Chargers 30, Bears 13: Please Baby, No More Parties in L.A.

Velus Jones Jr. falls.
Velus Jones Jr. falls.

This feels like a good time to say thanks to my readers staying up late to read this. You guys and gals are among the reasons I keep chugging along despite the Bears providing us with nothing but pain.

FINAL: Los Angeles Chargers 30, Chicago Bears 13 (ESPN Box Score)

Four thoughts on another Bears loss

  • When Taylor Swift wrote the lyric “But don’t forget about the night out in L.A.” in the song The Very First Night, she was *NOT* referencing this Bears-Chargers game. But when Kendrick and Kanye rapped “No more parties in L.A.” they could have been referencing Chicago’s struggles out west. They’ve lost each of their last four games in Los Angeles. And all four of those games were decided by at least 10 points. And none of those games ever felt that close.
  • That was a very uncomfortable broadcast. It felt like Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth were working hard to get anecdotes in that coaches and/or management put on their plates. To be clear, this isn’t out of the ordinary. Moreover, it is one of the reasons I like these primetime games. Tirico and Collinsworth get access to Bears coaches and staffers that the folks who regularly cover the team aren’t privy to (despite putting in all the hard work of being there daily). But some of the talking points felt forced. I plan on running back the video and highlighting the most notable nuggets on Monday or Tuesday.
  • The most egregious of points came when Collinsowrth said Justin Fields needed to watch and study Tyson Bagent. Don’t get it twisted. Getting the ball out quickly is (1) something Bagent has done well and (2) something I’d like Fields to be better at moving forward. But in no football conversation ever has anyone suggested that the starting QB should be playing like QB3. That is backward thinking. And the whole talking point made me uncomfortable because of some of the connotations that might be connected with that line of thinking.
  • To his credit, Matt Eberflus called some good games recently. But it was only a matter of time before the smoke-and-mirrors show ended. The Bears gave up 30 points to the Chargers and it could’ve been a whole mess more. Quarterback Justin Herbert completed 31 of 40 passes, threw for 298 yards, put up 3 touchdowns, and posted a 122.7 passer rating. Austin Ekeler was unstoppable. But it was easy peasy lemon squeeze-y with a Bears defense that generated no sacks and just two quarterback hits.
  • Bears Highlights

  • Come for the Darrynton Evans touchdown, but stay to watch (and re-watch) a 6-5, 335-pound offensive lineman move with grace and clear a path to pay dirt:
  • A one-armed Darnell Wright (who was simultaneously nursing a toe injury while on the injury report) is a better blocker than some guys at full strength.

  • You’ve heard of the Tush Push, but now check out Bear Derrière:
  • https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/1718828875629703237

    Chicago’s success on that QB keeper makes me wonder why they ran it on a slow-developing 4th-and-1 play with Roschon Johnson earlier in the second half.

  • It’s a shame that this was pretty much THE passing highlight of the night:
  • On the one hand, I tip my cap to Luke Getsy for having the audacity to call that play out of the chute after hearing questions about Tyson Bagent’s arm strength. But on the other hand, I’m still miffed about this play being called dead. I don’t think this was a game-changing call, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be mad about it. That is as bad as it gets from an officiating standpoint. And on the first play of the game, too.

    Three Bears

    Larry Borom didn’t get his name called a bunch on Sunday and I feel as if that is good news. The Bears offensive line gave up only one sack and just two quarterback hits. Credit Tyson Bagent for getting the ball out quickly. But to limit Joey Bosa to just two QB Hits is eye-opening. I can’t believe Khalil Mack got held out of the sack column. If you would’ve told me Bosa and Mack would’ve combined for just 1 sack, 2 tackles-for-loss, and 2 quarterback hits, I would’ve assumed the Bears snuck out of L.A. with a win.

    Roschon Johnson received 9 touches and gained 31 scrimmage yards. D’Onta Foreman led the way with 9 carries (just 34 yards). But Darrynton Evans scored the only touchdown. The Bears have some sorting out to do in the backfield and I don’t feel as if they’ll do it in a week. If you’re a fantasy player with shares of any of these backs, I’d be looking for alternatives on the waiver wire before everyone rushes to snag someone on Wednesday.

    Cole Kmet was the Bears’ leading receiver on Sunday Night Football. Kmet caught all 10 of his targets for 79 yards. I joked about betting the house on over 0.5 receptions for Kmet tonight. Had I done so, I would’ve been cashing what I would imagine to be one of those over-sized novelty checks that they used to show on TV commercials in the 90s. If you know, you know.

    WHAT’S NEXT: Sunday, Nov. 5, Bears at New Orleans Saints, noon on CBS.

    We leave this post with an image that is worth a thousand words and best sums up the night out in L.A.:

    Maybe we’ll write ’em tomorrow. Then again, I think only one word would suffice if asked to describe it. And it isn’t printable.

    written by

    Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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