The Chicago Bears defense knows the challenge at hand. They’re about to face the best offense in the NFL it what could be a critical game of their season> The Los Angeles Rams boast star power across the board headlined by running back Todd Gurley and quarterback Jared Goff. L.A. has lost just one game this season and it’s largely because nobody has been able to truly stop them from putting up points.
One of the problems is that nobody can hang with them for four quarters. A key part of the Rams’ success is the ability to maintain their productivity for 60 minutes. That includes the 4th quarter. As of this week, Los Angeles ranks a comfortable 8th in the NFL in scoring during the final 15 minutes of a game, averaging 8.1 points scored.
Normally a good defense wouldn’t fear something like that. Except for the Bears this is a special case. Chicago has consistently been one of the best defenses in the NFL all year…except in the 4th quarter. They rank a dismal 29th in points allowed at 9.3. That doesn’t bode well for Sunday night.
Chicago Bears defense suffers from a number of issues with this
So what is it? What’s the problem that continues to haunt them every week in regards to their inability to finish strong? In these cases, it’s never one thing. Part of it starts with the play calling. Quite often this year the Bears have gone into the 4th quarter with a big lead. This often can result in the coaches playing more a passive style rather than keeping the heat on. A “prevent” defense meant to chew clock.
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This often leads to the numerous yards and points they tend to give up. Then there’s a matter of conditioning. A number of times this year the defense has looked noticeably gassed late in the game. It was the case in Miami against the Dolphins and again last week in New York with their inability to stop Saquon Barkley late in the game. Getting off the field is a problem for them when they can’t force turnovers.
The good news is the Bears won’t have to worry about heat as they did against the Dolphins. It’s set to be somewhere around 26 degrees at game time. If they want to win though, they have to put together a full performance. They can’t thrive for 45 minutes and then try to coast the rest of the way. Not against an opponent this good.
