The Chicago Bears let a winnable game slip away on Sunday night. Defensively, they were superb, holding a loaded Houston Texans offense to only 19 points, including three in the second half. Unfortunately, as has become tradition over the years, the offense couldn’t fulfill their end of the bargain. Caleb Williams was sacked seven times and hit another 11. Protection was an issue last week against Tennessee. It morphed into a full-blown crisis in this game. The entire right side of the line struggled. Houston blitzed all night, and there were no answers for it. However, Cole Kmet saw something else.
While the tight end acknowledges the protection issues as a big problem, his primary concern lies elsewhere. He told Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune what that was.
“It was definitely a little chaotic out there. Just a lot of things we have to work out. (Williams) is taking too many hits. We’ve got to run the ball better. I think the main thing is establishing an identity on offense. So we gotta figure that out. I think that’s what it comes back to. It will be sort of the challenge this next week and trying to establish that.”
This was supposed to be the strength of the Bears offense. Last year, the team’s running backs averaged over 4.0 yards per carry. Through two games, high-priced free agent D’Andre Swift has 48 yards on 24 carries. Khalil Herbert has seven yards on four carries. Head coach Matt Eberflus echoed the same concern after the game.
“In terms of running the ball, we obviously want to run the ball better than we did. It was OK but not good enough. Not good enough. We’ve got to establish the run game. I think that’s always a good friend to a young quarterback when you can do that.”
Cole Kmet and Bears have a good chance to fix it next week.
The Bears’ next opponent is the Indianapolis Colts. Their run defense is by far the worst in the NFL so far this season, allowing 474 yards on the ground combined through the first two weeks. This team needs to rediscover their identity. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron may wish to do that by throwing the ball, but the way things look right now, that is not possible. Don’t be surprised if the Bears place a heavy focus on the ground attack next week, making a concerted effort to get more physical in the trenches.
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It would also help if they got Cole Kmet more involved. They did that in the Texans game, connecting four times for 27 yards. Unsurprisingly, the offense looked a little better. He no doubt can help with their ground attack. While not a great pass protector, the big tight end can be a force in the running game as a blocker. It is time to do right by Williams and make a concerted effort to ease the pressure on him. Run the ball. Regain the identity that made last year’s offense palatable.
@PoochPest —
I hope you had a chance to check out that information on the rhythm feature of the passing game (see West-coast offense) from the late coach Homer Smith, and/or the Kurt Warner videos on Caleb Williams.
It should be “required reading” for each of Erik Lambert’s avid readers — and Erik should be the first in line.
Enjoy the season.
@TGena
Thanks!
@PoochPest — Please do this — Enter the following text into your search engine: The Rhythm Feature of the Passing Game . . .click on the first result . . “Coach and Coordinator” And you’ll find yourself at the most concise description of the WCO that I have ever seen. For how all this translates in the NFL check Kurt Warner’s recent Kurt Warner breaks down Csleb Williams’ NFL debut | 2024 Bears and/or Kurt Warner saw ‘a lot of improvement’ from Caleb Williams in his second start | 2024 Bears Warner is just “so smart” (He is a Hall… Read more »
@TGena
You seem to know much more about offensive line play, than I do, so I assume your points are well taken.
The other part, having a place to go with the ball, getting it out so that there isn’t as much time to hold blocks, has just been their issue.
Having places to outlet the ball, and making it something that is coherent, just wasn’t something Getsy’s receiver coaches never taught.
The O-line will look better if they don’t have to hold blocks or follow a running quarterback with each play.
@PoochPest — I agree with so much of what you write about the importance of coaching. But your take on QB Justin Fields “cover[ing] up the dire weaknesses of the offensive line’s interior for years. .” is simply wrong — not that there wasn’t weakness — it’s just that JF1 didn’t provide cover for anything behind the LOS. If you ever blocked for a ‘”scrambling QB” particularly one without pocket awareness and a solid understanding timing and rhythm in the passing game, you’d realize that JF1, while not the entire cause, did very little to alleviate the concerns. You’ve seen… Read more »