INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Tyson Bagent is about to have his primetime moment. The Bears and Chargers will square off on “Sunday Night Football” at 7:20 p.m. on NBC.
Starting quarterback Justin Fields will miss his second consecutive game with a dislocated thumb. Head coach Matt Eberflus will start Bagent, an undrafted rookie from Division II Shepherd University, for the second consecutive week.
Shaw Local Bears beat writer Sean Hammond is at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, for Sunday’s game. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @sean_hammond, on Instagram at @bears_reporter and on Threads at @bears_reporter. Shaw Local Bears analyst Marc Silverman will provide his thoughts on X at @WaddleandSilvy.
Live from SoFi Stadium in California. Bears and Chargers kick off in about two hours. pic.twitter.com/BAK3o9GTzH
— Sean Hammond (@sean_hammond) October 29, 2023
Below is everything Bears fans need to know ahead of the game. Stay here all evening long, too, for live updates throughout the game.
Chargers win, 30-13
The Chargers closed out a convincing win over the Bears, 30-13. The Bears knelt out the clock on their own, sending Tyson Bagent into victory formation – to close out a loss.
Bagent scores late touchdown
With just over two minutes remaining in the game, Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown. It capped off a 41-yard touchdown drive for the Bears. The Chargers remain well in command, 30-13.
Tush push TD 🙌 @ChicagoBears
— NFL (@NFL) October 30, 2023
📺: #CHIvsLAC on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/afiiMv70VD pic.twitter.com/1XUw8E5jgS
Bears go for it deep in own end; Chargers score another field goal
The Bears went for it on fourth-and-short from deep inside their own end of the field. The Chargers defense stuffed Bears running back Roschon Johnson short of the line to gain and the Bears turned it over on downs.
On the ensuing possession, the Chargers added another field goal. They lead, 30-7, with 3:00 remaining in the third quarter.
Chargers score field goal
The Chargers received the kickoff after halftime and added a 53-yard field goal from kicker Cameron Dicker. They extended their lead, 27-7, with 8:51 to go in the third quarter.
The Chargers drove 40 yards to set up the field goal.
During the possession, Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds suffered an apparent leg injury. Edmunds exited the game and was receiving attention from the medical staff on the Bears’ sideline.
Update: Edmunds returned to the game later in the third quarter.
Chargers add touchdown before halftime
The Chargers drove 75 yards in less than two minutes for a quick score before half. Justin Herbert connected with tight end Donald Parham for an 11-yard touchdown. The Chargers extended their lead, 24-7, at halftime. Los Angeles will receive the kickoff after halftime, too.
Making the most of every second ⏰ @Chargers get another one with just seconds left in the half.
— NFL (@NFL) October 30, 2023
📺: #CHIvsLAC on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/afiiMv70VD pic.twitter.com/qzyy2a0Cj5
Bears running back Darrynton Evans scored touchdown
The Bears are on the board.
Running back Darrynton Evans took a pitch and ran 11 yards for a touchdown. The score cut into the Chargers’ lead, 17-7, late in the second quarter. For Evans, it was his first career rushing touchdown.
The score capped a 75-yard touchdown drive for the Bears. Quarterback Tyson Bagent made a couple of tough completions on third downs along the way.
.@ChicagoBears are on the board! @ItzLiveee runs it in for 6!
— NFL (@NFL) October 30, 2023
📺: #CHIvsLAC on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/afiiMv70VD pic.twitter.com/FtnBGwLxSp
Chargers add field goal
Justin Herbert finally threw his first incompletion of the game. It came on a third down in Bears territory. Bears defensive end Khalid Kareem had an interception in his hands, but couldn’t hold on for the catch. Herbert had completed his first 15 pass attempts.
Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker made a 43-yard field goal on fourth down. The Chargers extended their lead, 17-0, with 8:50 to go in the second quarter.
Bagent throws interception
Facing third-and-8 inside Chargers territory, Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent threw a pass toward his left that was picked off by Chargers cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor. DJ Moore and Darnell Mooney were in the area, but the pass appeared to be in between the two of them. It marked the Bears’ first turnover of the game.
The Chargers took over possession early in the second quarter.
Ja'Sir Taylor with the pick for the @Chargers!
— NFL (@NFL) October 30, 2023
📺: #CHIvsLAC on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/afiiMv70VD pic.twitter.com/wrG2HrW7G1
Herbert throws his 2nd touchdown pass
The Bears had another quick offensive possession and were forced to punt back to the Chargers. Justin Herbert led a 55-yard touchdown drive, which he capped with a 9-yard touchdown throw to receiver Simi Fehoko.
The Chargers took a two-touchdown lead, 14-0, with less than a minute to go in the first quarter.
TD @Simi_Fehoko! @Chargers up by two scores in the 1st quarter.
— NFL (@NFL) October 30, 2023
📺: #CHIvsLAC on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/afiiMv70VD pic.twitter.com/oPHV1KYZg8
Chargers score first
Justin Herbert and the Chargers drove 92 yards to score a touchdown on their first possession of the game. Herbert threw a short pass to running back Austin Ekeler, who made Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards miss on a tackle and ran the rest of the way to the end zone. The play went for a 39-yard touchdown.
The Chargers took an early lead, 7-0, in the first quarter.
AUSTIN EKELER! His first receiving TD of the year 🙌
— NFL (@NFL) October 30, 2023
📺: #CHIvsLAC on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/afiiMv70VD pic.twitter.com/e2Dsx2Kwck
Bears receive opening kickoff, forced to punt
After hearing chatter all week about how Tyson Bagent doesn’t have a strong arm, the Bears called a deep ball to Darnell Mooney on the first play from scrimmage. Bagent unloaded a pass to Mooney that was complete for a 41-yard gain.
After that, though, the possession went downhill quickly. Two runs went nowhere, then Joey Bosa sacked Bagent on third down. Bosa barreled through Cody Whitehair and Lucas Patrick on the play. The Bears were forced to punt the ball away on the game’s opening possession.
.@tysbagent's first throw of the game!!!! 👀
— NFL (@NFL) October 30, 2023
📺: #CHIvsLAC on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/afiiMv70VD pic.twitter.com/ZPiywJD8J8
Bears announce inactives
Eddie Jackson and Lucas Patrick seem likely to play Sunday. Both players are active.
The Bears announced the following inactive players: quarterback Justin Fields, cornerback Terell Smith, defensive end Dominique Robinson, safety Jaquan Brisker and right guard Nate Davis.
The Bears activated DE Khalid Kareem on Saturday. Kareem is active and will take a spot away from Robinson, who had played in all seven games this season. Kareem has not appeared in a game yet this season.
Latest injury news
It was no surprised, but the Bears ruled Fields out on Friday. The starting QB is still trying to improve the grip strength in his right thumb before he returns to football. The Bears are hopeful it could improve over the next week.
Additionally, right guard Nate Davis (ankle) and cornerback Terell Smith (illness) were ruled out Friday. Safety Jaquan Brisker (illness) was hopeful to travel with the team and play this week, but he did not make the trip with the team on Saturday. The Bears have thus ruled him out.
Safety Eddie Jackson (foot) and lineman Dan Feeney (knee) are both questionable to play. Jackson said this week that his foot is feeling better than it did two weeks ago when he tried to play against the Minnesota Vikings but exited the game early.
Center Lucas Patrick (back) was a late addition to the injury report early Sunday. He is questionable for the game.
Left tackle Braxton Jones (neck) returned to practice this week for the first time in more than a month, but he will not play Sunday.
What to expect from the Chargers
The Chargers present an interesting challenge defensively. They are one of the worst defenses against the pass, but they also have one of the best pass rushes in all of football, led by former Bears edge rusher Khalil Mack.
Will the Bears trust Bagent to push the ball downfield against a weak Chargers secondary? Here are the five biggest storylines to watch heading into this game.
Silvy wants to make sure that Bagent receives the credit he deserves. Read Silvy’s weekly column here.
For the Bears, running back D’Onta Foreman is coming off a big game last week against the Raiders. Rookie Roschon Johnson is also making his return after missing two games with a concussion. How will the Bears distribute the touches between their running backs? We took a deeper look at that question here.
What else did I miss this week?
Here’s what else was happening at Halas Hall this week.
[ As NFL trade deadline nears, here are 5 potential trade candidates on Chicago Bears’ roster ]
[ Bear Down, Nerd Up: Tyson Bagent’s starting debut by the numbers ]
[ 3 things Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said Monday after win over Raiders ]