Wondering about a player, a past game or another issue involving the Bears? Senior writer Larry Mayer answers a variety of questions from fans on ChicagoBears.com.
What do you think was the biggest positive the Bears can take away from what was a very disappointing loss in Green Bay?
Roger T.
Beloit, Wisconsin
There's no doubt in my mind that the No. 1 positive for the Bears in their loss to the Packers was the performance of new outside linebacker Khalil Mack. He absolutely dominated in the first half, all after skipping training camp and the preseason while holding out with the Raiders. That's truly remarkable when you think about it. Mack recorded a touchdown, interception, sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery in the first half alone. There aren't that many NFL players that accomplish that feat in an entire season. His pressure on the quarterback also resulted in sacks for teammates Roy Robertson-Harris and Roquan Smith. With all things considered, it was one of the most impressive individual performances I've ever seen.
With the Bears facing a fourth-and-two late in Sunday night's game, did Matt Nagy consider going for the first down instead of kicking a field goal? The field goal put the Bears ahead by six points, enabling Aaron Rodgers and the Packers to win the game with a touchdown.
Paul K.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
The situation you're referring to came on fourth-and-two at the Green Bay 14 with 2:42 remaining in the game and the Bears leading 20-17. Coach Matt Nagy said Monday that if it had been fourth and less than one yard to go, "you really have to think about" going for the first down. But he felt that kicking the field goal to go ahead by six points was the wise thing to do at that point. Said Nagy: "I get the whole thing. Trust me, I'm well aware of Aaron Rodgers and scoring a touchdown and how that can happen. I get that. I'm also well aware of when you go for it and you don't get it and it's a three-point game, and then a touchdown can put [the Packers] up more than a field goal."
The Bears had third-and-short in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game and a Packers defender was running to the sideline because they had 12 men on the field. Why didn't the Bears just snap the ball to draw the penalty, which would have given them a first down?_
Phillip K.
Morton Grove, Illinois_
It's not as easy as it sounds, and I think that's something that Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky will learn to do as he gains more experience. Here's what coach Matt Nagy had to say about why the Bears didn't hurry up and snap the ball to draw the penalty: "In that situation, you'd love to feel that and see that. There's so much stuff going on. We can see it from a bird's eye view. You can see the guy running off the field, but it's hard when you're at the line of scrimmage and you're trying to get the play right, you're trying to get the cadence, you're looking at the play clock to make sure you're going to get it off right, and then there in the peripheral is a guy running off the field. It's easy to see when you're at a bird's eye view. It's not as easy when you're down there on the field. But if he knew that, we'd snap the ball and get the free first down."