Bears News: Foreman's three TD day gives Bagent first career win |
CHICAGO - Sometimes all it takes to get back on track is a different look, and boy, did the Chicago Bears (2-5) have a different look on Sunday. With Justin Fields out of the game with a dislocated thumb that he suffered in week six, Chicago turned to their backup in Tyson Bagent, who made his first career NFL start.
The undrafted rookie out of Division 2 Shepard made his NFL debut last week and scored a rushing touchdown, but he upped the ante against the Las Vegas Raiders (3-4) on Sunday. Not only did Bagent pick up his first career NFL touchdown pass, but he also threw for 162 yards on 21-29 passing. He was a game manager, which is sometimes all you need in a QB, as the Bears knocked off the Raiders 30-12 to give Bagent his first career win. For the second week in a row, D'Onta Foreman handled the running back duties, and with 89 yards on just 16 carries, he continued to impress. Foreman also added two touchdowns on the ground, and now the Bears will be forced to make a tough decision on him once Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson return. Not only did the Bears have to go with their backup, but journeyman backup Brian Hoyer made the start for the Raiders, going just 17-32 for 129 yards and two interceptions. The Bears exposed Hoyer for what he was, and that alone helped deliver the second win of the season for Chicago. You got a sense that this wasn't going to be the Raiders day as their first drive ended with a missed Daniel Carlson field goal, which is starting to become the norm for him the past two weeks. That was the momentum swing the Bears needed as they followed that field goal with the game's first points using a nearly seven-minute, 12-play drive to go 69 yards. Tyler Scott played a role in that both on the ground and through the air, as he did a phenomenal job moving the chains. That set the tone for the ground game, with Foreman and Bagent each picking up first down runs while Foreman plowed in from two yards out for the game's first score of the game to put the Bears in front for good, 7-0. Those were the only points for a while as both defenses continued to play well early, but the Bears defense came through with a massive play and helped set the offense up with a short field. With Chicago holding Josh Jacobs under 50 yards, it turned the Raiders into a one-dimensional offense as Hoyer was picked off by Trumaine Edmunds at their 27-yard line, setting the Bears up with a short field. Five plays later, and it was 14-0 as the big pickup to Mercedes Lewis set things up for another Foreman touchdown. Vegas did manage to pick up three points before the half as a couple of excellent first-down pickups from Jakobi Meyers set things up for Carlson, who knocked home a 40-yard field goal. That was as close as the Raiders would get in this one as they punted away the ball to begin the second half before the Bears offense went right back to work. Once again, it was a drive that took a long time as Chicago went 15 plays and covered nearly half the quarter to move the ball 88 yards. Foreman played a massive role in that both on the ground and through the air, while Bagent used his legs to also move the chains. Throw in some runs from Khari Blosomgane and Darrynton Evans, and the Bears were starting to put their RB on display at the perfect time. With two scores under his belt, Foreman made it three as Bagent found Foreman for his first career TD pass to extend the lead to 21-3. Immediately following the Bears touchdown, it was the Raiders getting back on the board as they also had to use a long 10-plus play drive to get the job done. That tends to happen when backup QBs are in the game. Whether it be short runs from Jacobs or short passes, the Raiders were starting to do something, only to have their drive stall out again as Carlson banged home a 25-yard field goal. Once again, the Bears had an answer for a Raiders field goal, with Foreman continuing to set the tone on the ground to open things up for the passing game as DJ Moore finally involved for a first down. The Bears would eventually settle for a Cairo Santos field to push the lead to 24-6, but it was the next drive that broke the Raiders back as one play into their next drive saw Hoyer get picked off for the second time, this time by Jaylon Johnson who took it 39 yards to the house and pushed the lead to 30-6. Johnson was just getting started when he intercepted his second pass of the game on the ensuing possession, this one coming against Aiden O'Connell. Despite the Bears not being able to push in any more points the rest of the way, their defense played phenomenally well throughout the game, which is becoming more common. Vegas did manage to score a TD late in the game on a TD reception by Meyers, but at that point, the game was well in hand as the Bears picked up their second win of the season 30-12. Meyers had 50 yards receiving on seven receptions, while Davonte Adams added 57 yards on seven catches. Moore led the way for the Bears with eight receptions for 54 yards, with Foreman and Darnell Mooney adding 32 and 31 yards, respectively, in the win. Inspiring interview from @LauraOkmin with former Division II QB and @ChicagoBears starter today, Tyson Bagent 🙏 This one felt good. pic.twitter.com/cyXFarnzcR
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