CHICAGO BEARS MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 9, 2025

Brian Daboll

Bears 24, Giants 20

BRIAN DABOLL: Okay. Another tough one. So with Dart, as he was going back out on the field, just didn't seem right. So we called the trainers over and said let's get him out and make sure he gets looked at. Went in and got looked at and ended up being evaluated for a concussion.

Ten-point lead there in the fourth quarter, and give them credit. They made a lot of plays. The quarterback made a lot of plays, a lot of loose plays, scramble plays. Just didn't get the job done.

Q. After that penalty at the half yard line, I guess, on fourth and goal at the half, did you think maybe of going for it?

BRIAN DABOLL: I thought about it. I thought take the points, get a ten-point lead in the fourth. Our defense was playing good.

Q. Brian, we've talked to you a lot about the number of hits that Jaxson takes. Running, not getting down, things like that. Is this one where you feel like it caught up to him? This is the fourth time he's been checked for a concussion. He was sore getting up a week ago.

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah. Yeah, it's unfortunate but, you know, unfortunate he got hurt.

Q. Brian, what is happening with your defense? It just seems like there's too many of these.

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, they made some good plays there at the end. Caleb, I thought we had him a number of times, where we didn't get him down and he extended plays. We knew he would. He did it in the Raiders game. He did it in plenty of games. Did it the series before. He booted out on the last series and went down and scored. It's a tough, tough way to lose.

Q. Was Jaxson checked immediately after the play that he fumbled because it looked like he hit his head.

BRIAN DABOLL: No, I mean, no, he wasn't. So if they would have called him down. But when he was going in there, somebody said something, like, what? Like don't put him in.

Q. Just to clarify, you decided? You were the one who did it?

BRIAN DABOLL: I did, yeah. Coaches on the sideline; but, yeah, just took him out.

Q. During those two plays you're talking about, like when he was back out playing?

BRIAN DABOLL: I don't know when it was. It was in between the series. Didn't think it was good to go back out there. Well, I said make sure you go get checked by the doctors and brought the trainers over is what I did.

Q. You said unfortunate. A lot of people would say if you keep getting your quarterback hit, the likelihood that something happens like this, obviously the more times he's been checked, it will happen. What do you say to that?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah. I just say it's unfortunate he got hurt.

Q. Brian, is this sustainable, the way he's playing? I know you don't want to dampen his competitiveness and you love his fire and all that stuff. He's not 250 pounds. The hits he's taken have clearly taken a toll to the point where now he's got a concussion and will miss time.

BRIAN DABOLL: I'm not sure exactly of the play that it happened. No, I'm concerned for the kid.

Q. What do you mean by that?

BRIAN DABOLL: I don't know the exact play that it happened for him relative to getting hurt or not getting hurt. I don't know the play.

Q. (No microphone).

BRIAN DABOLL: I don't know the play. I don't know when it was. I mean, I just know that when he was going back out there, we were sitting around the huddle. I saw him, I got Ronnie over there to check him out.

Q. Brian, will Russell start next week if Jaxson can't?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, we'll see. Right now, we just had a tough one here. I'll take a look at everything.

Q. He went back out for the next drive for two plays. Are you saying you saw it at the quarter break?

BRIAN DABOLL: I don't know when I saw it. I just saw it when we were huddled up there. The coaches were talking. Never put a guy out there that we thought was hurt.

Q. Why do you think this team can't finish and close games? What do you see happening late in these games that you guys can't sort of get it back?

BRIAN DABOLL: I mean, there was a number of things today. There was all three phases just didn't get the job done.

Q. (No microphone).

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, yeah. But it hasn't been. It was another tough loss.

Q. Why do you believe that?

BRIAN DABOLL: I believe in the guys we have, people in the room, coaches and players. Lost another tough one. So got to start doing it.

Q. As some of these bad collapses have happened, what have you tried to do to stop them from happening again? In other words, when you look at them, like let's say Dallas, Denver, when you see a game like this starting to spiral, what have you talked to the team about to try to prevent it from happening again?

BRIAN DABOLL: Well, having next play mentality. I thought Shane tried to mix it a number of times these last couple drives; play zone, pressure, play man. The two plays that Caleb got out were man. There was a number of plays. We had to punt. That gave them a short field. There was a number of plays. It wasn't just one thing, which is usually is.

Q. Brian, are you worried about your job?

BRIAN DABOLL: I'm just focused on these guys in the locker room.

Q. You kicked the short field goal. You didn't kick some longer field goals. Was that a conditions issue? A wind issue? A cold issue? What was it?

BRIAN DABOLL: No. The one to Belli, I thought we had a good play. I thought Kafka had a good play. Had a number of fourth down and one plays. The first one, Byard came down. We had a little pick play for Wan'Dale and just didn't hit that one.

Kind of a hard play action to Belli, which was close there in the end zone, we hit the fourth and one to Motor, where he made a great play, and I'm not sure he would have had it but ended up making a great play for it. Had to keep so we went for the four times. Hit two and didn't hit the other.

Q. In the locker room after these types of losses, what's your message after the latest? How do you keep getting through to these guys when these results don't change?

BRIAN DABOLL: They're tough losses, they really are. We put so much into it. The coaches put so much into it, the players. It's painful when you have these endings. You stick together, and that's what you have to do.

It's easier said than done. Those are tough. You put everything you've got into it each week. Whether it's game planning, practices. Let the guys compete their tails off out here for the whole game. And then to come up short, it's tough. It's tough.

Q. You said you're worried about the guys in the locker room. What do you say to them after a fourth straight loss?

BRIAN DABOLL: Just that. Stick together. That's what you have to do. But, again, there's a number of plays, a number of things that could have happened that usually don't happen when you lose the game or happen when you win the game. And the guys battled but just didn't get the job done.

Q. How did you think Jaxson was playing before?

BRIAN DABOLL: Playing good. Yeah.

Q. The players have talked about the emotional lift that Jaxson has given them. What was that like to see him have to leave? You know he's in the tent, but then to see the long walk as you guys are trying to drive down the field, do you feel like this team recovered emotionally from having seen that?

BRIAN DABOLL: You're really in the moment. You've got to get ready to play. Russ had to go in there. We have confidence in Russ. But you never want to see any of your guys going down.

Thanks, guys.