One sad play captures just how bad things have been for the Chicago Bears this season.
During their loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, which dropped them to 1-5, center Cody Whitehair shuffled to his right after snapping the ball to quarterback Justin Fields, only to end up searching for somebody to block and his hands landing on teammate Ja’Tyre Carter’s back as he rotated his head in confusion.
Meanwhile, Vikings defensive lineman Harrison Phillips blew by Bears left guard Teven Jenkins, who could’ve used Whitehair’s help trying to protect Fields from the 6-foot-3, 307-pound defensive tackle.
Whitehair, 31, was benched in the second half of Chicago’s 19-13 loss, during which Fields injured his thumb, making him doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Bears selected Whitehair in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft and he was a Pro Bowler in 2018.
It already appears to be another lost season for the Bears, who went 3-14 last year in head coach Matt Eberflus’ first year with the team.
The Bears haven’t won a playoff game since the 2010-11 season, when they lost in the NFC Championship Game to the rival Green Bay Packers.
Chicago proceeded to miss the playoffs for the next seven seasons.
Matt Nagy took the Bears to the playoffs twice in three years but they lost in the Wild-Card round both times, and he was fired by the Bears after a 6-11 season in 2021.
The silver lining for Chicago could come next April, as the team could end up with the top two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Bears own the Panthers’ first-round pick after the trade that sent Chicago’s No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft to Carolina, which selected quarterback Bryce Young.
The Panthers are the lone winless team in the NFL at 0-6, and the Bears currently line up at No. 2 with their own pick.
USC quarterback Caleb Williams is considered a can’t-miss prospect, though the Bears would have to give up on Fields — the No. 11 pick in the 2021 draft — after three years.
