Bears lose to Buccaneers 27-17 as delusional optimism crashes into sad reality

Season's over.

Already.

Bit of an overreaction after a 27-17 loss at Tampa Bay dropped the Bears to 0-2 Sunday?

Doubtful.

Next up are the Chiefs, so unless Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce spontaneously combust, the Bears will be 0-3 after next week.

All that delusional preseason optimism has been replaced with the cold, hard fact that this is one disjointed team.

What's a bit incredible is the Bears have been within striking distance of their two opponents at halftime, trailing Green Bay 10-6 and Tampa Bay 13-10.

But the Bears are like a 12-handicap golfer who cobbles together a 44 on the front nine then hits back-to-back drives out of bounds to begin the back. Maybe you scratch out a par somewhere (like that 20-yard TD pass to Chase Claypool that cut the Bucs' lead to 20-17), but you still finish with a 99 and drown your sorrows in the clubhouse.

That's the Bears.

There's so much wrong, it's impossible to know where to start.

But let's try by dissecting two key drives. (Parental warning: Rough content ahead).

• With just more than three minutes remaining in the first half, Fields drops back on first-and-10 from the Bucs' 24 and scans the field. D.J. Moore is open on a quick out, but Fields holds the ball and is sacked for a 3-yard loss.

• On second down, Fields' pass to Khalil Herbert is low and off target. Complete it and it's a healthy gain.

• On third down, Fields is sacked for a 7-yard loss despite Moore flashing open near the first-down marker.

These three plays are a microcosm of what's wrong with Fields. The O-line actually gave him decent protection at times, but he holds the ball far too long. His cone of vision (or how well he sees the entire field) is a serious liability.

OK, the Bears did convert a 52-yard FG at the end of the drive to draw even at 10-10. And although the defense gave up 292 yards in the first half, it was still 13-10 at the break.

At this point, we've seen how the Bucs used the running game on a hot, steamy day to wear down the Bears' defense. Maybe Luke Getsy would try the same thing to begin the second half?

Lo and behold, he did! Khalil Herbert rammed up the middle for 8 yards then churned out 4 more on third-and-2.

Herbert managed just 2 yards on the next play, but at least Getsy seems to understand how important it is to churn clock when the defense is having such a tough time getting off the field.

But then Braxton Jones happened.

Twice.

Yep, not only did the second-year tackle commit a false start to make it second-and-13, he then basically whiffed in pass protection and allowed Joe Tryon-Shoyinka to drop Fields for a 10-yard sack. It was the fifth time Fields was dumped.

While the Bears made it a bit interesting at the end, the outcome was never seriously in doubt.

Now we have to wonder how badly this might spiral out of control.

Their QB looks lost.

Their offensive coordinator doesn't understand the value of a well-balanced attack (Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson averaged an impressive 6.1 yards, but had only 11 carries).

Their left tackle can't block and commits too many penalties.

Claypool, despite the TD, is still a marginal wideout.

There's no pass rush. And even when there is, veteran Yannick Ngakoue goes high and fails to bring down Bucs QB Baker Mayfield.

Receivers run wild in the secondary.

The Packers and Bucs converted 54.8% of their third downs (17-for-31).

Had enough? Begging for me to stop?

Fine.

All I'll say is watch at your own risk next Sunday.