Pompei: Observations From Bears-Packers
By Dan Pompei--
(CBS) What the 2016 Cubs are to excellence, the 2016 Bears are to incompetence. And that explains the TV ratings Thursday night. The Bears' 26-10 loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field was a tough one to watch.
Here are my observations:
1. Thursday night marked the death of two things: the Bears' season and the Bears' quarterback controversy.
2. A cynic might say Brian Hoyer's arm was broken before he broke his arm. But if the Bears can bring him back as their No. 2 next year, that would be a wise move.
3. It wouldn't be a bad thing to have Matt Barkley get a start or two if Jay Cutler remains incapable of returning. You can't tell much from Thursday, seeing as Barkley hadn't had any meaningful preparation with this offense up to that point.
4. The Bears finally found someone who could get in the end zone. Unfortunately, it was an outside linebacker.
5. Against the Packers, Leonard Floyd looked like Shea McClellin against the Packers.
6. Floyd appeared more comfortable and played faster than he has at any previous point with the Bears.
7. Whoever called the twist on Floyd's sack/strip/touchdown deserves some credit. That call enabled Floyd to come free. It was a good rush by Willie Young on the play as well.
8. Floyd still played like the young player he is. On the Packers' first play after Floyd's touchdown, he was caught flat-footed, enabling Ty Montgomery to gain 30-yards on a draw play.
9. It's difficult to imagine how bad the defense might be without Jerrell Freeman.
10. You have to admire the fury that Ka'Deem Carey runs with. The contrast is stark between Carey's quick-hitting style and Jordan Howard's patience.
11. But I don't get why Howard isn't getting more snaps.
12. If Alshon Jeffery played for the Packers instead of the Bears on Thursday night, he might have had 50 catches for 1,000 yards instead of three for 33.
13. The weakest area on the Bears remains the defensive backfield, and Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy knew it.
14. By the end of the game, the Bears were without 18 injured players who could have been helping them. Nine were on injured reserve, one on PUP, six were inactive and two couldn't finish the game because of injuries. This wouldn't have been a great team if it had been relatively healthy, but no team can overcome the volume of injuries the Bears are dealing with.
15. If all their games ended sometime in the third quarter, the Bears would be 4-3 instead of 1-6. The longer they play, the more they get exposed.
Dan Pompei has been covering the NFL since 1985 and is a regular contributor to 670 The Score and a host on 670's Bears pregame show. He writes for Bleacher Report and theathletic.com. You can follow him on Twitter @Dan Pompei.
