'Good teams win': Despite offensive struggles, Bears QB Nick Foles defends his team

Nick Foles is fired up.

He knows the wins have been ugly. He knows his interception Sunday was – in his own words – a “dumb interception.” He knows the Bears have a lot of work to do.

But he can also appreciate the work it took to get here. The Bears beat the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, 23-16, and are 5-1. No one can argue with that.

“Good teams win no matter [what] it takes,” Foles said. “I’m proud of our guys. I think we will continue to improve. Are we where we want to be? No, we’re not where we want to be, but I am excited about our offense. I’m excited about the guys that are here. I like the communication that is happening on the sideline. I love the passion of the players most importantly.”

Sunday’s win came with some warts offensively. The Bears defense carried the team with three takeaways.

The offense was – as has been the theme of 2020 – just good enough to win. Carolina out-gained the Bears, 303 total yards to 261. The Bears ran for just 63 yards, the third consecutive disappointing rushing effort.

This Bears offense was without starting left guard James Daniels, who is out for the season with a pectoral injury. Rashaad Coward stepped into the lineup, but had never played much on the left side. It made for a another tough day running the ball.

In the pass game, things fell apart in the second half. Foles was 14-for-20 passing in the first half, for 114 yards and a touchdown. The second half was much more ugly: 9-for-19 passing, 84 yards, one interception.

The third-quarter interception was a blunder. Foles was backpedaling out of traffic and lofted a pass he never should have thrown. He admitted as much later. It deflated the momentum after safety Eddie Jackson had just forced a Carolina fumble.

“The reality is that's on me,” Foles said. “The reality is I should just throw it away.”

While he willingly admitted his mistakes, Foles showed some emotion when asked what the Bears can do to be better on offense. The usually level-headed Foles had a passionate, long answer to the question, raising his voice a bit. He admitted later that he was still on an adrenaline high from the game.

It was a passion the Bears need from the most important position on the field. He clearly believes in his teammates and in what the Bears are doing.

“We want to improve,” Foles said. “We want to get better. We want to have rhythm. But ultimately in the NFL, it’s about winning games. It doesn’t matter how you do it, it just matters that you get it done.”

Nagy was critical of his offense last week after the win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If he has any similar criticisms this week, he kept them to himself Sunday.

“The good thing is that we’re 5-1,” Nagy said. “When we do get this thing clicking, it’s going to be a lot of fun. We’re doing enough right now to get the wins, and I refuse to take away the excitement that we have as a team right now in that locker room.”