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The Chicago Bears snatched defeat from the jaws of victory yet again on Sunday, and wide receiver Darnell Mooney believes he knows the reason why.
Mooney called out the Bears’ offense, of which he is a significant component, for getting “comfortable” and playing in a “lackadaisical” fashion during the third quarter, when the Bears held a 17-7 lead over the Cleveland Browns.
“I didn’t like how we felt comfortable in the third quarter. Just lackadaisical and just conservative,” Mooney said, per Courtney Cronin of ESPN. “Everybody just happy that we were winning, and just got to be aggressive and continue to put their foot on the pedal and just go out there and punch ’em. Can’t get too comfortable in the third quarter. That’s what kind of bit us. Tried to switch gears in the fourth quarter once they scored. It’s hard to do that.”
Bears’ Defense Collapsed in 4th Quarter Against Browns
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GettyHead coach Matt Eberflus of the Chicago Bears.
The Bears scored their last points of the afternoon on a 41-yard field goal by kicker Carlos Santos with 4 minutes and 38 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Chicago’s defense had played incredibly well up to that point, holding Cleveland to only seven points through three quarters and netting three turnovers on the day. However, the unit deserves its fair share of the blame for Sunday’s loss after allowing Joe Flacco to put up 212 passing yards in the final stanza — the most by any Browns quarterback in any quarter over the last 45 years, per Jake Trotter of ESPN.
Cleveland scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth, winning on the strength of a Dustin Hopkins field goal with less than 80 seconds remaining in the game.
Darnell Mooney Nearly Won Game for Bears on Final Play
GettyChicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
Chicago’s offense tried to get back on track late in the game, moving into position to throw a Hail Mary in the final seconds as part of a last-ditch effort to salvage the afternoon and remain in the NFC playoff hunt.
Quarterback Justin Fields led the offense on a 30-yard drive to the Cleveland 45-yard-line. Then, with five seconds remaining, Fields tossed a pass into the end zone. Mooney was able to get his hands on the football and appeared to bring it down for a score.
However, the wide receiver lost control of the ball as he fell to the ground, it bounced off his leg and into the hands of safety D’Anthony Bell, ending the game. Mooney finished the day with just 2 catches for 14 yards.
The heart-breaking defeat was the second such loss for the Bears over the last four games. Chicago was also up 12 points on the road against the Detroit Lions with 4 minutes and 15 seconds remaining before finding a way to lose that contest on November 19.
However, the Bears have a lot of which to be proud and even more on which to build. Chicago (5-9) has won three of its last five contests. Had the team avoided late road losses to the Lions and Browns in recent weeks, the Bears would be 7-7 and in the thick of the playoff race.
Chicago is poised to pick No. 1 (via the Carolina Panthers) and No. 5 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, per Tankathon, and Spotrac currently projects the Bears to have $63.3 million in salary cap space heading into next season.
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