| We don’t usually look ahead to Sunday games in the National Football League as early as a Tuesday, but so cursed are the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions that we can’t be certain some other grave misfortune won’t come over them in the next couple of days. And that would just be too much misery to write (or read) about. As it is, at Soldier Field this weekend, something very unusual is going to happen. Either the Lions or the Bears are going to have something to smile about amid a season that has been a catalog of demoralizing ineptitude for one and laugh-or-we’ll-cry misfortune for the other. Barring a bizarro-world occurrence like a 0-0 tie after overtime, which maybe isn’t as utterly bizarro as you’d think and more on which later, one of the two most tortured teams in the NFL is going to get a win, even if it is only a Band-Aid sized answer for a gaping wound. Given that this is a story that’s happily leaning into being a little on the oddball side, let’s start in a slightly unexpected place. With Mitch Trubisky, in Buffalo. Trubisky, the former much-maligned Bears QB, had a pretty quiet day in his backup role to Josh Allen on Sunday. Called into action for just one pass against the Washington Football Team, Trubisky completed it, for one yard, as the Bills comfortably cruised to victory. Thing is, that yard of net passing productivity was as much as Chicago, with highly-touted rookie Justin Fields under center, accomplished across an entire afternoon of action as they were ripped to pieces by the Cleveland Browns. Fields went 6-for-20 with 68 yards passing, gains mitigated by the 67 yards given up on the nine times he was sacked, equating to that solitary helping of one lonely, friendless yard, the lowest tally in a game, any game, since the 2009 Cincinnati Bengals. The Bears’ average of 1.1 yards per play was the second fewest of any team this century. “We didn’t expect great things but what we got was horrendous,” FS1’s Chris Broussard said on “First Things First.” “A lot of this is on (head coach) Matt Nagy and that woeful offensive line. A lot of it was out of Fields hands … but it’s been ugly.” It was a dismal way to fail, sure, but is it better to lose because you were thoroughly inept or to do so in the most improbable fashion possible with a tear-your-heart-out last gasp thunderbolt of a field goal? That’s what happened to the Lions, the victim of that monstrous 66-yard boot from Justin Tucker that you’ve already seen replayed dozens of times. It was part bad luck and part their own fault, with the Baltimore Ravens having been allowed to convert a 4th-and-19 as time wound down to put Tucker in range. And on top of that, the referees also missing a delay of game penalty that would have pushed the yardage back to a level unmanageable even for the most clutch kicker of them all. As fans grumbled over various forms of how it was the “most Lions way to lose ever,” Detroit fell to 0-3 to sit at the foot of the NFC North, the exact spot they’ve finished for the past three seasons. “I know this city and this franchise have gone through a lot of gut punches in the last few years, but I’m telling you we will remain true and remain resilient and the gut punches will stop,” quarterback Jared Goff said. In Detroit’s case, the focus of the loss is on the awe-inspiring feat it took to beat them (Tucker’s kick). It spares the mass recrimination and second-guessing, which is exactly what was happening in Chicago. The Bears, from Nagy to general manager Ryan Pace, are getting roasted by all and it’s hard to find anything of substance to muster in their defense. When one of your own players (Jimmy Graham) retweets a stat about how statistically horrible you’ve been, it’s pretty bad. Former players, pundits, fans, everyone it seems, is lining up to take a shot. For now, Fields, Andy Dalton and Nick Foles are all in contention to start against the Lions. Both fanbases might be fooled into thinking that things simply can’t get any worse, except that this is the Bears and Lions, so they most assuredly can, and for one of them this weekend, probably will. The Lions began the campaign with some optimism under new coach Dan Campbell. In Week 1, Detroit nearly engineered one of the most incredible comebacks in NFL history. Down by 24 to the San Francisco 49ers at the two-minute warning, they came all the way back to within eight and were driving down the field late in the game, only for Goff to then go cold and throw three incomplete passes to torpedo the revival attempt. That was a gut-punch. What happened on Sunday, with Tucker’s kick cruelly dinging off the crossbar and going over, was an absolute haymaker. FOX Bet has Chicago at -154 and Detroit at +135, a difference that is mostly attributed to home field. In truth, there’s not much separating these two clubs. How could there be, when so much has gone wrong? The bright side? Easy, a team that has little cause for cheer is finally going to get some. For the loser, however, the hits just keep on coming. AMERICA’S GREATEST GAME DAY EATS SHIPPED TO YOU! Sponsored Content There’s nothing like a nostalgic taste from your alma mater. This year, as you root for your college team, experience your favorite foods, too! Goldbelly ships America’s top regional dishes to your door—yes, even those late-night bites you loved back in college. Whatever comfort food you’re craving, Goldbelly brings it right to you. For Badger fans, game day wouldn’t be complete without Madison’s State Street Brats, complete with fried cheese curds on the side. If Mr. Commodore’s your man, get fired up for Hattie B’s Nashville hot fried chicken. And what’s a Bulls game without Buffalo wings from Duff’s? Give it the ol’ college try and order these feasts & more, with a promo code just for Fox Sports fans! Here’s what others have said … Bucky Brooks, FOX Sports: “Rookie Justin Fields got a chance to drive the car this week, but (Matt) Nagy must have typed the wrong address into the GPS system. The offense lacked rhythm or direction and the call sheet looked much like the one utilized by Andy Dalton, Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky when they were in charge of the unit.” Aaron Leming, CBS Sports: “Matt Nagy simply doesn’t know how to adjust his play calling. Your OL is getting killed. Switch it up. Get Fields out of the pocket. Do something.” Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions head coach: “I think we’re going to come out the other end pretty good out of this. We just can’t get discouraged and we can’t stop continuing to believe and fight. Because I see where it’s going. I can see it. I feel like things became a little more clear today and I love the grit of this fricking team, I do.” |
