NFC North Report: Packers, Lions come out of Week 1 with wins

Bears fall to the Falcons in Week 1:

Chicago actually ended up playing better than most thought they would on Sunday against the defending NFC champion Atlanta Falcons. The Bears even had a chance to win during their final offensive drive of the day, but the Falcons’ defense stepped up when it needed to the most and it lead to a 23-17 win over Chicago.

The Bears’ defense did a pretty good job containing Atlanta’s offense for the most part on Sunday. Chicago held the Falcons to just 64 rushing yards on the day and Atlanta wide receiver Julio Jones finished with only four catches for 66 yards.

However, the Bears did make a few mistakes on the defensive side of the ball and when they did, the Falcons took full advantage of them. Down by just three in the fourth quarter, Chicago forgot to cover Atlanta tight end Austin Hooper and it resulted in the tight end scoring a touchdown on an 88-yard pass play.

In his regular season debut with the Bears, quarterback Mike Glennon had a decent game, throwing for 213 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions. However, his day could have been better if Chicago’s offensive line did not allow the Falcons’ defense to sack the quarterback four times on Sunday.

Following their loss to Atlanta, the Bears also found out the unfortunate news that wide receiver Kevin White suffered a broken collarbone during Sunday’s game and will be placed on injured reserve. Chicago heads to Tampa Bay in Week 2 to take on the Buccaneers.