5 Biggest Takeaways from Chicago Bears' Week 1 Loss
The Chicago Bears squared off against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field on Sunday for the 191st time, but they fell to 0-1 on the season following a 31-23 loss.
The Bears had the ball for over 31 minutes and registered 402 total yards of offense, but Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers' three touchdowns were too much to overcome. Chicago showed flashes of its potential on both sides of the football on Sunday, and quarterback Jay Cutler is ready to move on to next week.
"We've got to move on," Cutler said after the game, per ChicagoFootball.com's Kevin Fishbain. "This is one game. We have 15 more. We got a lot of opportunities left to go out there and do it the right way and improve where we are."
The Bears will host Arizona next Sunday at Soldier Field, and the only way to know how they will perform against the Cardinals is by looking at what they did well—and what they did not do well—against Green Bay in Week 1.
What are our biggest takeaways from Chicago's Week 1 loss to Green Bay?
QB Jay Cutler Looks Comfortable in New Offense
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Much of the focus before Sunday's game centered around Cutler and how he would perform against a Green Bay team he has struggled against throughout his career, but the veteran quarterback looked comfortable in the team's new offense.
Cutler completed 18 of his 36 passing attempts for 225 yards with one touchdown and one interception, and he ran the football four times for 31 yards. He looked comfortable under center all afternoon, and despite playing with a new right side of the offensive line, he was only sacked twice.
The offensive line cleaned up its struggles on the right side as the game went on, and Cutler impressed on third down.
"Bears QB Jay Cutler on third down, per STATS: 8-for-10, 123 yards, 117.9 rating, two passes for 25-plus yards, seven first downs, two sacks," tweeted the Chicago Sun-Times' Adam Jahns after the game.
The Bears started charging down the field in the fourth quarter when they were down 24-16 with around six minutes remaining in the game, but Cutler rushed a pass to tight end Martellus Bennett, and linebacker Clay Matthews made a great break on the ball for the interception.
"He was backside," Cutler said, per Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com. "We started front side of the read. [Bennett] popped. [Matthews] is a good player. He kind of just floated in there. As soon as I let it go, I knew we were in trouble. It was a good play by him."
Even though Cutler's interception essentially ended Chicago's comeback bid, he received praise from one of his teammates for his performance.
"Jay played a hell of a game," said wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, per Fishbain. "He played his [butt] off. We just didn't come out with a win."
Chicago ran the ball effectively with Matt Forte, and that helped open up the passing game for Cutler, but he also did a nice job of taking what the defense was giving him. He did not force any balls down the field, and he had no problem tucking the football and picking up yards on the ground.
Cutler did not put up elite numbers on Sunday afternoon, but he proved he has a good understanding of coordinator Adam Gase's offense. If he can play within the system, Chicago's offense has a chance to be effective this season.
Chicago's Cornerbacks Struggled
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Chicago started 2014 first-round pick Kyle Fuller and veteran Alan Ball at cornerback on Sunday, but both struggled in the regular-season opener.
Ball matched up against James Jones throughout much of the afternoon, and the recently signed Jones hauled in four catches for 51 yards and scored two touchdowns.
On the first touchdown Ball allowed, the veteran cornerback had great positioning and did everything he could to prevent a catch, but Rodgers threw a perfect pass and connected with Jones in the end zone.
"I looked at that play repeatedly, and I'm still astonished that Jones caught that ball," tweeted NBC Chicago's James Neveau. "Fantastic coverage by Alan Ball."
Ball later gave up a 34-yard completion to Jones down the field, and Jones eventually beat Ball on a slant route for a touchdown.
"James Jones easily gets inside Alan Ball on the slant," tweeted the Chicago Tribune's Rich Campbell. "Bears like Ball's man-coverage ability and length, but no disruption of release there."
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has always leaned toward cornerbacks with size like Ball (6'2", 195 lbs), and the team opted to release veteran cornerback Tim Jennings late last month, and that could have been because of his size (5'8", 185 lbs).
On the other side of the field, Fuller had his share of ups and downs.
The former Virginia Tech star burst onto the scene last year in the second regular-season game by hauling in two interceptions against the San Francisco 49ers, but his play dropped off as the year went along. He struggled in former defensive coordinator Mel Tucker's scheme, but he appeared to be a good fit in Fangio's system before the preseason started.
Fuller struggled at times in the preseason on the outside, but he entered the season as the team's No. 1 cornerback. He finished the game against Green Bay with two tackles, but he struggled playing off coverage.
"Off coverage by Fuller, has to come in under control and break down at the point of attack," tweeted CBS Chicago's Dan Durkin. "Missed tackle in the open field."
The young cornerback has a chance to become a key part of Chicago's defense moving forward, but he has to play more disciplined.
Despite Missing the Preseason, WR Alshon Jeffery Was Productive
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Jeffery missed all of the preseason due to a calf injury, but he finished Sunday's game with five catches for 78 yards.
Before the game, NFL Insider Jay Glazer reported that Jeffery would "be monitored for possible pitch count" in Sunday's game.
Jeffery rotated in and out of the lineup throughout the game, and even though he appeared to be laboring at times, he was still productive.
“I feel pretty good," Jeffery said after the game, per Jahns. "The biggest thing is the more I play the better I feel."
In addition to making an impact in the passing game, Jeffery also did a nice job in the running game. According to Pro Football Focus, Jeffery was the NFL's third-best blocker last season with a plus-7.6 blocking grade, and he showed off that ability on Sunday afternoon.
Jeffery has been a threat in the red zone over the course of the last two seasons, but his injury kept him from making an impact when Chicago's offense had Green Bay's backs against the wall.
After the game, Jeffery admitted the offense beat itself on Sunday afternoon.
"Just clean up on our details and assignments. It's something we can build from and learn from," he said, per ChicagoBears.com. "It's nothing they did. Hat's off to their defense, they're a great defense. But we beat ourselves out there."
As long as Jeffery does not have any setbacks with his calf moving forward, he should play a big part in Chicago's offense this season.
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Chicago Needs to Get More Production out of Its Pass-Rushers
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The Bears spent big money on outside linebacker Pernell McPhee in free agency and moved defensive ends Jared Allen, Lamarr Houston and Willie Young to outside linebacker this offseason, but all four failed to apply consistent pressure on Rodgers in Week 1.
McPhee recorded six tackles, Allen finished with three, Young registered one tackle and Houston did not appear on the stat sheet. As a whole, Chicago's defense did not record a single quarterback hit on Sunday.
McPhee and Allen both flashed with solid rushes early in the game, but they were both kept at bay for the majority of the contest. McPhee played well against the run, but Allen struggled at times to set the edge.
McPhee did draw a holding penalty early in the game because of his explosive pass rush, but he needs to be more consistent when on the field. He was able to set the edge a few times in the running game and make stops, but the Bears signed him to a five-year contract this offseason to get after the quarterback.
Allen flashed a few times in the second half, but he was largely ineffective against the Packers offensive line. He did a nice job of using his hands to push back tackle David Bakhtiari on occasion, but he struggled with consistency all afternoon.
Young spelled Allen early in the game, but he struggled against play action. The Bears kept a steady rotation at the position throughout the game, but Houston was a non-factor during his time on the field.
Rodgers does a nice job of getting rid of the ball quickly, so that could be a reason why Chicago struggled to apply pressure, but the defense will struggle mightily this season if it cannot apply pressure on a consistent basis.
Kyle Long Bounced Back Late After a Rough Start at Right Tackle
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Offensive lineman Kyle Long went to two straight Pro Bowls between 2013 and 2014 at guard, but the Bears started the former Oregon Duck at right tackle against Green Bay.
2013 fifth-round pick Jordan Mills was Chicago's primary starter at right tackle the last two seasons, but he was released last week. Even though Long appeared to be the front-runner for the starting right tackle position, the Bears did not announce Long as the starter at right tackle until just before the game started, per the Daily Herald's Bob LeGere.
Long struggled early against Green Bay's Julius Peppers, but the young lineman looked more comfortable as the game went on.
"For having one week at right tackle, I thought he did excellent," said Cutler about Long, per Jahns.
Long played some tackle during OTAs, but he spent all of training camp and the preseason at right guard. Despite moving to a new position, Long said he has to continue to push to get better, per ChicagoBears.com:
"You get so comfortable at one position, and then you get moved. But that's part of the deal - football. Especially on the offensive line; I have a great group of guys around me. Just have to continue to push forward and compete. Not everything is going to be rainbows. You have to continue to push and compete.
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The young tackle struggled with his hand placement and often grabbed the opposing pass-rusher instead of engaging him. He still played well in the running game and did a nice job of getting outside on a couple of toss plays to Forte, but he needs to tighten up his technique in pass protection.
Considering the fact that Long went into Sunday's game having never played tackle at the NFL level—and he was forced to go up against one of the best pass-rushers in NFL history in Peppers—he had a solid debut for the Bears at his new position.
Assuming the Bears do not add a veteran tackle to the roster anytime soon, Long will continue to be the team's starting right tackle.
Statistical information and measurables courtesy of NFL.com unless otherwise noted.
Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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