Broncos @ Bears
Final Score: Broncos 31, Bears 28
Writer: Mike Miklius (@SIRL0INofBEEF on Twitter)
The most important thing to watch for in this game was determining who gets the inside track to select Caleb Williams in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears have been models of embarrassment, and each is setting new marks in futility with every passing week. After a quick Bears punt, the Broncos went on a long, methodical scoring drive to take a 7-0 lead. Just when we thought the Bears were the worst team in the league, they took the next three possessions into the endzone while Justin Fields racked up a team-record 16-fo-16 start to his day (his first miss was a pre-half Hail Mary). Okay, so the Broncos are the worst team in the league. The Bears tacked on another touchdown right after the half–the fourth Fields passing touchdown–and Chicago finally demonstrated a semblance of a passing attack.
In this Battle for the Bottom, the Broncos, now down 28-7, finally woke up and went on a 75-yard scoring drive of their own. After a Bears punt, the Broncos went 66 yards for another score to cut the Bears’ lead to 28-21. The Bears’ next possession ended with a Justin Fields fumble that the Broncos’ defense took to the house. Now 28-28 with 6:55 to go, both teams were jockeying for worst in the league. Justin Fields led a long drive into field goal range, ultimately landing on a 4th and 1. The Bears unsuccessfully tried to get Denver to jump offside, called timeout, and came right back out. They ran it up the middle and were easily stuffed thanks to blatantly obvious playcalling and even poorer execution. Denver took it down the field quickly thanks in large part to a 48-yard pass to Marvin Mims, then kicked a field goal with 1:46 remaining. Chicago quickly went 28 yards, nearly reaching field goal range before Justin Fields threw a game-ending interception on a pass to Cole Kmet. Chicago proved something today: they earned the rank of “Worst Team in the NFL.” Let’s dig into the stats.
Four Up
- Justin Fields sets a team record for consecutive completions to start a game
- Khalil Herbert ate and looked good doing it
- Jaleel McLaughlin was excellent in limited action for the Broncos
- Russell Wilson was turnover-free and kept his composure throughout
Two Down
- The Bears’ defense might be the worst in the league
- The Broncos’ defense might be even worse
Denver Broncos
Quarterback
Russell Wilson: 21/28, 223 Yards, 3 TD | 4 Carries, 13 Yards
Russell Wilson was cooking on the team’s first drive, hitting a receiver on the run and hanging in the pocket for another completion. He found the endzone on a short screen pass. The next drive ended quickly after a few short plays. The third drive was derailed by a sack and a false start (Denver had a lot of false starts today). Their last drive of the half came close to a first thanks to a scramble from Russ that fell just short. The second half saw Denver establish the run, and Russ kept his team on track. I don’t remember a lot of ‘wow’ moments, but Russ didn’t have any ‘yikes’ moments either. He took what was there and kept things moving. The throw of the day was the touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton. It was a tight window and an elite throw. Take a look:
Wilson to Sutton! Here come the @Broncos.
📺: #DENvsCHI on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Jq9JHUeqb6 pic.twitter.com/jcV4VZtN4e— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2023
While I liked what we saw today from Russ, let’s make a note: both of these defenses are terrible. The Bears have no pass rush and it’s much easier to play quarterback in the NFL when afforded plenty of time to think in the pocket. Yes, the Bears logged one whole sack. I just saw an overmatched defense getting picked apart by a veteran of the league. Still, Broncos fans can enjoy this victory and tally their first win.
Running Back
Javonte Williams: 2 Carries | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 9 Yards
Javonte Williams was hurt early in the game. It was hard to see much on the tape, but he did not return.
Jaleel McLaughlin: 7 Carries, 72 Yards | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 32 Yards, TD
Jaleel McLaughlin looked excellent today, and I dare say the Broncos have found their new lead back. McLaughlin looked quick and shifty, and he regularly tore the Bears’ defense to pieces. On the first drive, he made a nice run through traffic and showed great patience on his touchdown catch. Let’s take a look:
Screen para o Jaleel McLaughlin achar a endzone! TD Broncos! #BroncosCountry
📺: #DENvsCHI ao vivo e exclusivo no https://t.co/NYzW4zFeuE
— NFL Brasil (@NFLBrasil) October 1, 2023
This looks like a legit weapon to me. McLaughlin felt like he broke a long run on almost every drive, and I only saw one mistake: a missed pass protection assignment that led to a sack. McLaughlin is definitely a player to watch moving forward.
Samaje Perine: 6 Carries, 12 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 23 Yards
Samaje Perine was drafted in most leagues with the expectation that he’d play a sizeable role in the Broncos’ offense, especially on passing downs. Memories of successful running backs in Sean Payton offenses deluded us into thinking Perine could be a valuable asset. Sigh. After yet another disappointing performance, Perine can now safely be jettisoned in most league formats.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Jerry Jeudy: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 52 Yards
Jerry Jeudy caught a quick-hitter on the team’s first drive and took it 18 yards downfield. That was his only target of the half. Jeudy dropped a pass to start the second half, then caught two more passes: a quick strike against pressure and a deeper shot on a busted coverage. Jeudy wasn’t terrible, but this performance against a bad defense left me wanting more.
Marvin Mims Jr.: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 47 Yards
Marvin Mims was only involved in two plays that I saw: an early screen that lost a yard and then his bomb late that set up the Bears’ win. Mims broke free from coverage late with the game tied 28-28, then hauled in a 48-yard pass on a drive that yielded the game-winning field goal. Mims looked fast, and the defense was overwhelmed. If only the Broncos would use Mims more:
Denver Broncos receiving yards leaders:
1. MARVIN MIMS (242)
2. Courtland Sutton (216)
3. Jerry Jeudy (158)Denver Broncos target leaders:
1. Courtland Sutton (28)
2. Jerry Jeudy (17)
3. Javonte Williams (14)
4. Samaje Perine (13)
5. MARVIN MIMS (11)Somebody who is good at…
— Ryan Heath (@QBLRyan) October 1, 2023
Courtland Sutton: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 27 Yards, TD
Courtland Sutton turned in the Play of the Day with his touchdown catch. One play after a missed shot to Sutton at the back of the end zone, Russ found a tight window and hit him for the score. Sutton otherwise had a quiet day. While the Broncos offense moved the ball well, it was just spread around and a lot of the success came from the rushing attack.
Lil’Jordan Humphrey: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 11 Yards
Chris Manhertz: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 10 Yards
Nate Adkins: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 8 Yards
Brandon Johnson: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 4 Yards, TD
Adam Trautman: 1 Target
Chicago Bears
Quarterback
Justin Fields: 28/35, 335 Yards, 4 TD, INT | 4 Carries, 25 Yards, 1 Fumble (Lost)
Justin Fields played well today. Fields truthers, say it with me: Justin Fields played well today. The Bears’ offense was cruising early, and it looked like this one would be a romp. I could best describe the first half of this game as so: it looked like what the Packers normally do to the Bears. Receivers were open, random no-names were making catches, and Chicago was scoring touchdowns. The first drive stalled quickly after an unsuccessful designed run and a sack. The boobirds started calling. The next drive saw an early 16-yard pass to Darnell Mooney. The Bears went for it on fourth down and succeeded, and Chicago was off to the races. The drive ended with a was-it? touchdown to DJ Moore. I personally thought it was an obvious no-catch, but I’m no league official. You be the judge:
DJ MOORE WHAT A TD CATCH
📺: #DENvsCHI on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Jq9JHUeqb6 pic.twitter.com/BOtpn7Puqb— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2023
Fields continued to light it up, finding Cole Kmet for a 22-yard score. The next drive went 85 yards, ending with another Kmet touchdown grab and a great scramble by Fields to buy time. Justin Fields was 16-of-16 out of the gate and set a team record for consecutive completions to start a game. So what about the mistakes? The fumble was bad. Fields saw the pass rush and tried to throw the ball away before getting hit; he was not successful, and it led to six quick points for Denver. On the interception, Fields was staring down Cole Kmet. Fields played great, but there is that asterisk: Denver looked horrendous on defense. Nearly every pass was to an open receiver and Fields took advantage. I don’t see this output as the new norm, but this is a huge step in the right direction and one we can hope the team builds on.
Running Back
Khalil Herbert: 18 Carries, 103 Yards | 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 19 Yards, TD
I have maintained that Khalil Herbert is the better back in Chicago since the season started and I feel vindicated. Herbert actually started a little slow, piling up short games on the team’s first scoring drive. Two drives later, he gashed the defense for 24 yards, looking shifty and quick. Herbert isn’t a homerun hitter, but he can carve out some big chunk plays. Then there was the Herbert angry run. Have a look:
KHALIL HERBERT MY GOD pic.twitter.com/0ms2BQ8kuI
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) October 1, 2023
Herbert was always my favorite back in this stable, and he showed why today.
Roschon Johnson: 5 Carries, 13 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 2 Yards
Roschon Johnson saw limited work as Khalil Herbert stayed hot today. Roschon is strong, but I prefer to see some ‘flash’ from my lead back; I just don’t see as much of it from RoJo as I do from Herbert.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
D. J. Moore: 9 Targets, 8 Receptions, 131 Yards, TD
D. J. Moore made a pair of great catches on the team’s first scoring drive. On his first, he was short of the first down and made a great effort to score. The next catch was an excellent effort right at the edge of the endzone. I thought he only had one foot in, but the replay confirmed the catch. Moore was involved throughout the day and thrived despite him being the focus of the defense. It looked like stopping Moore was the priority, but they just failed. I love watching Moore work and I hope the Bears can keep feeding him. As I’ve said numerous times, just remember this came against an abysmal defense so it can’t be viewed as the new norm.
Cole Kmet: 1 Carry, 1 Yard | 9 Targets, 7 Receptions, 85 Yards, 2 TD
Cole Kmet feasted today against an overmatched defense, regularly finding space and making the catch. On Kmet’s first score, he went up the middle and was wide open for the 22-yard score. On his second, he found open space as Fields scrambled. Kmet is not an elite weapon in my eyes, but the team loves him and clearly develops game plans around him.
Darnell Mooney: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 51 Yards
Darnell Mooney was heavily involved early, catching three passes on the team’s second drive. He looked quick and sure-handed but that was mostly it from him on the day. I would like to see Mooney more involved, but there might not be enough volume to go around. It’s also fair to say that Fields often took the easiest pass which basically had him spreading the ball around the team.
Tyler Scott: 2 Carries, 19 Yards
Velus Jones Jr.: 1 Carry, 10 Yards
Equanimeous St. Brown: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 21 Yards
Robert Tonyan: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 18 Yards
Marcedes Lewis: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 8 Yards