Bears’ passing game fails in blowout loss to Lions

DETROIT — The Bears were outclassed by the Lions on Sunday, setting a franchise record with their ninth-straight loss and providing only one piece of optimism not named Justin Fields: that, mercifully, there’s only one more of these games left.

The Bears’ 41-10 loss at Ford Field felt like a new low. In a span of almost exactly two quarters — from the 6:48 mark of the first frame to the 6:44 mark of the third — the Lions scored 38 points. Receiver Chase Claypool, active for the first time in a month, played only a select few downs. By the end of the first quarter, injuries forced the Bears to use their third right guard of game.

Yuck. Ugly. All of it — especially when the Bears tried to pass.

Fields’ runs were dynamic Sunday, the way they’ve been all year. But the Bears’ passing attack — his passing attack — was not NFL quality. He went 7-for-20 for 75 yards — a number more suited for the Bears’ heyday of the 1940s — and was sacked seven times.

He did so against the worst defense in the NFL in terms of passing yards per play.

The same Lions defense gave up 317 passing yards and two passing touchdowns to Jets is-he-a-bust backup Zach Wilson and 250 yards and one touchdown to Jets castoff — and Panthers quarterback — Sam Darnold over the last two games. Earlier last month, the Vikings’ Kirk Cousins threw for 425 and two scores.

Entering Sunday, the Lions defense had allowed a 97 passer rating this season and a 103.6 passer rating in December. Both were fourth-worst in the NFL.

Fields’ passer rating Sunday was 40.8.

All that’s left now is to see whether Fields can chase down a record. Fields entered the game with 1,011 rushing yards — needing 196 rushing yards to pass Lamar Jackson’s single-season record of 1,206 rushing yards, set in 2019.

For a while Sunday, it looked like he could pass it in one game.

On third-and-one on the Bears’ first drive, tight end Cole Kmet went in motion and settled in under center, seemingly to take a direct snap. Rather than sneak, he pitched to Fields, serving as a tailback, for 31 yards. Two plays later, Fields threw a 13-yard touchdown to Kmet.

Fields scrambled for a 60-yard gain later in the first quarter, reaching 20.39 mph, but the Bears eventually had to settle for a field goal.

Fields ran 10 times for 132 yards and needs to 64 yards in the finale against the Vikings to pass Jackson.

The Bears remain a half-game behind the Texans, who lost Sunday, in the race to the bottom for the first overall draft selection. The Texans need to win their finale — and the Bears need to lose theirs — for the Bears to have the No. 1 pick.

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