The good and bad of the Bears losing to the Lions in Week 18

As we’ve said before on here, moral victories don’t count for anything in the NFL. And even though the Chicago Bears still snagged the No. 2 seed thanks to the Eagles’ playoff “tank” loss to the Commanders, they can’t feel good about either the process or the result of their 19-16 loss to the Detroit Lions yesterday.

Fortunately, some good still came from the Bears’ Week 18 defeat, and some of that includes key lessons they can learn before facing off against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday. One might even say this loss could’ve been a good thing for them, in a way.

Let me explain. But first, how about we start with the negatives from yesterday? After all, they did lose, and we like to end on a positive note around here.

The Bad

They lacked juice

Caleb Williams clocked it after the game: the Bears simply didn’t look that interested in winning, despite everything they said. And it wasn’t just about game plans, either. They might as well have rested their starters if that’s the level of effort they were going to give. Again, one shouldn’t expect anything like that on Saturday. In fact, if last game against the Packers is any indication, they’re more likely to come out a little too aggressive, if anything. But it’s frustrating to see them fail to execute until the fourth quarter, even on their scripted plays. That part can’t be repeated from here on out. The playoffs simply require a higher level of performance.

Their defense got exposed…again

Don’t let the 19 points allowed fool you: the Bears have some serious issues to iron on that side of the ball. Very specifically, they can’t cover a slot receiver to save their collective soul right now. Every time the Bears got into a third-down situation, they found whoever was lined up in the slot—usually Amon-Ra St. Brown or Jameson Williams—and targeted them. C.J. Gardner-Johnson is food inside. Jaylon Johnson can’t play in there either. Please, please let Kyler Gordon be able to play this week. If not, this season might be over.

The offensive line got pushed around

I’m not exaggerating when I say every hope this team has of winning a Super Bowl this year is predicated on them running the football well. Why? That’s not a knock on Caleb Williams, either. It’s just not wise to force him to win games with his arm once the temperature starts dropping off a cliff. Plus, they’ll need to control the clock against these

The Good

They kept things pretty vanilla

Johnson hinted at it when he said it was one of the “easiest” gameplans he’s come up with this year. Clearly, it was meant to test how well the Bears could execute the simple stuff and not give away too much for the postseason, basically treating it like a preseason game. Though it’s a touch concerning they didn’t do that well with it, one could tell they were holding a lot back, especially in their “early season” usage of Luther Burden III and with how much man coverage they played on defense. I would even suggest they started prepping for the Packers last week and kept the goods to themselves. Or at least, I hope so.

They left the game (mostly) healthy

This is the biggest one, though C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s injury didn’t look great. As he was getting cooked left and right, I’m not counting it as a major loss (though perhaps I should, especially if Kyler Gordon’s not ready to return.) Other than that, the Bears didn’t suffer any significant injuries. DJ Moore briefly left the game with a leg issue but quickly returned, so it didn’t appear problematic. Meanwhile, Chicago held out left tackle Ozzy Trapilo, who’s done a strong job since becoming the starter, and wide receiver Rome Odunze as precautions, which should hopefully have them ready for the playoffs. Now, all eyes are on Gordon. If he can’t go, it doesn’t entirely matter who replaces him.

They’re going to be pissed

If there’s such a thing as a “good time” to have a loss like this, it was Week 18. They realized they couldn’t coast or fail to bring maximum effort and focus, even against a team that didn’t make the playoffs. Now, coming off a two-game losing streak, the Bears are going to be more motivated than ever to come out firing on Wildcard Weekend, even despite the short week. Perhaps, in a way, this was Dan Campbell’s latest parting gift to his old protege and his team: a kick in the pants before the biggest game the Bears have played since 2018. Better to get it now than in the first round of the playoffs, right? I can’t wait to see the energy they come out with on Saturday.

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Bears “Stock Down” Week 18: Slot defense lets Chicago down with No. 2 seed on the line

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