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Two weeks in a row the Bears caught a big break before their game and then struggled to where it all went wrong.
That's how you go from leading the NFC North to their familiar digs in the basement of the division. Ryan Tannehill, the Patriots showed up Sunday at Soldier Field without tight end Rob Gronkowski, arguably the NFL's most dangerous red-zone target, who remained in Massachusetts with an ailing back.
Advantage Bears? Not so much. Or not enough anyway.
Mitch Trubisky 's Hail Mary heave Kevin White for 54 yards on the game' s final play wound up with White 1 yard and the Bears fell to 3-3. They have led in the second half of all three of their losses. Signs of progress of last year are all over the place, but it is pointless to spin this one for moral victories.
"It just goes to show that we've got a ways to go where we're at," Bears coach Matt Nagy said.
What we learned is the Bears are not good enough to break the league's elite, not even when they catch multiple breaks.
The typically disciplined Patriots had uncharacteristic penalties adding up to seven for 64 yards. Rookie patriots running back Sony Michel, who had become a focal point of the offense the previous three weeks, was forced to leave the second quarter after he suffered a knee injury when defensive tackle Bilal Nichols twisted him to the turf and forced A fumble recovered by the Bears. And then there was the glaring absence of Gronkowski, which allowed the Bears to focus on Julian Edelman, who was limited to five catches for 36 yards.
The Bears led 17-7 in the second quarter after capitalizing on back-to-back takeaways, the Michel fumble and Nick Kwiatkoski's strip of kickoff returner Cordarrelle Patterson. Special teams ended up costing the Bears more than once, but as Patterson responded with a 95-yard return for a touchdown and then Dont'a Hightower bullied over Ben Braunecker on the road to blocking Kyle van Noy's scooped and returned touch down.
Tom Brady, Tom Brady, Tom Brady, Tom Brady.
"Coach said it best today," Prince Amukamara said cornerback. "We were not great in any phase. You especially can not do that against a team like the Patriots who are so disciplined and take advantage of those mistakes that we had. "
The defense was better than it was when it wilted in the heat and humidity of Miami in the fourth quarter and overtime. But the pass rush remained limited – at best – against the immobile Brady rookie linebacker Roquan Smith had the only sack, we have a blitz. Free safety Eddie Jackson missed a tackle of Josh Gordon on a 55-yard win that set up the game's deciding touchdown.
Quarterback Mitch Trubisky ran for 81 yards on six carries, including an 8-yard touchdown in which he retreated to the 30-yard line. The play took 13 seconds – an eternity in the NFL – and later he had a daring 38-yard run. It was the most rushing yards by a Bears quarterback since Cade McCown ran for 87 in a Sept. 3, 2000, season-opening loss to the Vikings.
Trubisky's passing goal – 26 of 50 for 333 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions – was rocky. He overthrew targets. He underthrew targets. There have been a few drops in the past, but they were not good enough to knock out a team like the Patriots, and there were too many throws to open targets that were not close.
Nagy was very supportive of his afterward quarterback, almost in a protective way. He pointed out the running game struggled, and that was true to Jordan Howard's, Tarik Cohen's and Taylor Gabriel's totaled 53 yards.
"I came away pleased with how (Trubisky) played and you know, it's just … it's unfortunate because I think all three phases we just were not good enough," Nagy said.
Perspective is always important. The Bears would have been blown out of this game last season. They were humiliated in the last meeting with the Patriots four years ago.
They're a lot tougher than they have been, but the progress of the season. There are greater expectations for the Bears now, whether they're all reasonable or not.
It remains to be seen what kind of break the Bears can catch before their home meeting with the Jets this week. Do they need one with the Jets starting a rookie at quarterback in Sam Darnold?
Twitter @BradBiggs
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