3 Takeaways from Bears' Week 18 Loss vs. Packers
The Chicago Bears entered one of their most important offseasons in franchise history with a 17-9 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Sunday's loss at Lambeau Field showcased how big the gap is between the Bears and a playoff berth. Green Bay clinched the final NFC wild-card spot with the victory.
Justin Fields' final audition to Chicago's decision makers was not great and now he has to wait to hear if the Bears will keep him, or land a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick.
If a new quarterback comes in, the Bears have a lot of work to do to find players to develop around him.
Green Bay is the perfect example of how to spot young talent and develop those players into contributors. The Packers' top two pass-catchers were second-and-seventh-round picks.
Chicago's defense tried its best to contain Jayden Reed, Bo Melton and others, but it came up short in key moments and allowed Jordan Love to finish off the playoff-clinching victory.
Large Gap Between Bears and Packers
1 of 3
Chicago fans will hate hearing this, but Green Bay is not going to suffer a significant drop off with Jordan Love at quarterback.
Sunday's game showcased how well the Packers pieced together their offense around Love after Aaron Rodgers' departure.
Jayden Reed, Bo Melton and Dontayvion Wicks all had at least four catches and over 60 receiving yards. Tight ends Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave chipped in with four catches for a combined 42 yards.
The Packers identified young talent and found a perfect way to incorporate them into their offensive system and now have a playoff spot to show for it.
The Bears need to replicate a bit of what the Packers have done to be at Green Bay's level next season.
Chicago must add pass-catching help around D.J. Moore and Cole Kmet, who once again felt like Fields' only options in the aerial attack.
Reaching the postseason is not an impossible task in the next two years, but the Bears must upgrade their offensive talent to achieve that feat.
Justin Fields Didn't Look Great in Potential Final Start for Bears
2 of 3
Fields produced an average stat line on the road in what might have been his final start for the Bears.
Fields went 11-for-16 with 148 yards through the air and earned 27 yards on eight carries.
It was far from Fields' most effective or impactful game, and it may have cast some doubt in the Bears front office that he is the quarterback of the future.
Of course, the Fields decision may already be made by general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus, but time will tell what it actually is.
Fields finished the regular season with 2,562 passing yards, 657 rushing yards, 20 total touchdowns and a 61.4 completion percentage.
The 2021 first-round pick had some decent performances after his return from injury and he did lead the Bears to a 4-2 record in the last six games, but that might not be enough to save his job in Chicago.
Defense Turned in Another Questionable Road Performance
3 of 3
The Packers finished with a 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver.
Aaron Jones torched the Bears for 111 yards on 22 carries and Reed earned 112 yards on his four catches.
Green Bay totaled 432 yards, which marked the third-highest concession by the Bears this season.
In fact, all three of Chicago's 400-yard concessions and its top seven yardage totals allowed came away from Soldier Field this season.
Green Bay also earned the most yards on the Bears defense in Chicago back in Week 1, when it totaled 329 yards.
The Bears defense may have held the Packers to 17 points, but it felt like the Packers could earn large gains whenever they wanted.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
