On Sunday, the Bears came home after a thrilling opening game victory against the Detroit Lions, ready to win at home for the first time in 2020. They were met with an understandable level of skepticism as to whether or not it was the start of a winning season. This game against the NY Giants perfectly showcased the two sides of the Chicago Bears and laid bare the reasons for the love/hate that fans experience season after season.
The Bears played the best football I’ve seen in the Matt Nagy era over the first half, taking a 17-0 lead. The defense completely shut down the Giants’ offense, and the’ offense had a great flow in their passing game, and the running game was better than any game they played last season.
As good as the first half was, the second half was worse. The Bears were fortunate that they were playing the Giants after they lost an injured Saquon Barkley. The Bears’ defense had issues with tackling, and the offense that looked so balanced in the first half did absolutely nothing in the second half.
For the second game in a row, the game came down to the last second. Somehow the Bears’ defense managed to come up big to stop the Giants and end the game, 17-13. Another win for the Bears, another stressful game for fans.
The Bears need to play good football for all four quarters every game going forward because a thrilling win can easily turn into a heart-wrenching loss. Matt Nagy has to do a better job of adjusting in-game when things are going bad and leveraging things that are working well. There were instances in this game when the offense was running straight through the Giants’ defense, and he would call a play-action or pass play, killing their rhythm.
The special teams play, mainly kicking, has me very worried. As a team based on playing tough defense with few playmakers on offense, the bears have failed to address the loss of Robbie Gould. I blame Ryan Pace for not taking the kicker position seriously. In the 2019 season, there were at least four games that were decided by three points or less, and it looks like it could be an issue yet again.
The Bears are 2-0 and sit atop the division with the Green Bay Packers. They will take on the Atlanta Falcons, who are sitting at 0-2 after blowing a 20 point lead against the Dallas Cowboys for a devastating defeat. The Falcons have a super high powered offense: QB Matt Ryan, WR Julio Jones, WR Calvin Ridley, WR Russel Gage, TE Hayden Hurst, and RB Todd Gurley, who the Bears’ D better be ready for. The Bears have a great chance to improve to 3-0 but will need to play a full game against every team going forward.