The Chicago Bears fanbase was truly looking forward to the start of the 2023 season, as this was their chance to make a statement -- they were ready to contend. They had the opportunity at the expense of the rival Green Bay Packers, who were starting Jordan Love at quarterback after trading Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets this offseason.
Instead, it was more of the same for the Bears, as they lost 38-20 to the Packers. Love looked great, throwing for 245 yards and three touchdowns. As for the Bears, they left a lot to be desired, as the defense couldn't stop Love, while the offense was woefully inefficient on third-down situations (3-for-13 in the game). It was a bad day at the office for the Bears.
Fingers were being pointed at the Bears' side for the loss. NFL Network's Kyle Brandt called out a player who was "sleepwalking out there" during the game, but he didn't name the player. Instead, Brandt said "he plays offense," and "If you're watching, you know."
Mike Renner of The Messenger then shared a clip of the player on offense for the Bears -- wide receiver Chase Claypool.
Chase Claypool called out for lack of effort in Bears' Week 1 loss to Packers
The clips certainly don't look good for Claypool. From the blocking efforts to his route-running against the Packers' defense.
Last year, the Bears decided to make a move for a wide receiver to help out quarterback Justin Fields. So, they called the Steelers and gave up their second-round pick in exchange for Claypool, who didn't live up to his production from his first two seasons. That second-round pick turned into the 32nd overall pick, which had to sting for the Bears faithful at the time.
In his seven appearances with the Bears last season, Claypool caught 32 passes for 311 yards and one touchdown on 50 targets.
On Sunday afternoon, Claypool was targeted just twice, and he was unable to haul in either of them.
The Bears will look to get into the win column in Week 2 when they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who defeated the Minnesota Vikings 20-17 this past Sunday. It will be interesting to see how much Claypool will factor into Chicago's game plan.
