Bears News: Byard on loss to Vikings: “None of us really played well”

Ariana Pensy · Correspondent · 2 hours ago

CHICAGO - The Chicago Bears played three quarters of dominant defense against the Minnesota Vikings in their season opener. However, the fourth quarter was a bit of a disaster for both sides of the ball.

While safety Kevin Byard understands the frustration, he said this is a team loss and that no single unit or player is to blame.

“I think it’s very easy to try to point to one person, one phase of the game. But at the end of the day, when you look at that fourth quarter, none of us really played well. Offense, defense, special teams. We had a blocked punt, missed the field goal. Defense, we got gassed in the run game and obviously the quarterback was able to make some plays with his feet as well,” Byard said. “So, I just think we have to have a finisher mentality to win those type of ball games against really good opponents and in this league, I’m a full believer that you don’t win games, you lose them and I think we made too many mistakes towards the end of the game and we wasn’t able to close it out.”

Right at the end of the first half, Chicago’s defense gave up a 28-yard pass to allow the Vikings to get into field goal position and kick a 59-yard field goal to make the game 10-6 going into the half.

Allowing those points with under 15 seconds left when Minnesota started the drive is something that cannot happen.

However, Byard also pointed out that defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is always going to be aggressive, even though that can sometimes leave the defense vulnerable.

“He’s not going to not be aggressive. I think at the end of the day, we’re playing really good defense throughout the game, he doesn’t want to get in certain situations (and) start playing soft defense (and) I think we had a man-coverage deal and (the) receiver was able to run away from our DB’s leverage and he made a play,” Byard said. “But, I just know his philosophy and (he is) going to call the game the way he’s been calling the game regardless. Now, obviously, there are certain situations where he’s going to call different defenses. But, for the most part, we’re going to be aggressive and challenge receivers. Let’s continue to challenge them. Let’s play our technique, play our game.”

As a seasoned veteran, Byard is someone who watches a lot of film on his own to study an upcoming opponent.

Looking ahead to Chicago’s next game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Sept. 14 (Noon / FOX), Byard saw how the Lions consistently attempt to establish their run game to set up their passing attack, and therefore knows the Bears need to shut down Detroit on the ground.

“You want to stop the run game first. I think (running backs) Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery’s probably the best, if not, one of the best backfields in the league and knowing how they want to attack offenses. They want to (get) the run game going so they can set up the play action passes, the boots. Everything starts with the run game. So, I think if you stop that first and then after that, you just got to win your one-on-ones. They have talent all over the field (with) the tight ends, the receivers and obviously Jared Goff is a Pro Bowl quarterback as well,” Byard said. “So, I think if we can stop the run game and be able to mix and disguise our coverages to get him to check the ball down like he was doing a lot in the Green Bay game, I think that’s a formula for success and we have to do that and just fly around, play free, go make plays, get some turnovers and try to duplicate what we did on Monday night, just, four quarters instead of three.”

It is too early to say that Chicago needs this win. However, it is not a stretch to say it would really hurt the Bears’ playoff chances and competitiveness in the division if they start the season with two division losses. Therefore, this game is crucial for the Bears to remain competitive and gain momentum, ultimately helping them string together some wins.