Pompei: Observations From Bears-Eagles
By Dan Pompei--
(CBS) Let's just take a step back for a second. What did you expect? The Bears' 31-3 loss to the Eagles on Sunday was about what I expected, maybe a little worse. But none of us should be surprised, given where the Bears' roster is compared to where the Eagles roster is.
Here are my observations.
1. By the time guard Josh Sitton went out with a concussion early in the game, the Bears were without 10 preferred starters because of injuries. And some of the players who did start weren't themselves because of injuries. The attrition was evident throughout the game.
2. The Bears not going for it on fourth-and-3 and fourth-and-4 were statements about the coaching staff's understandable lack of confidence in the players' ability to execute. The Bears were 3-of-13 on third-down conversions.
3. The talk of Mitchell Trubisky being the next Carson Wentz really is ludicrous at this point. Wentz had immediate success as a rookie. After seven starts, Wentz had four wins, a 92.5 passer rating and a 65.7 completion percentage. After seven starts, Trubisky has two wins, a 70.8 passer rating and a 52.8 completion percentage.
4. That was Trubisky's worst game. In defense of him, he had no help from the running game and not nearly enough help from his receivers.
5. If Alshon Jeffery would've been playing for the visitors, he would've been their best offensive weapon.
6. Trubisky's inaccuracy is becoming a legitimate concern. The hope has to be that he needs to hit the reset button in the offseason and start over.
7. The Eagles defense is very good. The Bears offense made them look like the '85 Bears. And they aren't the '85 Bears.
8. The call for a reverse on the Eagles' 22-yard line in the third quarter … really Dowell Loggains?
9. Looks like Loggains needs to be reminded again that Tarik Cohen is on the roster.
10. I didn't see a lack of effort from the Bears. I saw a lack of good technique at times, which you often see when inferior players are taking on superior players. Charles Leno had two holding penalties, and Prince Amukamara had two defensive holding penalties.
11. If the Bears were undisciplined with nine penalties, the Eagles were more undisciplined with 11.
12. The Bears were dominated more than the score indicated if you consider they benefited from four Eagles fumbles. Usually when a team fumbles four times, they lose.
13. I'm old-school on celebrations. Some of the Eagles' histrionics, given the game circumstances, struck me as excessive. You don't have to rub your opponents' noses in it to enjoy a great performance.
14. The Bears opened as 5 1/2-point favorites over the 49ers. If I were setting the odds, the 49ers would be a three-point favorite. The Bears aren't 5 1/2 points better than any NFL team right now.
15. I'm trying to think of someone who did their job well Sunday. I'll have to get back to you on this one.
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.
