You might consider that a low bar, but in August, I thought the season had a chance to be a complete mess. It hasn’t been, as evidenced by the Bears’ 3-5 record.

So, entertainment value: A Fields interception gets wiped out by a roughing-the-passer call late in the first half, leading to a 17-yard touchdown reception by N’Keal Harry. As if that wasn’t enough, Bears safety Eddie Jackson picks off a Dak Prescott pass, leading to a 36-yard field goal by Cairo Santos to end the first half.

“We told the guys at halftime, ‘This is a game,’ ” coach Matt Eberflus said.

And it was, for a while. The Bears cut the Cowboys’ lead to 28-23 on Khalil Herbert’s 12-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. He had fumbled earlier on that drive, but replay overruled it. Thrills and spills are good.

Leaps and bounds: not so good. Later in the quarter, Fields had a chance to save a David Montgomery fumble from being a total disaster. All he had to do was touch the man who had recovered the ball, Micah Parsons. Instead, he jumped over him. It was an incredibly athletic play by the quarterback, and if touchless leapfrog ever becomes an Olympic sport, Fields might have a gold medal around his neck someday. Parsons ran the ball back 36 yards for a score and a 42-23 Dallas lead.

“Just touch him down,” Eberflus said. “… When you see that, you’ve got to touch him down. We know that. That’s part of pro football.”

Touch him? What’s that?

“I can’t tell you the last time I tackled somebody,” Fields said.

Last week, the Bears surprised the Patriots and lots of experts. I can’t tell you why that 19-point victory had more meaning than Sunday’s 20-point loss. With each game, Eberflus and his team reveal a little more about themselves. In the New England game, we saw the Bears show fearlessness and a certain callousness. Those normally are the hallmarks of Bill Belichick-coached teams. In the Cowboys game, we saw the Bears stick to a running game that isn’t supposed to work anymore in the NFL.

The downside was the Bears’ refusal to get pass-happy when they were down big to the Cowboys. It gets back to the importance of Fields’ improving as a passer this season. He’s not going to get better by running the ball or handing it off. His backers will point to his 120.0 passer rating Sunday as proof of excellence. The realists will see that he threw for only 151 yards.

And, yet, all in all, not bad.

I know what an embarrassing double-digit loss looks like. This wasn’t one of them. This was entertainment. I’ll take it.

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So much for the Blackhawks’ new first pairing of Jake McCabe and Seth Jones.

McCabe — who was just promoted this weekend — is fine, but Jones is not. The Hawks ruled out their No. 1 defenseman Sunday for the next three-to-four weeks with a thumb injury, suffered when blocking a shot by Sabres forward Jeff Skinner during the second period Saturday.

It’s a massive blow to the Hawks’ defense, which has relied upon Jones as their far-and-away most talented and versatile cornerstone. He averaged 25:14 of ice time through the Hawks’ first eight games, tallying four assists and 21 blocks.

“We’ll just shift things around a little bit, especially on special teams,” coach Luke Richardson said. “[Seth] plays a lot of big minutes for us, and against top lines. So we’re just going to have to shuffle the deck a little bit, try to buy some time, win by committee on defense and wait until he gets back.”

Jack Johnson moved back up to the first pairing with McCabe on Sunday against the Wild, which was just the fifth game Jones has missed since joining the Hawks in July 2021. Meanwhile, Caleb Jones took over quarterbacking the first power-play unit and Filip Roos re-entered the lineup.

With those four guys, Connor Murphy and Jarred Tinordi composing the current defensive corps, the Hawks will be significantly outgunned against most NHL opponents for the time being. Murphy, who averaged 21:46 of ice time per game last season and 22:09 the year before, is the only one with any prior experience as a major minutes-eater.

“Everybody’s going to get spread out a little bit more,” Richardson said. “I don’t think there’s a guy who’s going to carry the load like Seth, and we don’t expect them to. We expect them to do their job. And if they get a couple more minutes here and there, everyone wants more ice time and they’ll be excited for it.”

The Hawks will likely call up someone such as Alec Regula or Alex Vlasic from Rockford on Monday to have seven healthy defensemen available Tuesday against the Islanders.

Ian Mitchell, who was ruled out for six weeks on Sept. 22 — more than five weeks ago — with a wrist injury, is unfortunately not close to returning, which further complicates the roster puzzle. He only just resumed stickhandling, Richardson said.

This story will be updated.

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ARLINGTON, Texas — The Bears had pulled as close as they would all Sunday afternoon, trailing the Cowboys 28-23 at AT&T Stadium, when Justin Fields lined up in the shotgun on a two-point conversion try.

He took the snap, faked a handoff, looked left and was planted into the ground by DeMarcus Lawrence. Fields never saw him — and neither did a single Bears blocker. The two-time Pro Bowl defensive end sprinted unchecked and hammered Fields into the turf. The quarterback was supposed to hand the ball off on a read-option up the middle, but didn’t.

The Bears would get no closer, losing 49-29 behind a defense that offered little resistance.

It was that kind of day for Fields, who was battered by an elite Cowboys defense and still managed 29 points behind a run-heavy offense that featured some deep shots. The day could have been much worse, too — Fields had an interception wiped out at the end of the first half because of a roughing the passer penalty and, on the next play, hit receiver N’Keal Harry on a 17-yard crossing route for a touchdown.

Bears coaches and teammates praise Fields’ toughness. He needed it behind an offensive line that featured not a single projected starter from the first day of training camp. In the second quarter, Fields even went into the blue injury tent, though he didn’t miss a snap.

Fields went 17-for-23 for 151 yards, two touchdowns and a 120 passer rating, running eight times for 60 yards and another score. He was sacked four times and removed with the Bears down 20 in the final few minutes of the game.

The Bears’ rushing offense, as efficient as it may be, was not built to chase. They were forced to Sunday after the Bears defense gave up touchdowns to the Cowboys on their first four possessions. They hadn’t scored four times on their first four drives in almost eight years.

On the fifth one, Eddie Jackson intercepted a pass with 40 seconds left in the first half. That pulled the Bears within 10 points, a lead they’d shrink to five on Khalil Herbert’s 12-yard run about five minutes into the second half.

That’s not nearly good enough, though. Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys is a wakeup call after Monday’s upset of the Patriots. Against good teams, the Bears are still overmatched.

The Bears entered Sunday’s game having allowed just 35 second-half points all year. They gave up 21 on Sunday, though only 14 were the defense’s fault. All-world linebacker Micah Parsons returned a David Montgomery fumble 36 yards for a touchdown with five minutes left in the third quarter, falling to the ground and getting up only after Fields leapt over him — and didn’t touch him.

Pollard took care of the rest, running 14 times for 131 yards and three touchdowns. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott added two scores of his own, completing 21-of-27 passes for 250 yards.

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Five time All-Star, Joel Embiid moved to a 12-0 record against the Chicago Bulls in his NBA career and he had to rub it in with a reference

Joel Embiid feels on top of the world at the moment, and the reason is not far fetched. The Cameroonian hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 18.1 seconds remaining to help clinch the victory for the Philadelphia 76ers over the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on Saturday.

He tallied 25 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists in the encounter and had the decisive bucket.

The All-Star has built up an impressively dominant track record against the Bulls, including a 12-0 record.

Following the game, Embiid posted a photo of his game-clinching shot on Instagram with the caption ‘Aaron Rodgers’.

The Green Bay Packers quarterback is known to have a dominant career record against the Chicago Bears, winning 23 of his 28 matchups against the division rival.

Rodgers, of course, went viral for yelling “I’ve owned you all my f****** life. I own you. I still own you. I still own you” to fans at Soldier Field after scoring a game-deciding touchdown in a win over the Bears in October 2021.

Rodgers has a 23-5 lifetime record against the Bears.

Through his career, Joel Embiid has averaged 29.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4 assists and 9.8 free throw attempts per game while shooting 55.4 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from 3-point range against the Bulls.

Joel Embiid is certainly a showman, and his post on social media could add a little extra motivation for the Bulls in their next matchup coming on Jan. 6, 2023.

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ARLINGTON, Texas — The Cowboys scored touchdowns on their first four possessions for the first time in almost eight years.

On the fifth one, they threw an interception into Eddie Jackson’s arms with 35 seconds left in the first half. The Bears turned the turnover into a field goal and trail the Cowboys 28-17 Sunday at AT&T Stadium.

Despite them scoring 10 points in the final 40 seconds of the half, the deficit should provide a much-needed wakeup call about the Bears’ ceiling coming off Monday night’s 33-14 win against the Patriots.

The Bears are one of the NFL’s best second-half defenses; through seven games, they allowed only 35 points, the third-fewest in the league. For the second time in four games, though, the defense was outclassed in the first half; the Vikings scored touchdowns on their first three possessions on Oct. 9.

Bears quarterback Justin Fields had 13 passing yards at the end of the first quarter and just 46 yards at halftime. He’s completed 8-of-11 passes, but leads the team in rushing with 41 yards. His passer rating is 110.4.

The Bears inching their way down the field won’t work in the second half if they want to catch up.

The Cowboys had little trouble scoring on their first drive, marching 75 yards on 11 plays for a touchdown. On third-and-3, quarterback Dak Prescott took a designed run left for a seven-yard score.

The Bears went three-and-out on their first drive, slowed by Fields leaving a deep shot to Equanimeous St. Brown short on first down and, on the next play, Dante Pettis being flagged for offensive pass interference.

That produced yet another way-too-easy drive for the Cowboys, who went 69 yards on only eight plays. Facing third-and-9 from the 21, they sent receiver CeeDee Lamb in motion from right to left, where he ran a post route. Prescott found him in the end zone between safeties Jaquan Brisker and Jackson for a touchdown.

Less than 10 minutes into the game, the Cowboys were up 14-0. The Bears countered with a long, plodding drive — one that lasted almost seven minutes and featured 10 run plays and two passes. Fields scrambled for 14 yards on third-and-4 and 15 yards on second-and-6. It was a designed run that landed Fields in the end zone, though; on second-and-goal from the three, he ran left, untouched, to go down 14-7.

The Cowboys’ best play of their next drive should have gone for only a yard or two. On third-and-1 from the Bears’ 41, Prescott took a snap from under center and plunged forward trying to get the first down. No one tackled him, though, and he kept running for 25 yards. On the next play, the Bears gave up an 18-yard touchdown run to Tony Pollard.

The Bears wasted their next drive. They followed a one-yard run with a sack and then a misguided double pass in which Fields threw to Pettis, who launched a pass across the field that kicked away. Pettis was flagged for an illegal forward pass, though, and the Bears were forced to punt.

Fields went to the injury tent after the drive but never missed a snap.

Led by Lamb, who had two catches for 37 yards, Cowboys were went 54 yards on eight plays for their fourth touchdown in a row. This one landed in the arms of tight end Jake Ferguson, who celebrated his one-yard touchdown by pretending to hog tie a teammate.

With 45 seconds to play, Fields threw an interception to Trevon Diggs — but the play came back when Cowboys defensive lineman Chauncey Golston was ruled to have hit Fields in the head when knocking him to the ground. The Bears scored on the next play, a 17-yard pass on a crossing route from Fields to receiver N’Keal Harry.

Harry hadn’t caught a touchdown pass since December 2020, when the former first-round pick was a member of the Patriots. He played his first game with the Bears on Monday.

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Maine South’s defense earned the headlines after shutting out Bolingbrook’s high-powered offense in the Class 8A first round on Friday.

The Raiders arrived in Park Ridge averaging 42 points and wound up losing 24-0. But it isn’t big news that Maine South has an excellent defense. The Hawks have allowed more than 20 points just twice this season (Prospect, New Trier).

Maine South’s crisp, dynamic passing attack was a revelation. Senior Ryan Leyden threw for 222 yards against Bolingbrook’s quality defensive backfield. It was his first start since he was injured on Sept. 2 against Warren.

Leyden, a lefty, connected with six different receivers. Maine South coach Dave Inserra said Leyden is still working off some rust, but the Hawks are a significant threat in Class 8A now.

“I’m getting a lot more comfortable reading blitzes and with the play calls and line calls,” Leyden said. “I’ve learned a lot the past four years, especially last year behind Rowan Keefe on the state runner-up team.”

Roadrunning

Nazareth popped into the Super 25 early in the season and then faded out of the spotlight for the majority of the season. The Roadrunners finished 5-4 and squeaked into the playoffs.

A deeper look at Nazareth’s schedule is revealing. The losses are all to teams that spent most or all of the season ranked: Lemont, Marist, Notre Dame and St. Rita. The Roadrunners opened the season by beating Kankakee 2-0.

Things are clicking now for Tim Racki’s squad. Nazareth is averaging 42 points in its last four games and scored a season-high 48 in its first-round road win at Glenbard South on Friday.

The Roadrunners might not be as star-studded as some past groups, but there are game-breakers on the roster. Sophomore Logan Malachuk took over as the starting quarterback last season. He’s a solid passer and is developing into a significant threat on the ground. Wisconsin recruit Justin Taylor has played as a receiver and a running back and made an impact in several positions on defense.

Nazareth will host Rockford Boylan (9-1) in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs. A showdown with Morgan Park would loom in the quarterfinals.

Public League update

A record 25 Chicago Public Schools teams advanced to the state playoffs. The first-round results were mixed.

There were four games with Public League teams facing each other, so obviously the Public League went 4-4 in those.

In the other 17 games, Public League teams finished 2-15. Simeon and Morgan Park were the only winners. The lopsided scores are more of a concern than the overall record. Only Amundsen, which lost 35-21 to Harlem, was competitive. The combined score in the other 14 Public League losses was 770-79.

CPS schools have made great progress this season. Simeon, Morgan Park and Kenwood are each serious threats in their classes and Payton, Goode and UP-Bronzeville also advanced to the second round. The next step is getting a handful of teams up to Amundsen’s level of competitiveness.

Looking ahead

There are seven matchups between ranked teams in the second round but there are a handful of other matchups to keep a close eye on.

In Class 8A possible upsets include Warren at Andrew and Lyons at Plainfield North. Bremen travels to Chicago to take on Kenwood in what should be a very competitive Class 6A showdown.

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