The Bears and Dolphins tend to produce some riveting games, and they delivered another one Sunday as the Dolphins held off Justin Fields to win 35-32.
Beyond the monster game by Fields and 300-yard passing performance by counterpart Tua Tagovailoa, here are three takeaways:
Jones benched
In a surprise move, the Bears made rookie wide receiver and return man Velus Jones inactive. Jones had 38 yards of total offense against the Cowboys, but dropped what would’ve been a 50-yard pass. With Chase Claypool on the team and the Bears not trusting Jones on special teams, there was no spot for him Sunday.
Full ‘Moon’
Six Bears caught passes Sunday, led by Darnell Mooney with seven receptions for 43 yards and his first touchdown of the season. It was a 16-yard bull’s eye from Justin Fields in the second quarter, leading Mooney perfectly into the left corner of the end zone over tight coverage by All-Pro Xavien Howard.
Strike early
The Bears got a 32-yard field goal from Cairo Santos four minutes into the game, and it was the sixth time this season they scored on their opening drive. They scored on their first possession just 18 times in 49 games over the previous three seasons. Santos is 13 of 13 on field goals this season.