Rams 17, Bears 7: Whose arrows are up and down after Bears loss to Rams

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LOS ANGELES — It’s good news that, generally speaking, Bears’ losses this season are already being met with apathy, because this particular one, being played in front of a national audience, was hard to watch. The Bears had more first downs than the Rams, ran over 20 more offensive plays, and scored once in a 17-7 loss. In case you did something else – literally anything else – with your night, all you need to know is that the game ended with a cap-wearing Mitch Trubisky watching the Bears’ final three minutes from the sideline. Here’s where the arrows are pointing on one of the bleaker nights of the Bears’ 2019 season:

ARROW DOWN – Mitch Trubisky 

Yeah. 

ARROW DOWN – Eddy Pineiro 

The Denver game feels like it happened in a different universe at this point. It’s hard to defend multiple first half misses when you’re kicking in 80 degree weather without even a slight breeze. Pineiro hooked his first attempt, from 48, wide left. He then proceeded to miss the next one, from 47, to the right. The latter was clearly the end of his leash, as Nagy would proceed to either go for it on 4th down or punt any time the Bears would get into Rams’ territory for the rest of the half.

Pineiro's now 12-for-17 on the season, and even though field goal percentage is down across the league, his job doesn’t really feel all that safe anymore. Everyone around Halas Hall has loved how the kicker bounces back after tough misses, but at a certain point it’s less about perseverance and more about making kicks. 

ARROW UP – Roquan Smith 

Sunday was Smith’s best game in 2019 and it’s not close. The second-year linebacker started things off with the easiest interception of his life in the first quarter: 

It was his second career interception, with both coming off Goff. Stop throwing Roquan the ball, Jared! Smith hasn’t had the year that many expected after a strong training camp, but he certainly played like the 8th overall pick on Sunday night. With Danny Trevathan’s status (somewhat curiously) remaining up in the air, games like that from Smith are all the more vital as the Bears try and find a way back into the playoff picture. 

ARROW DOWN – Khalil Mack 

It’s never quite Mack’s fault when he shows up on this list, but he was quiet again on Sunday again (though so was Aaron Donald, for what it's worth). Here’s all you need to know: 

ARROW DOWN – The WR Group 

A bad night all around. Allen Robinson? Four catches for 15 yards; Jalen Ramsey is a stud. Taylor Gabriel? Seven for 57. Anthony Miller had six catches for 54 yards and was directly involved in the Rams’ only interception of the night. They all had at least one drop, too. Even Cordarrelle Patterson –who doesn’t really play on offense anymore and certainly not as a wide receiver – cost the Bears 15 yards on a punt with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after taking his helmet off on the field.

Patterson almost cost them again when he ran into a Rams’ punt returner late in the third quarter, but the flag was called off. There were a half-dozen times on Sunday when it seemed like the Bears’ wideouts weren’t running the routes that Trubisky thought they would. 

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