CHICAGO – Let’s begin with the disclaimers:
Sam Darnold faced challenges against the Bears on Sunday that would have made it difficult for most quarterbacks to succeed, let alone a rookie in his eighth game.
There were injuries to his top two receivers, top back and starting center. That left Jermaine Kearse as the most targeted receiver even though on most plays the separation he got from defenders could be measured only with a microscope.
The running game was a no-show. There were back-breaking false start penalties. There was wind. There was cold. There were Bears fans.