Late Collapses Part of Bears Education
There is frustration for the Bears after a sixth game in which they failed to rally in the fourth quarter to win or tie.
The frustration is there on the other side of the ball because they couldn't protect a 19-10 lead in the fourth quarter, giving up 18 points. They've become adept at playing tough and surrendering TD or field goal drives when they can't afford to do it, and did it in Sunday's 28-19 loss to Green Bay.
Their answer is simply it's coming. Just be patient, players and coach Matt Eberflus say. It's been promised all year, though.
"You have to find ways to get that done," Eberflus said. "You have to find ways to close games out.
"We're excited about these next four games to be able to get ourselves in position to do that. We were right in that situation there today. To be able to, really, you get in field goal range there then all of a sudden the opponent has to bang timeouts and you're in the driver's seat right there. Then you try to work as much time as you can, kick the field goal and go up two. Or score a touchdown.
"But we were right there to get that done. We'll get that done in the future."
They've been saying this. After a while it becomes monotonous. That time span ended long ago as they've hit six straight losses and nine in 10 games.
The fact it was Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers doing it again, rallying by taking advantage of both the offense and defense at the end, did not sit well.
"It's really sickening," safety DeAndre Houston-Carson said. "I think that's probably the best word. Especially just the way that these games go. It's tight, it's tight, it's tight and at some point there's one drive where they get it.
"I think to lose in that manner over and over again is what's the disappointing thing. We've got to find a way to take the ball away, you know, at the end."
Cornerback Jaylon Johnson called it a matter of football education. They were playing four subs in the secondary and five rookies on the defense.
"I feel like it's just really learning," Johnson said. "Every situation is different, too. It's not like we can just say we've got to finish. Every game, every situation, every snap, every game plan is different heading into a new week, but, I mean, really we've just got to learn how to finish.
"We're a young team. We are still trying to gel togehter, still trying to do certain things. I mean, we really just got tp figure out ways to finish. And I feel that when we smell blood in the water, I feel we've got to find a way to finish and extend those leads and to keep finishing as a whole unit."
Tight end Cole Kmet has been one of the players who has been promising it will break at some point and winning will be easier.
"It's really as simple as that," Kmet said. "I know we've been saying that for the past four some weeks or whatever. That's really all this is. We've just got to be better."
However, he sees the value in getting into the late-game situations like the Bears have.
"It gains experience for all of us," Kmet said. "We're all young. Obviously it's big for the quarterback but it's also big for the receivers.
"You get in the process of knowing what to do in certain situations, when to get out of bounds, when to get down. You know, things like that. I'm confident we're going to break through one of these at one point, and when we do we'll be able to do some special things with it."
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