A Bad Chicago Bears Season Just Got Worse, But There Is a Silver Lining

The Chicago Bears fans who thought they were seeing a fourth-quarter comeback against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday ended up witnessing something all too familiar instead.

Bears quarterback Justin Fields was ruled out with a right-hand injury in the third quarter. Backup QB Tyson Bagent was strip-sacked by Vikings safety Josh Metellus on his first drive in relief, and Minnesota linebacker Jordan Hicks scooped up the fumble and returned it for a touchdown and a 13-point Vikings lead. But the Bears still had a chance. Bagent led a 77-yard drive and scored on a QB sneak with just under eight minutes remaining. The Bears' defense then forced a three-and-out and provided the offense with an opportunity to win the game.

It didn't take advantage. Bagent underthrew D.J. Moore and was intercepted on Chicago's final offensive possession of an eventual 19-13 loss.

"When you go minus-two [turnover differential] in a football game, it's going to be hard to win," Bears coach Matt Eberflus said postgame. "If we would have flipped that, plus-two, I bet we would have won the game. To me, it's all about that, and it's all about us doing our detail.

"Certainly, we fought hard in the game and I'm proud of the guys for what they did. But we didn't come out with the victory and it's mainly because of the ball."

A collective groan filled Soldier Field as the Bears' 1-5 fate was sealed. The 2023 NFL season has been a disaster-filled one in Chicago—both on and off the field. And they can now throw a potentially long-term injury at quarterback into the mix. Here's a look back at what's gone wrong this season in Chicago, what's next at QB, and why Bears fans may not have anything meaningful to look forward to until April.

How Long Will Fields Be Out?

Fields dropped back to pass and was hit from behind and sacked by Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter on Chicago's first drive of the third quarter. The third-year QB landed awkwardly on his right arm to break his fall.

After visiting the injury tent, Fields walked to the locker room. A towel covered his right hand.

The Bears listed Fields as questionable to return, though he was ruled out shortly after. Eberflus said after the game that X-rays of Fields' hand were negative and that he would undergo an MRI on Monday. Fields wanted to return to the game, Eberflus said, but couldn't get a good enough grip on the football to throw it.

"When you've got your dude at quarterback and he goes down, a guy like that... it takes away some of the things we've got on the call sheet," Bears tight end Cole Kmet said. "You kinda just have to adjust from there. It makes it difficult, but it is what it is and that's part of the NFL."

Fox Sports reported later Sunday that Fields dislocated his thumb then popped it back in with the intention of finishing the game. The Bears have yet to announce the severity of Fields' injury or how much time he will miss. If Chicago is down its starting quarterback for a Week 7 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Bagent will get his first NFL starting nod.

The undrafted rookie, recently elevated to backup quarterback over Nathan Peterman, holds the NCAA record for touchdown passes (159) and the Division II all-time marks for passing yards (17,034) and total touchdowns (171). If Bagent starts against the Raiders, he would be the fourth Division II QB to start a game in the last 20 years, and the first since 2010.

"Hate to see him go down," Moore said of Fields postgame. "All prayers to him. I really don't know the significance of the injury but Tyson is up right now, so he's who we're about to roll with. Next man up."

Recapping a Disaster-Filled Bears Season

A comeback win over an NFC North rival at Soldier Field seemed too good to be true for the Bears. And perhaps it was. Chicago hasn't won at home since September 25 of last year. But that fact hardly captures how rocky the Bears have been of late.

Chicago has lost five games by a combined 68 points this season. In one of those losses it blew a 21-point lead, tied for a franchise record, to the now 1-5 Denver Broncos. Defensive coordinator Alan Williams suddenly resigned ahead of Week 3. Wide receiver Chase Claypool's effort was questioned before he was shipped out of town. Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles are now 0-8 against the NFC North during their Bears tenure after Sunday's loss.

The list goes on.

A 40-20 Bears win over the Washington Commanders in Week 5 ended a franchise-record 14-game losing streak. But any chance of Chicago winning consecutive games for the first time since the 2021 season ended with Bagent's late interception.

"We've got things to improve," Moore said. "We had a great game last Thursday but it didn't carry over to today. So we've got to go back to the drawing board and somehow figure out what we did on Thursday to take to the next game."

The Silver Lining For Bears Fans

The 2024 NFL Draft could be one to remember for Bears fans. More memorable than the 2023 season, at least. The Bears traded the first-overall pick in this year's draft to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for, among other things, Carolina's top pick next year.

The Panthers (0-6) are the only winless team in the NFL. If the season ended today, the Bears would have the Nos. 1 and 2 overall picks in the 2024 draft. Fields missing games certainly wouldn't hurt Chicago's draft chances. Would the Bears win the Caleb Williams lottery and welcome the USC QB and consensus top prospect to town? Or would Chicago give Fields, who had thrown four touchdowns in each of his two previous starts, another chance—this time with Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to throw to?

Could the Bears trade the top pick again? Or both picks? Who knows. It's all hypothetical. But it also might be more entertaining than what Bears fans currently have to watch.