Biggest Takeaways from Chicago Bears' Week 8 Loss
The Chicago Bears struggled out of the gate against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8, but they played well in the second half. Despite their strong showing in the final two quarters on Sunday, the Bears dropped to 2-5 on the season following their 23-20 loss at home.
“We were in the game, much like the last four weeks. We won two, but we didn’t finish the last two weeks, and then you lose," said head coach John Fox after the game, per ChicagoFootball.com's Kevin Fishbain. "I think down the stretch, you have to coach them better and you have to make plays when they are there to be had. That’s really the truth."
Chicago showed signs of improvement on both sides of the ball on Sunday, but it could not come away with a victory over a talented Vikings team.
What are our biggest takeaways from Chicago's loss to the Vikings in Week 8?
Matt Forte's Injury Puts Rookie Jeremy Langford in the Spotlight
1 of 5
Running back Matt Forte has been one of Chicago's most consistent performers on offense this season, but he suffered a knee injury early in the second half and was lost for the remainder of the game.
After the game, Fox had little to say about Forte's injury.
"They did the evaluation and they have an idea, but I hate to speculate until they get medical evidence," Fox said, per ESPN.com's Jeff Dickerson. "We'll keep you posted on that."
In the wake of Forte's injury, rookie running back Jeremy Langford was thrust into the spotlight. Langford has been used sparingly at times this year, but he carried the ball 12 times for 46 yards in Week 8.
Langford did a nice job of running the ball between the tackles and held up well in pass protection, but he dropped a crucial pass late in the fourth quarter.
With the Bears and Vikings tied 20-20 with just over a minute remaining on the clock, quarterback Jay Cutler rolled out to his right on third down. Langford was wide-open for the first down, but he dropped the pass. The Bears were then forced to punt, and the Vikings charged down the field to set up Blair Walsh's game-winning field goal.
"I just have to focus on the catch first and then think about running, just focus on securing the ball," Langford said after the game, per Chicago Bears radio network sideline reporter Zach Zaidman.
Even though Langford's drop cost the Bears an opportunity to march down the field for a go-ahead score, tight end Martellus Bennett said after the game that Langford has full support from his teammates, per Dickerson:
"He's been doing very well. He ran the ball well today. He runs the ball hard and he's fast. He's been watching everything that Matt does. Early in your career when you have a guy like Matt in front of you, the best thing you can do is be an apprentice and watch everything he does and carry yourself like he does. Forte is a hell of a back and a hell of a guy. He is somebody you want to model your game after. I think Jeremy is doing a good job. He's always with Matt and asking Matt questions. We have a lot of confidence in Jeremy moving forward.
"
The Bears did not say much about Forte's injury, but if he is either limited or unable to play against the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football next week, Langford proved on Sunday he has what it takes to be an every-down running back.
Jay Cutler Continues to Impress in Adam Gase's System
2 of 5
The Bears were without starting center Hroniss Grasu on Sunday afternoon, and they were forced to move veteran guard Matt Slauson to center, Vladimir Ducasse from right guard to left guard and Patrick Omameh made his first start of the season at right guard.
With a patchwork offensive line, coordinator Adam Gase relied on short passes and screens early in the game. Chicago's offense stumbled to get into a rhythm throughout much of the first half before Gase dialed up deep passes to wide receiver Alshon Jeffery late in the second quarter following an interception by cornerback Kyle Fuller.
Cutler hit Jeffery on a short pass to the right for 13 yards before finding Jeffery in the corner of the end zone with 42 seconds left on the clock for Chicago's first touchdown of the game.
The veteran quarterback completed 10 of his 13 passing attempts for 72 yards in the first half, and Gase opted to open up the passing game in the second half. Cutler finished the game with 211 passing yards on 22 completions with one touchdown and a 94.4 quarterback rating.
Even with a new offensive line in front of him, Cutler did a great job of sensing pressure around him. He slid out of the pocket when needed, and he scored his first rushing touchdown of the year on a seven-yard scramble in the fourth quarter.
“He plays with max effort every single week,” Bennett said about Cutler after the game, per the Chicago Sun-Times' Adam Jahns. “He catches a lot of flak all the time, but the guy just goes out there every single week and gives us everything he has.”
Cutler has thrown for 1,442 passing yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions this season, and while he still struggles with his mechanics and decision-making at times, he has looked like a much different quarterback in Gase's system.
It is going to be tough for the Bears to make the playoffs given their record, but Cutler will have a chance to solidify his role as the team's starter in 2016 if he continues to play like he has up to this point this season in the final nine games of the year.
Rookie Defensive Backs Played Well Against Minnesota
3 of 5
Chicago's secondary has struggled this season, but a pair of rookie defensive backs played well on Sunday afternoon.
Free safety Adrian Amos has started every game this season for the Bears, and the former Penn State product finished Sunday's game with five tackles. Amos has been solid up in the box all season, and he was not afraid to take Minnesota's Adrian Peterson head-on in the running game.
"Really strong game today for Adrian Amos in run support," tweeted CBSChicago.com's Dan Durkin. "Showing no fear in the hole, has taken Peterson on head up all game."
Chicago's defensive backs have all had up-and-down seasons up to this point in the year, but Amos has been the team's most consistent contributor in the secondary. He has yet to be truly tested in the passing game, but he plays the run well and showed off his ability to blitz the quarterback on Sunday.
He blitzed Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater from off the edge in the first quarter, but he was unable to control himself once he got to the former first-round pick. Amos shuffled his feet as he approached Bridgewater, and the young quarterback was able to dump the football off in the flat. Even though Amos was unable to register the sack, his pressure forced Bridgewater to get rid of the football quickly.
In addition to Amos' solid play on Sunday afternoon, fellow rookie Bryce Callahan played well.
Callahan went undrafted out of Rice this past May, and a strong training camp and preseason helped him land a spot on Chicago's roster. He appeared in the first two games of the season primarily on special teams, but he was the team's top nickelback on Sunday.
The rookie defensive back finished the game with four tackles and one tackle for loss, but he suffered a concussion near the end of the game, per WGNRadio.com's Adam Hoge, and was not on the field for Minnesota's game-tying touchdown.
Callahan played aggressively against the run, and he also held his own against the pass. There is no way of knowing whether he will be able to play against the Chargers next week because of his concussion, but he proved on Sunday he is an improvement over former No. 1 nickelback Sherrick McManis.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Alshon Jeffery Looks Like One of the League's Best Receivers
4 of 5
Alshon Jeffery struggled with injuries throughout the first five weeks of the year, but he has been one of the league's best in Chicago's last two games.
Jeffery started in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers, but he did not dress for Chicago's next four games. In Week 6 against the Detroit Lions, Jeffery hauled in eight passes for 147 yards with one touchdown. He backed up his Week 6 performance in Week 8 by hauling in 10 passes for 116 yards with one touchdown.
The former Pro Bowl receiver matched up against Minnesota's Terence Newman throughout the afternoon, and the veteran cornerback had no answer for Jeffery. The former South Carolina star has some of the best hands in the league, and he showed them off late in the first half.
Cutler tossed the football near the corner of the end zone, and Jeffery went up and made a play on the ball.
“I think it was a better throw than my route, actually,” Jeffery said, per ChicagoFootball.com's Arthur Arkush. “He just threw it up and gave me a chance. It was like a double move, but the corner didn’t bite. It was a great throw, and I made a great catch.”
Jeffery did a great job of creating separation all afternoon, and on the few occasions he was not able to break away from the cornerback, he used his strong hands to come up with the catch.
Chicago's offense struggled to get into a rhythm early in the first half before it started to target Jeffery down the field. The Bears still have a ways to go on the offensive side of the football, but now that Jeffery is healthy, the offense has a chance to put up big numbers in the passing game.
CB Kyle Fuller Played Better, but He Needs to Improve
5 of 5
Kyle Fuller played well in the first three games of the 2014 season after he was selected 14th overall in the NFL draft, but his play declined as the year wore on. He was expected to be a big part of Chicago's defense in 2015, but he has struggled throughout this season.
Fuller struggled with penalties and with his technique in the first six games of the season, but he showed signs of improvement on Sunday against the Vikings.
Early in the game, he knocked a pass away from receiver Stefon Diggs, and he finished the game with two tackles and two pass deflections.
He recorded his first interception of the season late in the second quarter and helped set up Chicago's game-tying touchdown, but he failed to bring in an interception late in the game. Bridgewater threw a ball to Diggs down the field, and while Fuller appeared to be in position to make an interception, he played the wide receiver instead of the football.
"Kyle Fuller should have picked that off and walked into the end zone," tweeted Bleacher Report's Zach Kruse.
Fuller made some nice plays against both the pass and the run Sunday, but he has struggled to put together a solid performance for an entire game. He is a good tackler in the open field, but he struggled to bring Diggs down on a couple of occasions in Week 8.
Fuller has all the tools to be a reliable starter in the NFL, but he needs to be more consistent on a weekly basis in order to become a building block on defense.
Statistical information courtesy of ESPN.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.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
