W2vsCIN: Struggling to win

    The Bears needed everything that came their way to get he win against an equally struggling Bengals team. The news is all focused not on the win but on whether Matt Nagy will make Justin Fields the starter for their next game while Andy Dalton takes care of his injured knee.

   Offensively it started with more of the same, Dalton moving the chains with short quick passes and with Montgomery pounding for chunks of yards only this time the Bears managed to score on their first possession which is very good and very different in a positive way compared to previous years. On their second drive they kept moving the ball basically the same way until Dalton got injured on his second scramble, he tried to stay on the field for another drive but it would be his last of the game, so in comes Fields and the game changed completely. It's easy for me to say that Fields was not ready, he looked like a rookie and made rookie mistakes which were expected but he also looked nervous and it didn't help that the plays called weren't exactly based on his physical traits to give him time to scan the field, basically it looked like it didn't matter who was playing QB, there was a game plan and Nagy was going to finish the plan, I don't know what the limited package for Fields for this game was but, as I mentioned, I saw no play that took advantage of Fields movement skills, he sat in the pocked uncomfortable as hell. There was a play in the 3rd qtr near midfield with trips right with Allen Robinson near the Oline, he ran a GO or POST route and was pretty much open and  Fields was looking to Robinsons direction (looked like it from the end zone shot) and instead of taking a shot he sprinted, it looked like he didn't trust the OL to maintain, I can't completely blame him not trusting the line but right there in that play looking at Robinson he needed to trust them to try that pass. This was a sample of what I am afraid will not take Fields to the next level, the lack of game planning for him and the lack of trust in the OL can make him take bad decisions and transform them into bad habits, the line was holding up most of the times but Fields on most occasions failed to climb the pocket, probably because on various occasions Sam Mustipher was unable to maintain his defender at the line of scrimmage instead he was getting pushed back to the QB, that wont help a young QB and it will make him want to use his legs instead of completing his reads, Mustipher most of the game was getting help from the G's to double team the NT which helped a lot to keep the pocket clean, if there's problems on the IOL its because Mustipher can't consistently take care of his assignment on his own, not yet at least. Not everything was bad, Fields showed he can put the ball where it needs to be showing very good arm strength and when using his legs he showed that he is capable of creating something out of nothing.

Upside players: David Montgomery keeps showing up and finding creases to keep drives alive, he got a big catch play called back by penalty that was pure gold leaving the defender searching for his legs. Jason Peters and Germain Ifedi are not dominating the Oline but are often giving enough time to their QB, as of now I feel they got upgraded at this position and the future looks to be even better hopefully. Allen Robinson had the huge drop in the end zone but there is one thing that any QB playing for the Bears should know, don't lose trust in him and when in trouble look his way because more often than not he is going to be open.

Downside players: Sam Mustipher continues to show to be the weakest link in the Oline, he is an up and down player so there is still time for him to correct his mistakes, if there were to be a change it would mean to shuffle Cody Whitehair and James Daniels and plug someone at G to start all over again which wouldn't be ideal. It's time to pin Jimmy Graham as just a red zone catcher where he gets open or is a mismatch, unfortunately he wasn't thrown the ball this time, but as a blocking TE he is showing no interest in being one nor is he helping stretch the field, it's time to see more Jesse James and see what he can do, we know what Graham can do.

The real hero of this game was the defense capitalizing opportunities created by good plays and a little help from a still rookie QB in Joe Burrow. It's a bit of a let down that 4 turnovers led the Bears to score only 6 points offensively out of them, it's even worse if you think that 13 of the 20 points scored were due to turnovers, the Bears wouldn't have won otherwise, they just weren't able to score and are still a struggling offense. The defense on the other hand came thru when needed and did just enough to keep it under control, Sean Desai designed some good pass rush plays and took advantage of an unstable Bengals Oline. The Bengals and Burrow could have gotten the Bears defense in trouble if they took advantage of their weakness that is still the slot corner, this time it was Duke Shelley who performed a bit better than Marqui Christian against the Rams by playing the run better and consistently being near the receiver to get the tackle but still was getting beaten regularly. Shelley like Christian just seem to not have the ability to stick to the receiver, I honestly think it's better to play Artie Burns outside just to push Kindle Vildor inside because he plays man better and could minimize the damage and the need inside, it may cause problems outside bit it's not like its a lock by having Vildor there. 

Upside players: Akiem Hicks is a beast, he is just pure energy and spreads it. Roquan Smith wants to get paid, might not be the nasties LB but he is all athlete. Eddie Jackson shined on this game by being him, opportunistic and not the best tackler but will shoestring tackle you to the death. Jaylon Johnson isn't getting a lot of work due to the weakness on the other side but still makes plays when they try to go his way. Angelo Blackson is playing hard coming out of the bench, hope he keeps it up and help the DL one of the best in the NFL once the rest of the guys return.

Downside players: If I have to mention someone it would be Shelley and Tashaun Gipson just because they were the once that I saw struggled more against an opponent that is still not there yet.

So what do I expect to happen at the QB position for the game against the Browns? I'm gonna say that if Dalton is healthy enough he is going to start because I believe he gives them the better chance to win which are not that great, Dalton with his limitations fits better with the Bears teams that they have right now, the ball needs to get out quick and keep the defense from staking the line of scrimmage for Montgomery to run more freely, keep the clock moving and keep the defense fresh, that is a plan and it tends to work, that is what Dalton brings to the table and he has shown to do it better than any QB the Bears have brought to the team in the last few decades. If Nagy doesn't want to go with Dalton or he isn't healthy enough to move in the pocket, Fields is the QB for the whole season if he starts against Cleveland, the learning experience would start then and there and hopefully will end in at least 10 years. If Nagy plays Fields right, he can keep the defense guessing, he can be the wild card, Nagy needs to help Fields increase his confidence, help him get time to see the field and get him in rhythm and accustomed to the game flow, this might not be the best offense but it has shown its not a bad one, it just needs to be pointed in the right direction. One thing that makes it very important not to play Dalton hurt is if he gets lost for the season, Nick Foles would be the backup, no way that is ideal. Against the Browns the Bears Oline is going to get tested with a dose of high caliber pass rushers, the QB will need to be able to move out of the pocket if needed, the true damage will most likely be on the ground but they need to create enough damage thru the air to give the runner some breathing room. the Bears defense will have a shot of giving their front seven some time to get to the QB with their top two receivers in Jarvis Landry and probably Odell Beckham Jr. out for this one, still the Browns runners can be a nightmare with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt but the Bears might be in luck by getting Mario Edwards Jr. back but most importantly if Eddie Goldman can return to action it could be key to getting the win. It's still the Browns game to win, but the odds are tilting a bit, let's see if the Bears can make it interesting and maybe pull an upset.