10 takeaways from the Bears' 52-21 loss to the Lions

The Chicago Bears have experienced enough painful losses over the last few years to fill an entire NFL season. But it's been a long time since they were simply outplayed on every phase from beginning to end. That happened on Sunday in Week 2 when the Bears were hammered by the Detroit Lions, losing 52-21 in head coach Ben Johnson's return to his former team. It's the most points the Bears have allowed since 2014, when the Green Bay Packers dropped 55 on them in Marc Trestman's final season.

The Lions came out firing and didn't let up, totaling a whopping 511 yards of offense and seven touchdowns. Even when the game was clearly out of reach in the fourth quarter, head coach Dan Campbell wasn't pulling any punches. He opted to throw a pass on fourth down while up 45-21 to twist the knife even more.

It was a complete blowout, something the Bears don't usually experience early in the season but now they will need to regroup fast before Week 3 rolls around. This was a mess across all phases so let's get into it. Here are our takeaways from 52-21 loss to the Lions:

1. This was a statement game

This game meant something more to both teams coming into the weekend. The Bears and Johnson wanted to show they can hang with the rest of the division and that the head coach was an important part of Detroit's success the last few years. The Lions wanted to prove their window wasn't closed just because a couple of coaches left for new jobs. In the end, Detroit got the last laugh and then some.

The Lions not only handily beat the Bears to get their first win of the season, but they also ran up the score with their top weapons still on the field with the game way out of reach. It was a message to show they weren't just good because of Johnson's play calling. And the new Bears head coach had no rebuttal. The message was received loud and clear by the Bears and Johnson. His never-ending playbook of tricks won't be enough to win games as a head coach. He needs complete buy-in like the Lions have with Dan Campbell. That does take time to build, but it needs to happen fast before the season slips away.

2. The defense had no answers for the Lions

I'm not quite sure what the Bears had in mind for their defensive plan to stop the Lions, but whatever it was, that gameplan needs to be put in the fire. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen made some puzzling moves that resulted in big plays for the Lions early on.

He had cornerback Tyrique Stevenson guarding wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, which led to big gains in the passing game. On one third down in particular in the first half, cornerback Jaylon Johnson was blitzing with Stevenson covering St. Brown for some reason. While the secondary is banged up, having to rely on Stevenson to guard one of the best wide receivers in the game wasn't the right move. It only became necessary when Johnson exited with a groin injury.

Meanwhile, the pass rush was nonexistent, as the Bears didn't record a sack and had just four QB hits all day long. All of that production came from a defensive line that has over $40 invested into it with their veteran players. The Lions were ready for anything the Bears threw at them. They allowed 511 yards of total offense (the most since 2013) and 52 points (the most since 2014). In other words, we haven't seen a defensive performance this bad in over a decade. Injuries play a role, but there is no identity with this veteran-led unit.

3. Caleb Williams took positive steps on Sunday

There were many different reasons the Bears lost to the Lions. The quarterback wasn't one of them. Williams bounced back from a rough second half in Week 1 to have a better outing in Week 2, even in a hostile environment. Williams led a pair of scoring drives in the first half to keep the Bears within striking distance. The offense was balanced, and the second-year quarterback was more accurate with his passes.

It wasn't until the Lions started to put this out of reach that the wheels began to fall off. The offense became one-dimensional, and Detroit's pass rushers were teeing off on the quarterback. That caused Williams to start making more mistakes, though the damage was already done. Overall, he was more accurate and in control of the offense, which is good to see. Williams finished the game 19-of-30 for 207 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception with a passer rating of 91.9.

There is still work to be done because scoring 21 points won't win many games in the NFL. Still, there was growth from the Bears quarterback in this new system compared to last week. Hopefully the Bears can continue to build on that. They're going to need to if the defense doesn't improve.

4. Rome Odunze is turning a corner

Williams had a better game mainly thanks to Rome Odunze, who is starting to look more and more like a WR1. In the middle of a disastrous day, Odunze quietly had the best outing of his young career. Odunze caught a career-high seven receptions for 128 yards and two touchdowns, with most of the damage coming in the first half.

Odunze was all over the field, catching crossing routes, deep outs, and grabs in the middle of the field. His play could have been better, however, had he not started dropping the ball in the second half. Odunze was getting the most attention from the Lions defense as the game wore on, and that may have impacted him. Still, it was a good performance overall for the former No. 10 overall pick.

5. Roschon Johnson needs some carries

The Bears' running back room was already considered a weakness heading into the season, but it looks even worse considering they won't give the ball to their primary backup. Roschon Johnson returned to action after missing the entire preseason with a foot injury and didn't record an offensive snap. His play was limited to special teams, as D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai were the primary players in the backfield.

Johnson isn't exactly a stellar ball carrier after two pedestrian years in the league, but he showed skills as a short-yardage runner, especially last year. The Bears need someone like that. They faltered early on in a short-yardage situation, calling two QB sneaks with a yard to go that ended up becoming a turnover on downs. Swift isn't the right back for that type of play call, and Monangai needs more development. Johnson at least has experience in that department. The Bears coaching staff must feel differently, but they're not using their role players when needed.

6. The kids aren't alright

If you watched the first two Bears games of the season, you'll notice a trend: most of the team's rookies are complete nonfactors in the game. The Bears drafted eight players back in the spring, with four being picked in the first 62 selections. Yet aside from Monangai, the team's seventh-round selection, none of them are making any sort of impact.

First-round tight end Colston Loveland didn't register a target until the last few minutes of the game. The same goes for second-round wide receiver Luther Burden. Both players combined for one catch for five yards. Meanwhile, second-round offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo and defensive tackle Shemar Turner were healthy scratches, a concerning sign about the investments general manager Ryan Poles made.

Not every rookie is going to shine right out of the gate, but to have four players who were picked as high as they were have basically zero impact on a game is a problem. For whatever reason, Johnson doesn't have the confidence to rely on them in critical situations. Eventually, we will need to see progress from guys like Loveland and Burden. They were brought in to be difference makers after all.

7. The Bears tackles were abysmal

The Lions have one of the best defensive ends in the league in Aidan Hutchinson. At times, offensive linemen are going to get beat by a player of that caliber. But when tackles are getting handled by the likes of Al-Quadin Muhammad and Marcus Davenport, there's a problem. That's what happened to Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright for much of the day.

The Bears surrendered four sacks on the day, two of them coming from Jones and one coming from Wright. It seems Jones wears down as the game goes on, and Wright has moments where he whiffs on his block, which is what happened on Sunday. What's worse is both players played a role in the numerous penalties the Bears had, with a facemask call going against Jones and Wright committing another pre-snap infraction with a false start.

At this point in their careers, both players are who they are. Jones was a nice fifth-round pick who can be an average-at-best blindside protector, but injuries have stunted his development. Wright has plenty of talent with a penchant for penalties and isn't as quick as he probably needs to be. A decent player, but one who isn't living up to his draft slot. It was a bad day for both tackles, and changes could be coming if they can't settle in with this new-look offensive line.

8. The end of the first half was annoying but inconsequential

Wouldn't it be nice to say the only reason the Bears lost this game was due to the confusion by the officials at the end of the first half that gifted the Lions six seconds? At the time, it felt like the Bears were hosed on a call that should have resulted in no points at the end of the half following Issac TeSlaa's impressive one-handed catch. Even if the officials were at fault, fans can't use that as an excuse for why the Bears lost.

When TeSlaa hit the ground after making the catch down the sideline, it appeared he stayed in bounds, causing the clock to tick down. When the Lions finally spiked the ball, the half had run out. But the officials convened and determined they made the wrong call and ruled TeSlaa slid out of bounds. Because of the error, six seconds were added to the clock, and the Lions were able to score a quick touchdown to extend their lead to 28-14. It was an annoying moment that could have been the difference in the game. In the end, it didn't even matter.

9. The early-season failures fall at the feet of Ryan Poles

Justin Fields is long gone, Shane Waldron was jettisoned last year, and so was Matt Eberflus. Their departures were warranted, but it also means they can't be blamed for any issues the Bears may experience anymore. The last man standing is Ryan Poles, who was under fire more than usual before, during, and after Sunday's game.

More than three years into the job, Poles' fingerprints are all over this roster. This is his team now, and what he's built features no difference-making player and a number of highly paid starters who aren't living up to their contracts. In three drafts, Poles has yet to draft a player who has made a Pro Bowl, even as an alternate. Phil Emery drafted four such players in three years, while Ryan Pace drafted seven in as many years, and we know how fans feel about their tenures. It's worth noting Poles has a worse winning percentage (.283%) than either of them.

Currently, the Bears don't appear to have the talent to keep up with the rest of the division. And the highly drafted rookies from this year are barely seeing the field. Sure, Poles pulled off an incredible heist for the No. 1 overall pick and convinced the top head coach on the market to come work with him, but you need talent in this league, and having little to no homegrown stars after three years is concerning. Yet the Bears opted to extend Poles in the summer without seeing this new iteration come together on the field while he still had a couple of years on his deal.

Results matter, and the Bears haven't seen nearly enough of them under Poles. There's no one left to point the finger at for the lack of wins over the last few years. The blame falls at the general manager's feet for how this team has looked to start the season.

10. Things will get better

There really isn't anywhere to go but up after a game like the one we witnessed on Sunday. It's easy to say things can't get worse, but Bears fans know that's never true. However, at some point this season, the Bears are going to turn things around. Many of the issues plaguing their offense are self inflicted and we're seeing signs of improvement at critical positions. When the defense gets healthy, their play will level out as well, though that may not be for a while.

At some point this season, this team will be competitive and likely have a nice stretch of games that lead to wins. I'm not telling fans to be patient since everyone can root however that want. But these types of games won't last forever. Eventually, Chicago will find some sort of a groove and put manage a few wins. Whether those wins will be sustainable or not is another question.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Lions: Takeaways from Chicago's blowout loss in Week 2