Foles injured as Bears drop another game

They can change the quarterback. They can change the playcaller. They can't, it seems, give this Bears offense life.

It was another lackluster performance for the Bears in what was their fourth consecutive loss, a 19-13 defeat against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night at Soldier Field.

It was punctuated with a hit that sent Bears quarterback Nick Foles off the field on a cart. It was the type of ending that would've silenced a raucous 60,000 fans at Soldier Field - if there were a crowd to silence.

Instead, Bears players walked somberly off the field. Gone is the 5-1 start to the season. Welcome to 5-5.

Foles couldn't put any weight on his right leg as he left the field after a hit on first-and-10 with 37 seconds remaining in the game. He was down on the grass for several minutes. Multiple players from both teams came to wish him well as the cart headed off the field.

In a game the Bears pretty much had to win, things went from bad to worse. Foles injury will lead to more uncertainty moving forward. The Bears may have no choice but to go back to quarterback Mitch Trubisky, if he is healthy. Trubisky missed his second consecutive game with a shoulder injury.

To make matters worse, Bears Pro Bowl defensive tackle Akiem Hicks also left the game with a hamstring injury and did not return.

The Bears had 149 yards of total offense in the game, with only 32 yards in the second half. The switch at play caller from head coach Matt Nagy to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor was meant to spark the Bears offense. It did nothing of the sort.

Without a starting running back and with a battered offensive line, the Bears remained stuck in neutral. Foles barely eclipsed 100 yards passing, finishing with 106 yards and an interception.

The Bears wasted another solid defensive performance. They squandered Cordarrelle Patterson's 104-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

One one crucial third-and-5 at the Minnesota 31-yard line with 2:55 remaining in the game, the Bears threw a lateral pass to receiver Allen Robinson that went for negative-four yards. Different play caller, same head-scratching results.

If nothing else, it is clear that Nagy's play-calling - while far from perfect - was not the real issue. The Bears offense is broken.

They have some real soul searching to do as they head into the bye week next weekend, and a 13-day layoff until their next matchup against Green Bay on Nov. 29.