CHICAGO — Long after Sunday’s heated game against the Denver Broncos ended, three Bears veterans sat stunned in the corner of the Soldier Field locker room.
President Kevin Warren had long ago invaded the locker room after the Bears lost 31-28 to the Broncos, falling to 0-4 and giving up 24 unanswered points. Quarterback Justin Fields sat at his locker in his pads and jersey for quite some time. But at this point, the third-year quarterback was replaced and took the podium. Wide receiver Chase Claypool’s locker was empty, sporting only a nameplate as perhaps the final reminder of his failed tenure.
Running back Khalil Herbert didn’t gain a single yard on a crucial fourth-and-1, but stared into space. Fullback Kari Blasingame whispered in the pair’s ears for several minutes before they were sent off.
Edmunds was still wearing his game pants, his gaze barely straying from the empty lockers across from him. As Johnson spoke, Edwards stared at the ceiling, his blank eyes suggesting he was looking inward or past rather than forward. I’m looking for missed or lost opportunities and the answers the Bears have to provide.
Johnson was inactive Sunday with a hamstring injury. But he remained there long after the devastation began, trying to orchestrate a deal with two linebackers he hopes to share the field with in Chicago for years.
Ten feet away, inactive safety Eddie Jackson and defensive backfield mate Jaquan Brisker had their own conversation, analyzing the historic 31-28 loss.
Through four weeks, the Bears continued to lose on every front.
Week one’s frustration led to week two’s anger and week three’s despair. On Sunday, after he pulled away from a 21-point lead in 15 minutes, all that was left was despair.
How the Bears respond, and if they do, will tell us a lot about the fundamental makeup of the franchise and the direction of this rebuild.
“I think people are angry,” Edwards said, long after Johnson and Edmunds had finished their more than 20-minute conversation. “I think we’re ready to win. Everybody wants it and everybody can feel this thing moving. We just have to keep working,” he said. Hey, it’s coming. It’s really coming. I think we’ve learned a lot from this. We’ve learned.”
Sunday’s loss to the Broncos felt different than the Bears’ first three losses.
Fields and the offense continued to fire on all cylinders through three quarters. The protection was great, the run game was strong, and Fields was tearing through a Broncos defense that was waiting to be put out to pasture. The third-year quarterback started the game and went 23-of-25 for 285 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Bears to a 28-7 lead.
Despite being short-handed, the defense struggled in the first half. Head coach Matt Eberflus mixed things up. The Bears played more on base than nickel, sending a variety of blitzes to Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson.
The Bears finally seem to have found who they were meant to be.
The fact that everything went wrong at once, and a much-needed win was swept away by a tsunami of poor play and unacceptable mistakes, puts this Bears locker room and Eberflus’ tenure firmly under the microscope. .
Perhaps that’s why Edmunds, a $72 million linebacker who was considered the perfect fit for Eberflus’ defense, was the final bear heading to Showers on Sunday. He’s a defensive captain and a long-term part of what general manager Ryan Pauls is building in Chicago. Edmunds was light on answers after the loss. To be fair, he couldn’t absolve himself of the Bears’ monumental meltdown. But purpose and direction will emerge from the humiliating collapse. It’s up to Edmunds to forge a path through the rubble.
“We just had to keep our heads down, keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep working,” Edmunds said. “That’s the only way to look at it. That’s how we feel right now. That’s what we’re facing. That’s adversity. Adversity builds character. We faced adversity before this game. “I think this game built on that even more.”
“They said it best. Judge a person by how he stands in times of challenge and controversy. That’s where we stand now. I had to put it down and get to work.”
After the meeting between Edmunds, Edwards and Johnson concluded, only running backs Roshon Johnson, Jaksaw and Brisker remained. Johnson’s gaze remained on the floor for a while as Brisker continued to shake his head at what had just happened.
The second-year safety blamed himself and the defense for allowing the Broncos to fight back.
The Bears have been searching for answers for a month. They sought them in revised plans, personnel changes, and a clearer focus.
After Sunday’s debacle, their only hope for answers is to look within themselves. At 0-4, you need to reset your goals. Pride must take over. A fight must be born.
Despite playing against a bad team, what the Bears showed in Sunday’s third quarter is that they may not have everything, but they have enough tools to compete and win games. That was it. His next 13 games will determine whether this group, especially the leaders, can find their inner strength and bring it to the surface.
Can they take what was good from Sunday and take it forward? Can Fields deliver his encore performance in Week 5? Will he show more grit as the defense gets healthier? Can Edmunds, Edwards, and other big-name defenders make game-changing plays that lead to wins? Or will the 2023 Bears collapse before our eyes, calling into question the direction of a rebuild still in its infancy?
“Keep going. Never stop. No matter how hard it gets, you never stop,” Fields said after the loss. “We’re playing for each other. I’m playing for all the players in the locker room. They know I’m going to give it my all, and you know I know I’m going to get the same thing.” So keep going, don’t get discouraged and play every play, every game like it’s your last. ”
If the Bears don’t respond, at least for this core group, the final game could come sooner than even the most ardent critics expected.
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