The Chicago Bears faced the Denver Broncos on Oct. 1 in Week 4 of the 2023 NFL season. Here are takeaways and highlights from the game.
The Denver Broncos got their first victory of the season after an impressive comeback victory. They now sit at 1-3 and look to turn their season around with this win.
On the other hand, it’s a very tough loss for the Chicago Bears, who now sit at 0-4. Sights are shifting to the offseason for Bears fans as hopes for this season slip away.
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Final Score: Denver Broncos 31, Chicago Bears 28
Chicago Bears
The Bears got off to a hot start in the first half. The offense was putting on a clinic, and the defense did enough to hold the Broncos to just seven points.
Justin Fields was the star of the show. He was surgical, setting a franchise-record 16 consecutive completions and finishing the half 16-for-17 with 231 yards and three touchdowns. His only incompletion came on a failed Hail Mary attempt at the end of the half. Later in the game, Fields cemented his first 300-yard passing game and fourth touchdown, finishing the day with 335 passing yards and four touchdowns.
Wide receivers D.J. Moore and Darnell Mooney impressed on Sunday. Moore recorded 131 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions while Mooney notched 51 yards on four receptions. Tight end Cole Kmet also had a big day, amassing 85 yards and two touchdowns on seven receptions.
The Bears jumped out to a 28-7 lead in the third quarter, and it looked as if they were going to cruise to their first win of the season. However, things quickly changed. Poor coaching and a lack of execution led to the Bears giving up 24 unanswered points.
The Broncos scored two touchdowns on offense to make it 28-21. Then, a Justin Fields fumble led to a scoop-and-score to tie the game.
On the next offensive drive, a head-scratching decision to go for it on 4th-and-1 in the red zone instead of kicking a field goal with the game tied led to a turnover on downs. While the decision to go for it was justifiable, the play call was not; taking the ball out of Justin Fields’ hands to run it down the middle was a huge mistake, and the Bears paid for it.
After the turnover on downs, the Broncos quickly moved the ball down the field and scored a field goal to take the 31-28 lead. The nail in the coffin came on the next drive when Fields threw a game-ending interception. The Bears’ three final offensive drives ended in a fumble, turnover on downs, and an interception, respectively.
The defense was carved up. The lack of pass-rush burned them as always, and the extremely thin secondary could only do so much.
The bulk of this loss can be attributed to the coaching staff. The first half was excellent; there was nothing to complain about there. However, the second half was completely different in the wrong way. The offensive play-calling from Luke Getsy became scared and conservative after Fields’ fumble. The defensive play-calling from Matt Eberflus was very poor in the second half as his defense gave up big play after big play.
An exuberant start to the game ended with the same bitter end Bears fans know all too well. Chicago is now up to 343 days without a regular-season win. The team wasted Justin Fields’ best game as a pro where he gave it his all and still lost. This one hurts the most out of all the games in the Bears’ active 14-game losing streak. They now sit at an embarrassing 0-4 with a short turnaround as they visit the Washington Commanders on Thursday.
Denver Broncos
In the first half, it looked like the Broncos were on their way to another embarrassing loss. Everything was going wrong for them; the defense was being dominated again and the offense couldn’t do much.
However, everything changed at halftime from which the Broncos emerged looking like a different team. They would outscore the Bears 24-7 in the second half and complete the comeback.
Russell Wilson completed 21 of 28 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns. Wilson, now up to 1,014 passing yards, nine passing touchdowns, and two interceptions, has quietly been putting together a remarkable comeback season.
Running back Jaleel McLaughlin put together an excellent performance in place of Javonte Williams, who left the game with an injury. The rookie notched 72 rushing yards on seven carries, adding 32 receiving yards and a touchdown on three catches.
While the defense played poorly in the first half, they showed much-needed improvement in the second half. Nik Bonitto led the team in sacks with 2.5, and Jonathan Cooper recorded a sack and the game-tying scoop-and-score touchdown. Kareem Jackson called the game, grabbing the game-sealing interception in the fourth quarter.
In all, it was an impressive come-from-behind win for Denver. While there are still many areas the team needs improvement upon, this is a nice win to build on.
Highlights
.@justnfields with a DIME to @idjmoore 😮💨
📺: #DENvsCHI on CBS pic.twitter.com/tQtrjPHMQv
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 1, 2023
Wide open for the touchdown 🙌
📺: #DENvsCHI on FOX pic.twitter.com/B7XdNtqbBU
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 1, 2023
We're cookin' now 👨🍳
📺: #DENvsCHI on CBS pic.twitter.com/srLe8ROxz0
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 1, 2023
.@justnfields magic 🪄
📺: #DENvsCHI on CBS pic.twitter.com/53gZpQl3sa
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 1, 2023
.@JuiceHerbert refused to go down 😤
📺: #DENvsCHI on CBS pic.twitter.com/qdOluM7vQJ
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 1, 2023
He's shifty. 💨#DENvsCHI | 📺: CBS or @ParamountPlus pic.twitter.com/EYmbvX0Y2W
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 1, 2023
Touchdown, @_bj7_ 🙌
📺: CBS or @ParamountPlus pic.twitter.com/2pwzS9zAfP
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 1, 2023
Touchdown, @SuttonCourtland 🙌
📺: CBS or @ParamountPlus pic.twitter.com/hbuniYn1Ci
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 1, 2023
SCOOP & SCORE‼️
📺: CBS or @ParamountPlus pic.twitter.com/Y1lxeA39u6
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 1, 2023
MARVIN. MIMS. JR. 😤
📺: CBS or @ParamountPlus pic.twitter.com/xBQwdYZkoU
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 1, 2023
K-JACK CALLED GAME‼️
📺: CBS or @ParamountPlus pic.twitter.com/2d35c4NBFz
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 1, 2023
Looking Forward
For the Bears, they’re 0-4 and the season looks like a lost cause. Matt Ebeflus now sits at 3-18 as the head coach of the Chicago Bears, he holds the lowest winning percentage of any coach in Bears history, and now he is also responsible for the largest blown lead in team history.
The silver lining for fans is that they now hold the top two picks on the 2024 NFL Draft and will have an entirely new and hopefully competent coaching staff next season.
Justin Fields showed there’s still something there, though. If he continues to play like he did on Sunday, there could be a possibility of keeping him over selecting Caleb Williams or Drake Make in April.
For the Broncos, it’s a much-needed win. They’re now 1-3, tied with the Raiders. The toughest tests of the season come over the next five weeks as they play the Kansas City Chiefs (twice) and Buffalo Bills.
It’ll be a challenging next few weeks for Denver, but they’ll use their comeback win against the Bears on Sunday as fuel to try and save their season.
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