3 things we learned in Week 7 loss

[Staley Da Bear]

(2) The Bears got virtually nothing from their running game, mustering 17 yards on just seven carries and losing two fumbles.


The seven rushing attempts were the fewest in a game in Bears history. Trubisky, meanwhile, threw 54 passes, completing 34 for 251 yards and two late touchdowns.


“I know we need to run the ball more,” Nagy said. “I’m not an idiot; I realize that. Seven rushes, I totally understand that. You need to do it. I never go into a game saying, ‘I want to throw the ball 54 times.’ I would love to go into a game and say, ‘I want to run the ball 54 times.’ But that hasn’t happened.”


Nagy said he abandoned the run because it wasn’t producing. On four carries in the first quarter, the Bears netted two yards and lost a fumble that the Saints converted into the game’s first touchdown and a 9-0 lead.


“With this run game, it’s about productive plays,” Nagy said. “Right now we’re not having productive plays in the run game any way you look at it.


“In the offseason I’ll sit down with every one of you (reporters) and we’ll just sit down and talk through this and talk through the ‘why’ part. I can’t do it right now because we’ve got to worry about the Chargers.


“But I want positive plays. Part of that is patience as well. There’s no doubt about it; there’s got to be more patience. But every game is a little bit different based off the defense you’re seeing and then how your o-line is blocking and the schemes of the plays that are working or not working that game.”


(3) The defense performed well in the first half Sunday but buckled in the second half while spending nearly 20 of the 30 minutes on the field.


The only touchdown the Bears allowed in the first half came after the Saints had taken over at the Chicago 24 following a turnover.


On the Saints’ first possession of the game, Bilal Nichols and Danny Trevathan teamed up to stop running back Latavius Murray for no gain on third-and-one, forcing New Orleans to punt. In the second quarter, Buster Skrine and Prince Amukamara both made nice plays to break up passes in the end zone. Wil Lutz capped those two drives by making a 39-yard field goal and missing a 42-yard attempt wide right.


But it all unraveled in the second half. With the Bears offense unable to sustain possessions, the defense allowed touchdown drives of 75 and 76 yards. “We just started doing uncharacteristic things,” Nichols said. “We didn’t play our techniques right. We just played bad.”


The defense ended up yielding 424 yards and 24 first downs while permitting a short-handed Saints offense to convert 7-of-15 third-down opportunities.


While it appeared that the defense became gassed in the second half, players refused to blame their offensive counterparts for failing to stay on the field.


“It doesn’t matter,” Nichols said. “When we’re on the field we need to play our best at all times. We consider ourselves one of the top defenses in the league and when we’re on the field we need to play like that.”