The reeling Chicago Bears try to stem their free-fall in Week 11 hoping to beat the Green Bay Packers. That will be a tough task with some adjustments made and injury problems. Here is what to look for in the game.
This has certainly been a momentous week for the Chicago Bears. After their 19-3 loss to the New England Patriots, they currently have a three-game losing streak. The offense scored only 27 points in those games and have not scored a touchdown in the past two games.
When a move was finally made, we got a glimpse of the team’s dysfunction. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who replaced Luke Getsy this season, only lasted 10 weeks. The Chicago Bears fired him this week. Passing game coordinator Thomas Brown will take over as offensive coordinator.
The next day, after reports claiming that some Chicago Bears players had not been playing with full effort, the team waived offensive lineman Nate Davis. Davis has been a headache since he signed a three-year contract last year. He has missed multiple games and practices. He struggled when he was in, perhaps because of his absences.
The Chicago Bears needed Davis last week. The offensive line has once again been bitten hard by the injury bug. Three offensive linemen were out and others were in the injury report. Despite not being on the injury report all week, Davis suddenly said he had a back problem and was ruled out.
That might have been the last straw for the Chicago Bears.
Now the team has to put away its troubles and focus on winning again. That will be difficult playing the Green Bay Packers, a team that has tormented them. Green Bay is 23-3 against the Chicago Bears in the past 13 seasons. With the adjustments made this offseason, many felt that the Bears would be more competitive.
That seems like so long ago. It also seems like that thinking was so, so wrong.
Here is what to look for in the Chicago Bears’ Week 11 game against the Packers.
Will the offense be more dynamic?
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Now that Waldron is out, what will Brown bring? One thing that head coach Matt Eberflus, who made the decision to let go of Waldron, said he wanted was a more creative offense. Waldron fell in love with a lot of passes behind the line of scrimmage. Additionally, he did not have the receivers move much.
Too many times, we saw two receivers close together on plays. That makes it difficult for Williams to find the open receiver. There are multiple defenders in the same area so no one is open.
Brown will have to have more movements by the receivers. He needs to add crosses and widen the defense. That creates more space and the possibility of having an open receiver rises.
We need to see a more dynamic offense. Brown saw how bogged down this offense has been so he will want to change that. Look for that right away.
Kmet has to get some sleep the night before the game
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Tight end Cole Kmet has been a big part of the Chicago Bears offense. He was the second-leading pass catcher last season after leading the team in 2022. Something happened with Waldron, however. Waldron was known as a coordinator who loved to use his tight ends and utilize two-tight-end sets.
That did not happen in Chicago. Kmet has been missing from the offense. It started right from the start. He had just one target in Week 1. Waldron explained that he needed to do a better job of getting the ball to Kmet. Well, he failed to do that.
Kmet is on pace to have the fewest targets in his career since his rookie season. He has just 34 targets this season. In the last three games, he has had just five targets, four of them last week. He had one target over 10 quarters before getting the four targets in the second half of last week’s game.
That should change with Brown. Yes, the Chicago Bears have D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze. However, integrating the tight ends will help in Williams’ development. Having a big, athletic target with great hands gives Williams a great security blanket.
Look for Williams to go to Kmet early and have him become a big part of the offense again. Additionally, the Chicago Bears also have Gerald Everett. Everett could also be a good option. We should see more involvement from the tight ends unit.
The running backs will also be more involved
© Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
One of the troubling aspects of Waldron’s offense is how he had Williams throwing so much. We need to remember, despite being labeled a “generational talent” he is still a rookie. He is learning the NFL ways. He needs to have some help until he is more comfortable handling defenses.
Williams has had four games in which he threw 30 or more passes. The Chicago Bears are 0-4 in those games. When he has thrown less, the Bears are 4-1. In addition to utilizing the tight ends, involving the running game gives Williams more of the help he needs.
In his career, Brown has had several stints as running backs coach. He understands how important the running game could be for the offense.
It’s understanding the marriage of the run and the pass that I learned.
Look for the Chicago Bears to use D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson more. When they were involved earlier this season the offense hummed. They need to get back to that. Brown understands that and will try to act accordingly.
Can the Chicago Bears defense force Love into making mistakes?
© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
One of the best things about the Chicago Bears this season is its defense. Ranks seventh in points allowed, seventh in passing yards, and number one in passing touchdowns allowed. The unit ranks sixth in total turnovers forced this season.
In order for the Bears to have any chance to win this game, the defense has to force some turnovers. Packers quarterback Jordan Love will give opposing defenses opportunities at turnovers. He has the most interceptions in the league with 10. He makes some boneheaded throws that result in bad turnovers.
If the Chicago Bears defense can pressure Love into making bad decisions then the offense could have some great starting points. They had some great starting points last week against the Patriots but were not able to take advantage of those situations.
The defense is bumped and bruised, however. Defensive tackle Andrew Billings is out for the season after he had pectoral surgery. He was integral in taking up space, freeing up defensive tackle Gervon Dexter and defensive end Montez Sweat.
Safety Jaquan Brisker is out again, missing his fifth game (despite also having the bye to help). He is a hard-hitting, in-the-box safety who helped both against the pass and run.
Despite that, the defense feels it can still succeed. Fans hope that is true. Turnovers will be key. If Love is able to sit in the pocket and take all day to find an open receiver he will carve the Chicago Bears secondary. The Bears need to avoid that at all costs.
How does the new offense help Williams?
© Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
We have already talked about having the tight ends and running backs help Williams. It is important that he at least looks better, win or lose. He has struggled mightily in the past three games. Yes, a porous offensive line has not helped.
However, some of his problems are due to Williams himself. He has the reputation of going for the home run ball and not taking throws underneath. Throwing a five-yard curl is not as sexy and hitting on a forty-yard bomb. Hitting that five-yarder helps open things up for the deep throw, though.
If the defense knows that you won’t throw underneath, then there will be more defenders playing deep. That makes it difficult to find the open man. Williams continues to stand in the pocket, waiting for the deep ball. Meanwhile, there are open receivers underneath who are forgotten.
Williams has to learn to take what the defense gives him. If he doesn’t things will get worse for him. We already see a split between Williams and some veterans. There was a report that some veterans went to the powers that be not only requesting Waldron’s dismissal but also the benching of Williams.
Tyson Bagent is the backup. His strength is that he usually finds the best play to make. He isn’t flashy and doesn’t have the rocket arm that Williams has. However, he is fundamentally sound and works quickly to get rid of the ball. With a bad offensive line that might be a good thing.
The team decided to jettison Waldron but Williams remains the starter. It will be interesting to see if that causes a bigger rift between Williams and the veterans. Also, it could cause a rift between the veterans and the coaching staff.
If things continue to go bad for the Chicago Bears and head coach Matt Eberflus, there could be a large rift with the veterans. The veterans want to see an improvement and have ideas on how to do it. If they feel that Eberflus and company are ignoring them, things will get very bad.
If that happens, things will get very ugly for a season that had so much promise just a few weeks ago.
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