Some weeks are better than others for the Bears:
Good week
After Sunday’s 29-7 debacle against the Bucs, this took some work. Surely, The bus driver got the Bears to Raymond James Stadium safety. Players tied their cleats without incident.
Beyond that? Let’s go with Pernell McPhee, who popped the ball out of Charles Sims’ arms for the Bears’ first takeaway of the year.
McPhee is rounding back into football shape. One week after playing only four snaps, he appeared in 24.
Bad week
One week after dropping a potential game winner, Jordan Howard had nine carries for seven yards.
The Bears declared themselves a run-first team before the season, but Howard has yet to look like its centerpiece. His 2.7 yards per carry ranks 40th in the NFL. After finishing second in rushing yards last year, his 59 are tied for 39th. Two NFL running backs have posted more yards in a single play.
The Bears’ banged-up offensive line — which was minus guards Kyle Long, Josh Sitton and Tom Compton by the end of Sunday — deserves some blame. Their 20 rushing yards Sunday was their lowest since Marc Trestman’s pass-happy Thanksgiving loss to the Lions in 2014, when the Bears had 13.
“I definitely think we can still get back to that,” Howard said. “Last game we just got down by a lot so you can’t really run the ball then. I definitely feel like we still have that type of season.”
Worst week
Talk about a perception swing: last week, Mike Glennon was one drop away from beating the defending NFC champions. Sunday, he was a mess. As concerning as his three turnovers was where he made them — at the Bucs’ 16; at the Bears’ own 35; and at midfield, where his pick was returned for a touchdown.
How long Glennon remains there is more a function of Mitch Trubisky’s development, but stinkers like Sunday can force their hand.