Instant reactions: Injuries strike Chicago Bears in loss to Philadelphia Eagles

The Chicago Bears made things interesting with the best team in football on Sunday but ultimately could not squeeze out a victory against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The resulting 25-20 loss was the seventh straight for the Bears and dropped the team’s overall record to 3-11 with three games remaining.

It also came with a cost as guard Teven Jenkins left the game on the first drive with a neck injury and standout rookie linebacker Jack Sanborn left in the third with a left ankle injury. Justin Fields also left the game briefly in the fourth with cramps before returning to throw a 35-yard touchdown to Byron Pringle for the final margin.

Fields made history as his 103 rushing yards put him past 1,000 rushing yards for the season. He’s only the third quarterback in NFL history to pass that mark, joining Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson.

The team will host Buffalo at Soldier Field for a Christmas Eve date on Saturday.

Here are our immediate thoughts on the game …

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Adam Hoge

Unfortunately, Justin Fields wasn’t able to build on his strong passing performance against the Packers, but he barely had any help in this game. And credit to him for finding Byron Pringle for a 35-yard touchdown late. All things considered, the defense did a solid job against Jalen Hurts, as Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker all played well. Of biggest concern are the injuries, especially to linebacker Jack Sanborn (ankle) and Teven Jenkins (neck). With Jenkins already dealing with back and hip issues, a significant neck injury would be very worrisome for his future.

Mark Carman

What. A. Nightmare. Teven Jenkins, Jack Sanborn, Justin Fields and Jaylon Johnson all leaving the field for various injuries. Do the Bears really need to play these games? Fields took way too many hits and also had another run to remember while passing 1,000 yards rushing. At least the Bears did not lose tank position and let’s hope the injuries aren’t that serious. Teven Jenkins’ injury looked the most serious and let’s hope he’s able to make a full recovery for next season.

Nicholas Moreano

Justin Fields made history in the 25-20 loss to the Eagles. His 95 rushing yards gave him 1,000 yards rushing on the season – making him the third quarterback in NFL history to achieve that milestone. Fields joined the exclusive club with Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson. Throughout the game, the Bears were hit with a series of injuries to Equanimeous St. Brown, Teven Jenkins and Jack Sanborn, but despite being short handed, the Bears fought hard against the NFC-leading Eagles. Next up for the Bears are the 11-3 Buffalo Bills.

Greg Braggs Jr.

We wanted a measuring stick game and for the most part, we got it. First off, this secondary has taken a huge step this year and specifically the last couple weeks. Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon came back from injuries and made an immediate impact. Kyler with an interception on a potential League MVP. And Jaylon Johnson battle with AJ Brown all day long. Jaylon Jones even continued to flash. That secondary unit is something Eberflus and Poles can build off of. Justin Fields had one hand tied behind his back with the absence of Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, and N’Keal Harry. Even still, he made more amazing highlight reel, jaw-dropping runs. And threw for 2 touchdowns as well. Including a scramble drill TD to Byron Pringle to apply pressure on the Eagles late in the game. From my eyes, he is more talented than Jalen Hurts, he just needs the weapons Hurts has. A great example of that is Velus Jones, who’s supposed to be a weapon, once again fumbles in a crucial moment. A season to forget for him. Bears just don’t have enough to win these close games. But you gotta respect how the Bears are in every game. All things considered, if we’re using the measuring stick, get this team some weapons on both sides of the ball and maybe the Bears become the Eagles sooner rather than later.

Will DeWitt

Is anybody really surprised by the final outcome? Okay, I didn’t think so. The Bears were always going to be outmatched by the Eagles. However, there are some positives I wanted to highlight this week. First, congratulations to Justin Fields for having the most rushing yards in a season by a Bears’ quarterback, breaking Bobby Douglas’ record. Second, another congrats to Fields on becoming the third quarterback in league history to rush over 1,000 yards. I also wanted to take a moment to applaud the effort by the Bears’ defense. They forced the Eagles into three turnovers, the second-most Philadelphia has had all season. In fact, they entered the game with the fewest turnovers in the NFL and only had two games with multiple turnovers. If the Bears were going to win this game, the defense did what it needed to by giving their offense some extra possessions and shorter fields to work with. If you’re rooting for draft position, this is practically the type of game you wanted, right?

Kevin Kaduk

I loved seeing signs of life from the Bears defense for most of the game, particularly against highest scoring offense in the NFL. The rest of it hasn’t changed my mind that the offseason can’t come soon enough. We know what the ceiling is for Justin Fields with this current supporting cast and I don’t really need to see QB1 hit another 100 times before season’s close.

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