3 and Out: Bears beat Texans at the buzzer; concern over Justin Fields?

On a Cairo Santos field goal at the buzzer, the Chicago Bears defeated the Houston Texans 23-20 on Sunday.

Three moments that mattered

1. Victory: With three seconds remaining, Cairo Santos knocked in a 30-yard field goal in a forgettable offensive performance to win.

2. Got the job done: With 1:05 left in the game and the Bears needing a major stop, Roquan Smith intercepted Davis Mills and returned it to the Houston 12 yard line, ensuring a high likelihood to win.

3. Boo Birds: The Bears opted not to use any timeouts on their final offensive drive of the half, an odd choice that signified they weren’t interested in even trying to be aggressive and possibly get in position for a field goal down 14-13.

Three things that worked

1. Running Wild: The Bears racked up 281 net total rushing yards, the only true positive offensive development from the offense on Sunday.

2. Insurance Policy: After David Montgomery exited in the first quarter with a knee and ankle injury, Khalil Herbert was a consistent presence in the rushing attack. While he’s demonstrated to be reliable in the snaps he’s been given before, without him, the Bears offense would look a bit bleaker production-wise. Herbert had 157 yards yards and two touchdowns.

3. Backup plan: Kindle Vildor, while picked on by Houston in the first quarter, rebounded with a pair of defensive pass breakups, one that included a tipped interception to Eddie Jackson in the first half. While Jaylon Johnson’s absence was noticed, Vildor held up in coverage.

Three things that didn’t

1. Alarm(ing) Bells: Fields had 29 net passing yards at the half, 49 by the conclusion of the third quarter and just 106 for the game. It’s becoming more apparent the connection with both Cole Kmet and Darnell Mooney isn’t potent. On six combined first half targets, they had two catches for 29 yards – 24 on a Kmet third down conversion. It did improve in the second half, but the inconsistency for an offense needing any is not a good development.

2. Fields: Expanding on Fields’ forgettable 8 for 17 afternoon, his accuracy and decision-making was not sharp Sunday. Fields threw two interceptions. One attempt intended for Kmet in the first half appeared to throw to a designated spot Kmet might have had to reach. The other, a major overthrow to Mooney early in the fourth quarter in triple coverage.

3. Help: Wanted: Beyond Mooney and Kmet, not much else was generated in production. Equanimeous St. Brown only had one catch. Byron Pringle, who was injured in the first half, had one catch. Help is needed at wide receiver.

What’s next?

The Bears travel to New Jersey to face the Giants on Sunday, Oct. 2. Kickoff is set for Noon.