Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2017 17:13:11 GMT -6
Studs and Duds from Bears' Week 10 loss to Packers
By: Bryan Perez | 1 hour ago
Link: bearswire.usatoday.com/2017/11/12/studs-and-duds-from-bears-week-10-loss-to-packers/
In what can only be described as the most disappointing loss of the 2017 season, the Chicago Bears allowed the Brett Hundley-led Green Bay Packers escape Soldier Field with a 23-16 win.
The loss ends any realistic chance the Bears had at making a run for the division and unless they rip off seven wins in a row, it’s time to shift the focus of 2017 to player development instead of playoff contention.
Here’s a look at the Bears’ studs and duds from their Week 10 loss.
Stud: Dontrelle Inman
Inman had a promising debut for the Bears, finishing the game with six catches for 88 yards. He looked like the most legitimate wide receiver Chicago has fielded all season long.
He did have what appeared to be a costly drop at the end of the game, but his impact on the offense was obvious. It’s no coincidence that Mitchell Trubisky set his career-high in yards in the same week that Inman was activated.
The season may be lost for the Bears, but the next seven weeks will be an audition for Inman to earn a new contract with Chicago at the end of the season.
Dud: John Fox
The Bears coaching staff had its worst performance of the season. Fox may have sealed his fate with his costly challenge of RB Benny Cunningham’s long run, one that Fox alleged should have been ruled a touchdown. Instead, replay revealed that Cunningham fumbled the ball out of the end zone resulting in a turnover for Green Bay.
Fox has been a catastrophic disappointment through his first two-and-a-half years on the job, and the mind-numbing challenge may have been the final nail in his coaching coffin.
Aside from the red-flag blunder, Fox’s team was completely underprepared and was once again out-coached by Mike McCarthy and the Packers’ staff.
Now that the playoffs appear out of reach in 2017, the Fox era should be coming to an end over the next seven weeks.
Stud: Mitchell Trubisky
Trubisky wasn’t perfect Sunday, but he took a clear step forward in his development as an NFL quarterback.
He set a new career high with 297 passing yards and threw a perfect 46-yard touchdown to Josh Bellamy while the game was still in the balance.
Trubisky was under pressure all game and, at times, he held the ball a tick too long in the pocket. But overall, his performance in Week 10 was a good example of what the passing game can become as the talent at wide receiver continues to evolve.
Dud: Kyle Fuller
Fuller was one of the most impressive Bears defenders through the first half of the season, but as has been the story of the former first-round pick’s career, he struggles to play a full 16 games of consistent football.
The bad Fuller was on display against the Packers. He missed four tackles according to Pro Football Focus, and the impact of those whiffs was obvious. Many of his missed tackles resulted in chunk yards after the catch.
He was trucked by RB Jamaal Williams on a critical short-yardage play late in the game.
Fuller’s improved his game from a coverage standpoint in 2017, but he needs to develop into a more consistent and reliable player before the Bears can invest a long-term contract on him.