It’s looking bleak for the Bears after a 17-16 defeat by the Chargers. They fell to 3-4 and they’ve already equaled their losses from last season.
It’s hard to imagine how they can break out of this three-game losing streak as they head to Philadelphia. The defense is probably their best hope.
Here are three quick takeaways from the loss to the Chargers:
Concede the division. With the Vikings moving to 6-2 on Thursday and the Packers going into their game late Sunday at 6-1, the Bears can forget about repeating as NFC North champions. That Sports Illustrated prediction of them going 7-9 and finishing fourth looks increasingly reasonable as they flounder, and the Lions coming to town in two weeks seems a little scary now.
Sharing space. Unlike last week, when Allen Robinson just missed setting the NFL season-high for targets, the Bears were more diversified in the passing game against the Chargers. He had five catches for 62 yards on seven targets, Taylor Gabriel had four catches for 53 yards in six chances and Anthony Miller caught all three of his targets for 67 yards.
Rivers under wraps. It wasn’t a perfect performance by the Bears’ defense, but they played well enough to win and managed eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback Philip Rivers well. Coming off a sparkling game against the Titans last week, Rivers completed 19 of 29 attempts for 201 yards with a touchdown and an interception for an 82.7 passer rating.
