MINNEAPOLIS – Billy Donovan would like nothing more than to provide a positive update on the Lonzo Ball recovery saga.

Some news that would let his players and fan base know that a Ball return at some point this season was imminent.

Unfortunately for the Bulls coach, he found himself telling a very familiar story on Sunday. And one that still might not have a happy ending.

“I spoke to him [Saturday] for a while,” Donovan said. “Again, he feels like he’s progressing. Not that this is new, but I saw him [Saturday], he was on the floor shooting. I think the biggest thing is when is he going to get to a place where the pain is such that he can start to run? He’s not at that right now, but I think he’s progressing toward that.”

When?

That remained the big unknown.

Ball has not played in an NBA game since last January, and has had two surgeries on the left knee since then. After the latest one in September, the hope was a six-to-eight week waiting period before a re-evaluation, allowing the team to announce a more definite return time.

Once that window closed, however, the concern started to grow.

While the fact that Ball has started shooting was progress, it was also very tempered. Shooting is not running, jumping or cutting. All steps that Ball needs to make before they can really start feeling better about real progress being taken.

According to Donovan, the point guard did attempt to run on the AlterG treadmill – which is an antigravity machine to take weight off the legs – and still had to be backed off when he experienced pain.

“There were still some issues there for him,” Donovan said. “When he feels that, they pull back.”

The part of Ball’s return that Donovan pointed out was even when he does clear those three hurdles of running, jumping and cutting, and can do so pain-free, there will be a lengthy “ramp-up period” he will need because of how long he’s been sidelined.

“Just in talking to the medical guys, this is not something where let’s say he is cleared to run, and he’s cutting, he’s moving, there’s going to be a period with the amount of time he’s been out, he has to get his conditioning back, he’s going to need some contact in practice,” Donovan said. “I don’t know what that period is, but it’s certainly not like, ‘Hey, he’s running, next week he’s playing.’ I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

Donovan did say that Ball was mentally still in a good place, but was obviously frustrated with how much basketball this has cost him.

“For me personally, just being around him last summer and then being around him in training camp, the one thing that really comes out when you’re around him and speak to him is he’s a student of the game,” Donovan said. “There are some guys where maybe this is a job. He just loves to play. And when you see a guy eager to get back and it’s taken away from him, you feel for him.”

Late scratch

Javonte Green showed up on the injury report late Sunday, and by game-time was a scratch with that right knee soreness that forced him to miss three games at the start of December.

What that meant big picture was Donovan has still been unable to see a larger sample size of the Green, Alex Caruso, Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and DeMar DeRozan starting unit that was formed after an embarrassing loss to the Suns. That group got just one look before Green went down.

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There was no legitimate thought of the Bears upending the Eagles, a team that is fully stocked for a Super Bowl run.

They have everything. The Bears need almost everything.

Yet, the Bears delivered another tantalizing rendition of what has become their signature song. They played better than expected, but not good enough. They had a chance in the fourth quarter, but fell short. They lost, this time 25-20, but there were signs of progress amid the rubble of their seventh consecutive defeat.

The question isn’t whether the Bears are good. They aren’t. The more crucial concern is whether general manager Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus have them on the path to being good.

There’s nothing convincing about doing some things right in yet another loss, but the potential is visible.

“I know what we can be,” said rookie cornerback Kyler Gordon, who had an interception and a fumble recovery. “It’s really about doing it all at the same time in one big, cohesive group with all [units] going crazy and doing their thing … It’s just a matter of time before we put it all together.”

Rebuilding takes time. Fully assembled teams like the Eagles are evaluated straightforwardly by their results, but it doesn’t make sense to apply that standard to a Bears team that’s still cleaning up the mess left by Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy.

That starts next season. In the meantime, it’s necessary to do some sifting.

The Eagles might be the most fearsome opponent Ebeflus faces this season, though the Bears host the equally daunting Bills on Saturday, and there were times when it looked — especially on defense, which is his specialty — that they were up for the fight. The Bears had the ball, down 17-13, with 8:25 left.

They held the Eagles to 25 points, below their season average and far less than the 40, 35 and 48 they fired off the last three weeks.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts racked up 315 yards passing, and the Bears were the first team to intercept him twice in a game this season. They held him to a season-worst 64.6 passer rating. He also ran for 61 yards and three touchdowns.

The Bears limited running back Miles Sanders, who reached the 1,000-yard mark last week, to just 42 on 11 carries. But receivers A.J. Brown (nine catches, 181 yards) and DeVonta Smith (five catches, 126 yards) scorched their patchy secondary.

An uneven performance isn’t surprising from a defense that was already stripped of most of its top players, then lost cornerback Jaylon Johnson late to a rib injury and linebacker Jack Sanborn to a left ankle injury.

Sanborn was on crutches and wearing a walking boot after the game. Johnson didn’t know if he’d miss time.

Eberflus offered a sober view of the loss, saying, “We’ve just got to be better in crucial moments,” and noting brutal individual errors, as well as various missed opportunities like scoring no points when DeAndre Houston-Carson picked off Hurts at the Eagles’ 25-yard line in the second quarter.

The Bears got to the 14-yard line before a fumble, sack and penalty left them to punt from the Eagles’ 30-yard line because that was beyond field-goal range for kicker Cairo Santos based on the range they established for the south end zone in warmups.

Awful.

Eberflus makes sense of this puzzle by scrutinizing whether the Bears are implementing “championship work habits” that will help them down the road. This team can’t hide from being 3-11, but it doesn’t feel aimless like the last two seasons did.

“Sometimes the results aren’t there,” Eberflus said. “But I see what I see in practice and in the games: We’re heading the right direction.”

He can make that promise in the early stage of the rebuild. Once real standards are applied next season, a loss like this won’t be anything other than just another loss.

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The Bears have repeatedly tried to downplay kicker Cairo Santos’ recent rut as merely part of the “ebbs and flows of the season,” as special teams coordinator Richard Hightower put it, but he has now missed a kick in four of the last five games.

Santos sent an extra point wide left from the right hash after Montgomery’s touchdown run midway through the second quarter. He also missed one in the last game against the Packers and Week 10 against the Lions.

Between field goals and extra points, Santos has made just 14 of 19 kicks over his last five games. He has hit 90% of his field goals, but just 82.1% of his extra points. He has missed an NFL-high five extra points this season, tied with the Vikings’ Greg Joseph.

Santos said “there’s a glitch” in his kicks from the right hash, where he usually spots the ball on extra points and switched mid-game to the center. He was perplexed because he’s not having any problems in practice.

“Every miss frustrates and annoys you,” Santos said. “It eats me alive.”

He has made 88.6% of his field goals at Soldier Field over his career, which is the highest of all time, but made just 86% of his extra points — second-lowest among those who have kicked at least 10 in their career.

Santos has made 89.3% of his field goals as a Bear, the highest in team history.

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Bears fans unhappy with rookie wide receiver

General manager Ryan Poles’ biggest draft mistake is pretty clear here in December. He overcooked the board when he drafted Velus Jones Jr. in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. (What ESPN’s Todd McShay called the Bears’ best pick of the draft.) Jones was projected to be a fourth-to-fifth-round pick.

After the Bears took two defensive backs in the second round, Poles, who knew the Bears needed a receiver before the draft, scrambled and went mush for brains and took a 25-year-old kick returner who played some offense.

Bears fans was confused at the time by the pick. The aged wide receiver wasn’t a household name. Jones was spun by the Bears’ PR machine as someone who would come into the facility with maturity. It didn’t their propaganda hurt that Fields mentioned his name to Poles in a tape review, and the Bears tried to build chemistry with Jones by having him as a locker room neighbor.

Since then, Jones has shown he’s a disaster of a pick. He hasn’t been seen much on the field for the offense. Jones had 75 snaps total on offense for the Bears coming into Week 15. Plays like this are why:

Jones saw more playing time against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday because the Bears were bare at wide receiver due to multiple injuries. Jones fumbled the ball against the Eagles on a running play. Muffs and fumbles were why Jones lost his job on special teams this season.

Bears fans want Jones gone

Bears fans reacted to Jones’ fumble on Sunday. They demanded the Bears move on from the “bust” before he screws up the 2023 campaign. Here are the best takes on Twitter after Jones’ fumble against the Eagles.

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Justin Fields has officially joined the exclusive 1,000-yard QB club

The Chicago Bears star Justin Fields became the third quarterback in NFL history to exceed the 1,000-yard mark for rushing in a single season on Sunday thanks to his quick feet, which helped him cross the threshold.

Justin Fields ran for one yard early in the fourth quarter to bring his total for the game to 95 yards. He had needed 95 yards coming into Sunday’s game to reach 1,000 for the season. That occurred after Fields earlier in the game added to his highlight reel of outstanding rushes with a 39-yard run during which he avoided multiple close calls with tacklers and came dangerously close to scoring before stepping out of bounds at the 9-yard line.

According to Dan Hope, “Bobby Douglass’ single-season Bears record for quarterback rushing yards had stood for nearly 50 years after Douglass gained 968 yards in 1972. However, Fields shattered it on the route to 1,000 yards, shattering it”.

Fields becomes the first quarterback in history to rush for 1,000 yards in a single campaign. The first quarterback to achieve that feat was Michael Vick in 2006, and Lamar Jackson went over 1,000 yards in both 2019 and 2020. Fields is in range of perhaps breaking Jackson’s 1,206-yard single-season quarterback rushing record with three weeks remaining in the 2022 campaign.

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The Chicago Bears missed opportunities against the Eagles

The Chicago Bears weren’t expected to beat the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday. The Eagles came into their Week 15 matchup with the best record in the NFC. However, the game gave the Bears an opportunity to measure how far away they are from competing in the NFC. We found out there’s a severe talent gap at most positions. The Bears were severely undermanned for this contest.

One position the Bears aren’t far away at is quarterback. Many Bears fans have compared Justin Fields, and Jalen Hurts this season. There’s an idea floating that the Eagles are a blueprint for what the Bears should build in the next offseason or two.

Fields didn’t make the mistakes Hurts did with his arm and made better plays with his feet. He continued to play decent football. Although Fields missed short throws he should have made. An early miss on fourth down and two was his fault as he threw behind Dante Pettis. Fields needs to learn to make those throws if he wants to take the next step as a passer in the NFL.

Hurts hit receivers who made great catches. Here’s an example of DeVonta Smith making a catch no one on the field for the Bears Sunday can make.

The Bears’ wide receivers weren’t anywhere close to what Hurts could toss to. The talent level is the Bears’ most significant problem, but Fields played better than Hurts Sunday. Hurts had two bad interceptions in the first half.

Here are three studs and duds from the Chicago Bears’ loss to the Eagles.

Studs

Kyler Gordon

Gordon had been out for the Chicago Bears since he sustained a concussion in their Week 11 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. He played most of the season before that point, looking confused as if he had a concussion. Gordon seemed much improved as the Bears came off their bye. He intercepted Hurts in the first quarter. That makes two picks on the year for the Bears’ rookie.

David Montgomery

David Montgomery needs to show his best stuff over the next few weeks. He’s up for a new contract after the season, and he’ll have Khalil Herbert gunning for his spot when he returns from the injured reserve soon. Montgomery played well for the Chicago Bears’ shorthanded offense. He was used effectively in the running and passing game. He finished with 53 yards rushing and 38 yards receiving. Montgomery found the endzone twice against an elite Eagles defense.

Chicago Bears defense

The Bears gave up 25 points, but it wasn’t entirely their fault. The offense didn’t give them much help during the game. The Eagles came into the game scoring 40, 35, and 42 points, respectively. The Bears’ defense created three turnovers on the day. They also forced a turnover on downs.

The Bears’ offense scored on one drive of the three turnovers and a fourth down stop. The Bears had four offensive drives that they ran four or fewer plays. Considering the defense was asked to stop one of the best offenses in the NFL while being on the field for 70+ snaps, the unit held up very strongly.

 Duds

Alex Leatherwood (Chicago Bears offensive line)

Leatherwood had a great game against the Green Bay Packers in Week 13. The Packers’ pass rush hasn’t been good since their best pass rusher, Rashan Gary, was sidelined for the season with an ACL injury. He and the Bears’ offensive line were taking on the NFL’s best pass rush against the Eagles. They failed miserably. Leatherwood didn’t help Cole Kmet on Haasan Reddick, leading to a strip sack.

Leatherwood, who’s be rotated into the lineup with Riley Reiff at right tackle, might not be as familiar with who to help with pass protection. He didn’t do well with Reddick on one-on-one blocks, as he gave up his own sack. Fortunately for the Bears, one of his missed assignments led to a long Fields scramble on a drive that Montgomery would punch in a touchdown later.

The Bears’ offensive line was atrocious Sunday. Cody Whitehair looked awful at guard. They gave up five sacks by halftime.

Chicago Bears Injuries

The Chicago Bears came into their Week 15 contest pretty beat up. The Bears were without their two best wide receivers. Starting right tackle Larry Borom was ruled out before the game. The Bears would lose wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown and offensive guard Teven Jenkins in the first half. Linebacker Jack Sanborn, who has been an awesome replacement for Roquan Smith, was injured in the second half. The Bears can’t stay healthy, and that’s not helping them in the win column.

Cairo Santos

For whatever reason, the Eagles coming into Chicago brings out the worst in Bears kickers. Cairo Santos didn’t have a “double doink” moment, but he missed an extra point and had a controversial moment of his own. On a fourth down at the Bears’ 26-yard line, Fox television cameras appeared to show Santos declining to kick a field goal. The Bears would take a five-yard penalty to punt from the 31. If the wind is an issue, Santos might not fit in as a Chicago kicker.

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It felt like Bears quarterback Justin Fields took on the best team the NFC on Sunday by himself. And he almost pulled it off.

With little help from an offense ravaged by injuries, Fields kept the Bears close against the one-loss Eagles for most of Sunday’s game at Soldier Field. The final score — 25-20 — was only decided when the Eagles converted a third-and-6 with two minutes to play.

Fields played most of Sunday’s game without four of his top six wide receivers. Darnell Mooney was out for the season with an ankle injury, Chase Claypool was ruled out Friday with a knee problem and N’Keal Harry was scratched Sunday because of a bad back. Equanimeous St. Brown was concussed after catching a third-down pass in the first quarter Sunday and was ruled out.

Guard Teven Jenkins was put on a backboard and carted off with a neck injury early in the first quarter, too.

That left Fields to take matters into his own hands.

Fields reached two milestones Sunday, setting the Bears’ all-time single-season rushing record for a quarterback and becoming the third quarterback in NFL history to run for 1,000 yards.

On second-and-27 in the second quarter, Fields ducked out of a sack, danced through the pocket and sprinted up the left sideline. He ran all the way into the south end zone, but officials ruled he stepped out of bounds. David Montgomery ran for a nine-yard touchdown on the next play.

Montgomery caught a touchdown, too, in the third quarter. Three plays after Eagles running back Miles Sanders fumbled the ball away to rookie cornerback Kyler Gordon, Fields found Montgomery in the flat on a third-and-5 blitz for a 10-yard touchdown.

The Bears trailed by four midway through the fourth quarter when Fields left the field after a scramble that was negated by a holding penalty. He was stretched on the sideline and then walked to the Bears locker room, presumably for IV fluids to help combat cramping.

He returned before the Bears got the ball back — but by that point Jalen Hurts had run a quarterback sneak from the 1 to go up 12 with 4:25 to play.

Fields brought the Bears back within five when he scrambled right and found Byron Pringle wide open for a 25-yard score with 2:52 to play.

The Bears tried an onside kick that failed. The Eagles then converted on third-and-6 when Hurts found star receiver A.J. Brown on a slant.

Fields ran 15 times for 95 yards and completed 14 of 21 passes for 152 yards and a 119.5 passer rating.

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Bears linebacker Jack Sanborn joined the list of Bears wounded early in the third quarter Sunday when he injured his left ankle against the Eagles. The rookie had to be helped off the field and to the injury tent; he soon was driven in a cart from the tent to the Bears’ locker room.

The Bears soon ruled him out for the game.

Veteran Joe Thomas took his place at middle linebacker.

Sanborn, an undrafted free agent from Wisconsin, had qualified as a pleasant surprise for the Bears since they traded Roquan Smith to the Ravens. He had 54 tackles in five starts before Sunday’s game, an average that was more prolific than Smith — and Smith led the NFL in tackles when he was traded.

Sanborn was the third Bears player taken off the field in Sunday’s game against the Eagles. Receiver Equanimeous St. Brown suffered a concussion in the first quarter. A few minutes later, guard Teven Jenkins was put on a backboard and carted off the field with a neck injury.

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