Week 6 Official Game Thread - JAX @ CHI, Sun, Oct 13, 0830AM CDT, NFLN, CHI -1

[Stinger226]

8 minutes ago, adam said:

Good call Adam, 35-16 compared to your 33-19 prediction. 

Get off his back, he was close.

[adam]

Caleb is 1 of 1.

First rookie QB in NFL History to have over 1,300 passing yards, 9 passing TDs, and 160 rushing yards thru his first 6 games. Daniels would need 5 passing TDs today to be #2. 

[Stinger226]

By the time we get to our division games we will have the best QB in the division.

[AZ54]

4 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

This game will end with who scores last. We are not quite ready to dominate yet until CW is more comfortable. TOs will decide the day and Jags dont have a pick all year.

Interesting in hindsight as I scroll through the game thread...

[50england50]

Tonight is the first time I’ve watched Washington, and Jayden Daniels does not look like a 1 read QB and being restricted to playing 1/2 of the field. He is playing really well against a good Baltimore defense. 
 

It will be an interesting game after the bye week. 

[Bears4Ever_34]

1 hour ago, 50england50 said:

Tonight is the first time I’ve watched Washington, and Jayden Daniels does not look like a 1 read QB and being restricted to playing 1/2 of the field. He is playing really well against a good Baltimore defense. 
 

It will be an interesting game after the bye week. 

He's definitely still improving. BAL also dropped a couple interceptions from him in that game today. I do think teams will try to copy what BAL did to contain their run game in the future.

[Bears4Ever_34]

Caleb very easily could have had 6 touchdown passes today. DJ was inches from #5, and the interception to DJ would have been a 40+ yard play, at the very least. Caleb's deep passes continue to be perplexing. I thought he sorted that shit out last week, but apparently not.

At any rate, he responded about as well as you could hope—had a couple of pinpoint TD passes to Allen to make up for the one bad throw, and the team cruised to its 3rd straight win. You have to feel pretty good going in to the bye week, and I think it's coming at a good time, given the injuries. Hopefully everyone is healed up before the Commanders game.

Week 8 is definitely a statement game. 5-2 with a bad AZ and NE team after that would be huge. If Caleb outperforms Daniels in a W, he's likely going to vault himself ahead in the ROTY rankings. I continue to say this team needs to be at least 6-3 before the Packers to give themselves a chance at the playoffs, but 7-2 would put them close to a virtual certainty.

[50england50]

I’m glad the schedule pits the Bears against division opponents later in the year. Caleb will have developed as much as he can by the time we play the Packers. 
 

I was watching the Lions earlier, and it will be interesting to see how Goff and his offense does against our defense. 
 

After seeing how Caleb played today, I liked how he went through his progressions. Hopefully, he will continue on this trajectory after the bye week. 
 

I really like what Poles as done with the roster and the weapons we have especially having Allen and Moore at WR.  The oline seems to be playing better. I hope it’s not because the defences we have recently played are terrible. 

[50england50]

34 minutes ago, Bears4Ever_34 said:

He's definitely still improving. BAL also dropped a couple interceptions from him in that game today. I do think teams will try to copy what BAL did to contain their run game in the future.

Also how the DEs held their position on pass rushes and prevented Daniels from getting outside of the tackles when he was feeling pressure. 

[AZ54]

I'm more concerned that Caleb was the right choice for the Bears.  IMO Daniels is better than just a 1-read QB but in the very limited games I've seen him play in I've also not seen him look nearly as comfortable scanning the entire field as what we've seen from Caleb in the last two weeks. Like any decent NFL QB Daniels is more than talented enough to hurt you especially if you make a mistake in coverage.  Although he can throw on the run Daniels does not have as much off-platform talent as Caleb does, nor do I think his pocket presence is as good.  Daniels is faster and more elusive running plus he has had far better pass protection to date this season than Caleb.  I think both are good leaders for the locker room.  

Given what I've seen in the first 6 games, especially the last 3, Caleb was the right choice IMO.  He made a lot of "NFL" throws today.  Both TDs to Keenan Allen were not easy opens.  The back shoulder throw for the first TD was perfection.   The toss over the defender for the 2nd TD though was IMO an even more difficult throw because you have to get the right amount of arc on the ball to drop it in over the top.  There are a lot of NFL QBs that struggle with those throws.  Those slants to Keenan for 1st downs were big time throws and, at least on the last one, the DBs hand was right there just behind the ball.   Improve the pass protection for him and there's no telling what Caleb will be doing to defenses.   

[BearFan PHX]

7 minutes ago, AZ54 said:

I'm more concerned that Caleb was the right choice for the Bears.  IMO Daniels is better than just a 1-read QB but in the very limited games I've seen him play in I've also not seen him look nearly as comfortable scanning the entire field as what we've seen from Caleb in the last two weeks. Like any decent NFL QB Daniels is more than talented enough to hurt you especially if you make a mistake in coverage.  Although he can throw on the run Daniels does not have as much off-platform talent as Caleb does, nor do I think his pocket presence is as good.  Daniels is faster and more elusive running plus he has had far better pass protection to date this season than Caleb.  I think both are good leaders for the locker room.  

Given what I've seen in the first 6 games, especially the last 3, Caleb was the right choice IMO.  He made a lot of "NFL" throws today.  Both TDs to Keenan Allen were not easy opens.  The back shoulder throw for the first TD was perfection.   The toss over the defender for the 2nd TD though was IMO an even more difficult throw because you have to get the right amount of arc on the ball to drop it in over the top.  There are a lot of NFL QBs that struggle with those throws.  Those slants to Keenan for 1st downs were big time throws and, at least on the last one, the DBs hand was right there just behind the ball.   Improve the pass protection for him and there's no telling what Caleb will be doing to defenses.   

I think this is a fair measured position.

I've staked out my place as saying that Daniels will never be great. That isnt to say that he doesnt do things that look impressive, because he obviously does. He has an amazing arm, and is more accurate on the deep ball than Williams is, or will probably ever be. Daniels is faster too.

To my eye Daniels has a similar skill set to Justin Fields, and I predict mediocrity for him for the same reasons.

But you're right, Daniels isn't really the question at all. The question is who Caleb Williams is becoming. And here we are in total agreement. Williams does pocket QB things we haven't seen in many years in Chicago. Some might say the last to consistently process the field like this was Cutler, but if not, then Kramer.

Williams has a lot of wow factors, but his simply staying int he pocket and making reads has me increasingly excited. He knows football, and he is a QB first and an athlete second.

As he learns, and if we can give him another second of pass protection, the ceiling is very very high.

I think we will also get a check on where we are and arent, including the defense, when we start playing better teams. At some point the roster will be good enough, and the level of intensity and desire comes into play. I think we are decently intense now, but i think to get to that top 5 tier, we will have to dial that up even more.

Right now we are learning to be a good football team. Soon we will have to learn to be great. And just to have the opportunity to do that has been quite a while. Cant wait to see it.

[Bears4Ever_34]

What are the odds the NFC North has 4 of the 5 best teams in the conference? If the Bears can get a big win against the Commanders, I think they have to be in that conversation. 

[BearFan PHX]

16 minutes ago, Bears4Ever_34 said:

What are the odds the NFC North has 4 of the 5 best teams in the conference? If the Bears can get a big win against the Commanders, I think they have to be in that conversation. 

its amazing to see! Go Bears!

[adam]

Aidan Hutchinson is out for the year with a brutal lower leg fracture, most likely of his tibia and fibula.

The type of injury was an impact with a teammate's shin, which according to some websites can take as much as 6-10 months to recover from. 10 months is next August. 

It looked a lot like the Alex Smith injury, which basically ended his career, and he was a QB. Jorvorskie Lane had a similar injury and never played again. 

[Bears4Ever_34]

19 minutes ago, adam said:

Aidan Hutchinson is out for the year with a brutal lower leg fracture, most likely of his tibia and fibula.

The type of injury was an impact with a teammate's shin, which according to some websites can take as much as 6-10 months to recover from. 10 months is next August. 

It looked a lot like the Alex Smith injury, which basically ended his career, and he was a QB. Jorvorskie Lane had a similar injury and never played again. 

Or Zach Miller, who I don't believe ever played again after his. Hopefully, Hutchinson makes a full recovery, but anytime you see a compound fracture like that, you immediately think, "Will this guy every play again" and "If he does, will he ever be the same?"

[adam]

8 minutes ago, Bears4Ever_34 said:

Or Zach Miller, who I don't believe ever played again after his. Hopefully, Hutchinson makes a full recovery, but anytime you see a compound fracture like that, you immediately think, "Will this guy every play again" and "If he does, will he ever be the same?"

Especially considering the position he plays. He is obviously out for the year, but like you said, he may never play again.

Nick Gates is the only player that I found that returned to play after breaking both the tibia and fibula, but he missed 13 months, had a ton of complications, and as an OL, can have a brace on the leg without limiting his production. As a speed Edge player, I don't think that would work for Hutchinson. Out of all the players to lose, he seems like the biggest loss the Lions could possibly have.

[AZ54]

7 minutes ago, adam said:

Especially considering the position he plays. He is obviously out for the year, but like you said, he may never play again.

Nick Gates is the only player that I found that returned to play after breaking both the tibia and fibula, but he missed 13 months, had a ton of complications, and as an OL, can have a brace on the leg without limiting his production. As a speed Edge player, I don't think that would work for Hutchinson. Out of all the players to lose, he seems like the biggest loss the Lions could possibly have.

As a fan of the game I never like seeing these types of injuries.  That has to be heartbreaking to Detroit. Yet, even more heartbroken are the Cowboy's fans.   That team looks totally lifeless.   

[DABEARSDABOMB]

9 hours ago, Pixote said:

It was a bad INT, but he certainly made up for it with excellent runs and two passing TDs!

Im curious what he saw on that. Did the ball just hang up on him or did he just not see the safety on it. 
 

Either way he made up for it and had an outstanding game. Whole team did! Slow start - spectacular middle an end!!! 

[DABEARSDABOMB]

24 minutes ago, AZ54 said:

As a fan of the game I never like seeing these types of injuries.  That has to be heartbreaking to Detroit. Yet, even more heartbroken are the Cowboy's fans.   That team looks totally lifeless.   

Hopefully it ends up being less serious. Hate seeing  young guy like that go down. 

[ASHKUM BEAR]

I don't have NFL network and live a mile south of the Chicago/Champaign cut off line.  So I missed the game but seen highlights.  Sounds like Caleb had another progression in his development.  I feel he passed the test and now it's on the oline and defense to bring us to the playoffs.  The talented weapons on O is there and the QB can play. 

[Mongo3451]

1 hour ago, adam said:

Aidan Hutchinson is out for the year with a brutal lower leg fracture, most likely of his tibia and fibula.

The type of injury was an impact with a teammate's shin, which according to some websites can take as much as 6-10 months to recover from. 10 months is next August. 

It looked a lot like the Alex Smith injury, which basically ended his career, and he was a QB. Jorvorskie Lane had a similar injury and never played again. 

I had a head on collision on May 21 and broke my tibial plateau, which is the former growth plate.  They told me six months healing time, but I'm 58 and obese. Hutch can be back in mid January if the breaks are clean.  Nerve damage is a different story.

[BearFan PHX]

22 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

I had a head on collision on May 21 and broke my tibial plateau, which is the former growth plate.  They told me six months healing time, but I'm 58 and obese. Hutch can be back in mid January if the breaks are clean.  Nerve damage is a different story.

Heal fast and with as little pain as possible!

[Stinger226]

3 hours ago, 50england50 said:

I’m glad the schedule pits the Bears against division opponents later in the year. Caleb will have developed as much as he can by the time we play the Packers. 
 

I was watching the Lions earlier, and it will be interesting to see how Goff and his offense does against our defense. 
 

After seeing how Caleb played today, I liked how he went through his progressions. Hopefully, he will continue on this trajectory after the bye week. 
 

I really like what Poles as done with the roster and the weapons we have especially having Allen and Moore at WR.  The oline seems to be playing better. I hope it’s not because the defences we have recently played are terrible. 

Its a different year but we played well in both games against the Lions and this year we are a better team. Also Hutchin got hurt today, out for the year. He was leading the league in sacks.

[Stinger226]

1 hour ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

Im curious what he saw on that. Did the ball just hang up on him or did he just not see the safety on it. 
 

Either way he made up for it and had an outstanding game. Whole team did! Slow start - spectacular middle an end!!! 

He released the ball to the inside to much, bad pass, should have been 2' too the left.

[Stinger226]

53 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

I had a head on collision on May 21 and broke my tibial plateau, which is the former growth plate.  They told me six months healing time, but I'm 58 and obese. Hutch can be back in mid January if the breaks are clean.  Nerve damage is a different story.

When we get older , we dont heal as fast. Its been 14 months since I broke my neck and its just now my body almost feels normal. I lost 50% motion in my neck but at 72, I'll live with that.