Control: Thoughts from Bears Game…

I, Dalton Lewis, noted the following observations from the Chicago Bears 20–17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals:

1. The defense played much better than the loss to the Rams the previous week. The pass rush showed up. Robert Quinn played better, and so did Khalil Mack. Getting pressure against the quarterback and stuffing the run did wonders in helping the Bears have a more competitive game in this one. The first game also didn’t go well because the Bears couldn’t cover against a high-powered offense. In this game Jaylon Johnson played great against the opposing team’s top receivers.
2. The other members of the secondary are still shaky but improving. A couple of miscues late in the game led to touchdowns and made the game closer than it had to be. The Bears could have won the game 20–3 but instead won 20–17 because the late game pass coverage wasn’t there.
3. Sean Desai was the right hire for defensive coordinator. The Bears traditionally win starting with defense and it starts with the coordinator. He has given the Bears an aggressive attitude and some fire and energy. They just need to clean up the coverages a little and the team will be a top-10 defense that they always want to be.
4. Roquan Smith is clearly the best Bears first round pick of the last ten years. He had a pick-six — a touchdown from an interception — and more tackles than most other players. He’s a great linebacker who plays hard and gets tackles. He’s a leader on this defense and a great player. I don’t know why he isn’t an All-Pro every year.
5. Matt Nagy is a good coach. Lovie Smith was a good coach. After Lovie Smith we had a couple of old people who weren’t in touch with reality or the current football climate. Now we have someone fiery and with the energy that a Chicago Bears coach should have. He’s doing a good job with the position. Listen, the Bears have made the playoffs two out of the last three years. That’s a success. That’s a win.
6. Justin Fields played the second half because of an injury to Andy Dalton. We spent multiple first round picks to make him our future leader — our future starting quarterback. He played pretty well but not great. He showed real potential. He saved the game when he made a ten yard scramble of third and nine which kept the drive alive — a drive which ran out the clock a few short plays later. He almost made a number of good throws. He has potential. He’s the quarterback of the future for the Chicago Bears; I believe in him.
7. Andy Dalton played well for the first six quarters of the season. If he plays more, great. If not, thank you for your service. He’s a good player and can manage a game and throw short passes if need be. He’s a game manager.
8. The oft-maligned offensive line isn’t as bad as previous years. I remember a time around ten years ago when the line was atrocious and could give up so much pressure that only a few plays could be used. This line is better than that after injuries to both the draft picks on the o-line.
9. David Montgomery didn’t get a huge number of yards but ate up the clock and got a lot of medium runs to make third downs manageable. He’s still one of the best Bears players.
10. Three interceptions is excellent. The Bears need that kind of opportunistic attacking if they are going to be one of the best defenses in the league.
11. I think that this team can beat more than half the teams in the league. The question is: can they beat the best teams late in the season? We’ll have to wait and see. Right now they have a young quarterback and a secondary that needs a bit of training. Train those two areas up and you have the potential for a great team.

That’s all for now. We’ll see how our Bears do against the Browns in Cleveland this week. Thanks, and take care, friends.