Three takeaways from Chicago's stunning OT loss in Miami

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Okay Bears fans, now that you’ve had a full day to digest Sunday’s heartbreaking defeat, let’s examine what we learned from the overtime loss in Miami.

On second thought, maybe one day to digest isn’t enough time. The surprising loss to the injury-ridden Dolphins was arguably more of a let-down than the Aaron Rodgers-led second-half comeback of week one.

Sure, beating the Packers would have held more significance than defeating the Dolphins to Chicago fans. However, the manner in which the Bears were beat last Sunday makes the loss arguably even tougher to swallow.

From pivotal fumbles by Chicago’s backs to highly questionable penalties, to a Miami third down conversion because of the ball deflecting off a receiver’s back into another’s hands, to even iffy play-calling by Matt Nagy in overtime.

There were plenty of reasons why Bears’ fans evenings were ruined after Brock Osweiler and the Dolphins got “the better” of Chicago.

But, enough rambling. As tough as that game was for the average fan to swallow, a lot of knowledge was gained from the Bears’ fifth game of the 2018 season.

So, let’s take a look.

It's a privilege to play this game. Make sure to enjoy da ride. 🎢 https://t.co/XQxa3Lzwsp

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 15, 2018

The Bears Still have a Ways to Go.

The future is as bright as ever in Chicago, but Sunday’s game made it apparent that, though the Bears may be a little ahead of schedule, the promised land hasn’t been reached.

Chicago truly could be 5-0 right now. Bears fans may point to bad luck as the main culprit to why Chicago has two tallies in the loss column this season.

With that being said, Chicago’s two losses have displayed that the Bears aren’t the team they have the potential to be just yet. The Miami loss especially showed us this.

Even if you feel like the Bears should have won on Sunday, there is no excuse as to why this game was even close. Other than that they aren’t developed enough to take advantage of opportunities at an acceptable rate.

Chicago would have been favored over the Dolphins even if Miami was playing at full health. Instead, the Bears were given a golden opportunity to stomp all over the Dolphins given a hand full of key injuries.

Miami was without starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill, three starting offensive linemen, defensive end Andre Branch, and cornerback Bobby McCain.

Chicago played down to the level of its competition when it evidently had the upper hand.

If the Bears stay true to the path of progression that they are on, opportunities similar to this won’t be squandered one or two seasons from now.

For the time being, there will be more games in which Chicago’s inexperience overshadows its talent.

Chicago Bears kicker Cody Parkey (1) walks back after missing what would have been the game-winning field goal during overtime at an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018, in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Dolphins defeated the Bears 31-28. *(Associated Press)*

The Defense Overlooked Miami.

This feeds into the last point and adds to the Bears’ lack of consistent, desired maturity. It deserves a separate focus though, considering how significantly Chicago’s success is dependent on the defense.

No defense is perfect. Of course, the Bears’ defensive unit was going to have a bad week eventually. But, this really shouldn’t have happened against the Dolphins.

The Bears headed to the sunshine state boasting the NFL’s top defense through five weeks. Chicago was presented with a mouth-watering matchup against a banged-up offense.

The Bears should have produced their best defensive performance of the season. Instead, it ended up being their worst.

It seemed as if Chicago’s pass rushers were going to attack with ease. The Bears were averaging 4.3 sacks per game before Sunday. But, Chicago failed to take backup quarterback Brock Osweiler down once in spite of a less than impressive, front five being accountable for protecting him.

Osweiler has played on three teams since being drafted in 2012. The journeyman quarterback has struggled with every team he’s played for, failing to reach a QBR of 100 in all six of his NFL seasons.

This makes it even more embarrassing that the quarterback managed to throw for a career-high 380 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday.

Even if I were to tell you that the Bears were going to lose to Miami, you would have assumed that it was due to lack of offensive production, not defensive.

The Dolphins found a way to score 31 points on Sunday, the most the Bears have allowed in a game this season. How? Because the Bears didn’t take Miami seriously.

Maybe the bye week threw off the Bears’ momentum a bit, but it’s obvious Chicago took its foot off the gas and underestimated the Dolphins.

Regardless of how hurt Miami’s offense was, there is no reason to ever overlook your opponent. If anything, the Bears should be more focused in a game like this when taking into account how difficult their schedule is and how few inferior opponents they face this season.

The bright side is last Sunday gave Chicago’s versatile D plenty of reason to play hungry and inspired when they return home this weekend.

The Jordan Howard Issue is Legitimate

Chicago’s current situation with their young, all-pro back reminds me of the spot Starlin Castro was in with the Cubs in 2015.

Castro was the lone offensive talent and only player worth watching for four awful seasons of Cubs baseball. When the Cubs finally got good, the organization suddenly ran out of room for their once beloved all-star shortstop.

But as hard as dumping Castro was, it was the correct decision to make at the time.

And as hard as trading Jordan Howard would be for the Bears, it has reached the point where Ryan pace should at least consider it and maybe listen to a few offers.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m as big of a Howard fan as they make them. The running back has rushed for over 1,100 yards in each of his first two seasons. Not many backs can say that.

The 2018 season provides a different story though.

Concerns over whether or not Howard would be able to fit in Matt Nagy’s offense arose in the offseason.

Howard’s non-existent pass-catching ability and ground-and-pound style brought these worries to light. Now, they have really come into fruition.

Howard rushed for over 100 yards in 12 games over the 2016 and 2017 seasons combined. The Indiana product has failed to rush for 85 yards once this season.

Enter Tarik Cohen: a speedy, Darren Sproles-esque back who is a perfect fit for Nagy’s style.

While Howard has averaged only 54.4 rushing yards per game and has struggled to mesh with Nagy’s scheme, Cohen has been thriving.

Cohen is being utilized substantially more than Howard through five games and has already accumulated 429 total yards from scrimmage in 2018.

Good luck catching Tarik Cohen ✌️

Bears take a 21-10 lead against the Dolphins. #CHIvsMIA pic.twitter.com/Mi4WQr2U2q

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 14, 2018

It’s also worth noting that simultaneous to Howard’s role decreasing, it seems his focus has reduced as well. Howard has experienced difficulties getting into a rhythm while filling a role smaller than he is accustomed to. His goal line fumble on Sunday exemplified this.

Though I’m a major Howard supporter and would love to make things work, Chicago may be better off trading him in a package deal. This could heavily benefit the Bears in terms of depth.

Everyone in the league knows what the 23-year old back is capable of, so it’s not as if Chicago would have to undersell him despite his lack of production this season. That makes trading Howard even more tempting for the Bears.

About Post Author

Eddie Herz

Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Eddie Herz is a senior journalism major at Colorado State University. He has been a beat reporter for CSU's newspaper, the Rocky Mountain Collegian, since he was a freshman. Eddie has also contributed to the BTPowerhouse.com, a sister website of SBnation. Eddie will be the CSU Football beat reporter for the Rocky Mountain Collegian this coming Fall.

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