As a sports journalist, I can attest to the fact that hyperbole is often used in reporting on sports. However, there are times when words fall short of describing an event as historic as the Bears’ loss to the Lions on Sunday.

The Bears played nearly flawlessly for three and a half quarters. They executed their game plan perfectly, scoring points with their offense and taking them away with their defense. Justin Fields was outstanding in his return and made huge plays both with his arm and legs. It seemed like nothing could stop them from winning against the best team in the NFC North.

However, it all came crashing down in the final four minutes as the Lions scored 17 unanswered points to win 23-19. The question now is what went wrong? Was conservative playcalling too much of a factor? Or did they struggle to make a stop on defense when it mattered most? Did they miss out on opportunities to score more points or take them away from the Lions? Are Eberflus’ H.I.T.S program not enough for building a winning team? Do they have enough talent on the field to execute at a high rate?

All these questions will be debated this week, just like many weeks before. Whatever the reason for their numerous disappointing losses, it’s clear that the Bears need to play perfect to beat quality teams like this one.