The Chicago Bears were outprepared and outplayed for most of the game in London. Yet if not for two highly fortunate breaks that went the Oakland Raiders’ way, they still would’ve won the game. People think that being 3-2 is some kind of death sentence. That isn’t true. Sure head coach Matt Nagy would prefer to be 4-1 but the reality is the Bears have a winning record going into their bye week. It wasn’t perfect but it’s still better than some of the alternatives.
Nagy’s job over the next two weeks is to take stock of where the Bears are at. He’ll likely come to two realizations. The defense is the obvious strength of the team. While their performance in London wasn’t up to their usual standards, the Bears will always be in games with them. It’s the offense that is in serious need of addressing. Five games into the season and this unit is averaging 16 points per game. That isn’t just bad. It’s really bad. Rest assured no team wins the Super Bowl at that kind of pace.
Nagy isn’t stupid. He knows that better than anybody. There’s no way the Bears can keep leaning on the defense so heavily and expect to reach the playoffs. He has two weeks to figure out the problem and based on his comments after the game, it is apparent the head coach knows exactly where to begin.
Matt Nagy can’t solve anything without better line play
Everything starts up front. That is the fundamental truth of football. The offensive line is the engine. If it’s not running properly, then everything else is going to suffer. Right now, the Bears have problems with their front five. Multiple problems. They’ve allowed 13 sacks thus far this season and are on pace for 41 total. That would be eight more than they allowed in 2018. They’ve also blocked for the 26th-ranked running game, a steep drop off from 11th a year ago.
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Right guard Kyle Long has severely regressed to a point where he’s no longer even solid. Nevermind his old Pro Bowler self. Injuries appear to have taken the best from him. Left tackle Charles Leno has suffered from a persistent issue with penalties. Last but not least, the switching of James Daniels to center has not yielded the results the team had hoped thus far. It is clear the entire unit is a mess and in serious need of tweaking.
Switching Daniels back to left guard is not going to be one of those changes. The Bears are committed to that and that’s probably the best course of action. It hasn’t been great thus far, but it’s only been five games. The kid needs more time to settle into what is a difficult position. Right now there is only one spot that Nagy can do something. That’s right guard. Long is a liability and replacing guards is easier than replacing tackles.
Three options exist in this regard.
The first and most obvious is elevating veteran backup Ted Larsen to starter. He has lots of experience and has played well in the past. However, he too is dealing with health issues, having suffered a knee injury in the win over Minnesota. Next, there is Rashaad Coward. The defensive tackle-turned-offensive tackle was thrust into the guard spot against the Vikings after Larsen went down and didn’t look too terrible. He has size and plays with a mean streak.
Last and the most ambitious is elevated undrafted rookie Alex Bars from the practice squad. The Notre Dame product played well at guard in the preseason and had the look of somebody who could handle himself against top tier competition. That would be a dangerous gamble though with names Sheldon Rankins, Fletcher Cox, and Aaron Donald looming on the horizon.
Either way, Nagy knows this group needs a spark. A significant change to their lineup could be the wakeup call required. We’ll know in two weeks whether his plans have the desired effect.
