A look at the offensive line, some special teams stars, a brutal play call by Bill Lazor and more.
Bears quarterback Nick Foles has been so traumatized by the team’s offensive line failures that he’s been ducking and dodging out of habit even when the line holds up. While there were collapses by the line in the Bears’ 19-13 loss to the Vikings on Monday, there were several plays in which that unit did well and Foles didn’t realize he had time. “For the most part, I would say that our offensive line played better than I thought they did at the end of the game,” coach Matt Nagy said Tuesday morning. “Once I watched the tape, I thought they played better.” Foles was hit 11 times, including two sacks, and was knocked out in the final minute when Vikings defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo got through left tackle Charles Leno to throw Foles to the ground. He injured his right hip and/or glute muscle, Nagy said, and the team is unsure whether it’ll have him for the Packers game coming out of the bye week. The line started decently, helped by offensive coordinator Bill Lazor calling screen passes and quick throws, but fell apart in the red zone on the Bears’ second possession. Foles had plenty of space and a clear view on his second pass of the game, a deep ball over the middle to Anthony Miller. His throw was late, forcing Miller to reach back for it, and hit both of his hands before deflecting to Vikings safety Harrison Smith for an interception. Foles messed up. Miller messed up. But the o-line did fine. But there were plenty of examples of the opposite. With about two minutes left at the Vikings’ 35-yard line, the pocket fell apart, but Foles stepped up and threw on the move for Miller.
