Hub Arkush: Bears, Dolphins both deserved to lose

How many times have you watched a really entertaining NFL game and been left at the end saying to yourself it's a shame either team had to lose that one?

The Bears' 31-28 loss to the Miami Dolphins in overtime on Sunday was the opposite, a game that both teams really deserved to lose and in the end Chicago was just better at losing than the Dolphins.

Of course the Bears were going to lose again after their 3-1 start, but there was nothing to suggest it would happen in Miami.

The ultimate irony, I suppose, is that the two matchups that appeared to most favor the Bears - the Dolphins' wounded offensive line against the Bears dominating defensive front and Miami's equally short-handed defensive front against the Bears' offensive line - are where Miami dominated.

Chicago's O-line had a terrible first half, allowing Mitch Trubisky to be sacked twice and blocking for just 48 rushing yards on 15 attempts, a 3.2-yard average. Though it was noticeably better in the second half, we knew the Bears were in trouble at halftime after getting shutout, 7-0.

The Bears' defensive front marched into Hard Rock stadium as arguably the best in the league but couldn't sack Dolphins backup QB Brock Osweiler all afternoon and never really pressured him, while allowing Miami to rush 31 times for 161 yards.

That Khalil Mack tweaked an ankle early and had to play with a heavy wrap afterward didn't help, but that one injury is no excuse for the Bears' second-ranked defense allowing Miami to put up 31 points, 541 yards of offense, a 7.2-yard average per play and win the time of possession battle by over three minutes - the main reasons Chicago lost.

What appeared to be unthinkable going into the game happened anyway and was mainly the result of incredibly poor tackling in the open field, but the Bears still might have won were it not for some terrible decisions by quarterback Mitch Trubisky and head coach Matt Nagy.

A fumble at the Miami 1-yard line by Jordan Howard, and a fourth-quarter fumble by Tarik Cohen at the two-minute warning near midfield, both of which failed to lead to Miami points but were still very costly, were each physical mistakes caused by huge hits from Dolphin defenders.

Physical errors are at times unavoidable.

But a Trubisky interception in the Dolphins end zone with just over 12 minutes to play that set up a Miami drive to tie the game at 21 was a mental error that never should have happened, and Trubisky appeared to have real issues reading the defense and with his accuracy on multiple occasions in the first half.

Sunday also appeared to be the first time the Bears paid dearly for Nagy's inexperience as a head coach.

There were a number of first-half calls on which Nagy appeared to be too cute, showing off all the exotic formations and pre-snap movements designed to confuse the defense, but leaving the Dolphins unmoved and the Bears offense stalled.

Nagy also appears to be having a real issue understanding how to best use Jordan Howard, who should be one of his top weapons.

But the young coach's most disturbing issues Sunday were poor clock management at the end of regulation and an impossible-to-understand decision after 68 minutes of trying to out-clever the Dolphins, when he went completely conservative and played for a 53-yard Cody Parkey FG attempt to win the game.

Of course, Parkey missed and Nagy left the Dolphins more than enough time to get back down the field and snatch victory in a game they had no business winning.

Perhaps the team and its fans needed it to be reminded that while the talent has been significantly upgraded, this is still a Bears team that needs more time and has a ton to learn.

What we know for sure is that there is still plenty of cause for optimism, but the Bears - players and coaches alike - were awful in Miami, and now it's anybody's guess as to what to expect next and how far away this team actually is from being ready to win.

• Hub Arkush, the executive editor of Pro Football Weekly, can be reached at harkush@profootballweekly.com or on Twitter @Hub_Arkush.