Chicago Bears: 3 Offensive Keys to Making the Playoffs

Dec 28, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) hands the ball off to Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte (22) in the first quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

2. Play Distribution

I’ve harped on this idea plenty of times in the past, but there needs to be a change in the offense when it comes to the ratio of running and passing plays.

A player with the tendency to turn the ball over as much as Jay Cutler does shouldn’t be getting more plays than a player of Matt Forte‘s status.

While it’s hard to compare the touches a quarterback gets to the touches a running back gets, the difference in efficiency and the amount of turnovers between the two players is a pretty great one. In 368 total touches last year, Forte fumbled and lost the ball twice (once every 184 touches), while Cutler’s play resulted in 24 turnovers (interceptions plus lost fumbles) in 600 touches–one turnover every 25 touches.

Again, the types of touches they get are different, but those numbers have to mean something.

According to pro-football-reference.com, Forte has had the highest Approximate Value (AV) among the Bears players each of the last two years, so it only makes sense that the new coaching regime needs to utilize him more.

Forte had almost 250 less touches than Cutler, and while I don’t think that a single running back should get more touches than a quarterback, I do think that the run/pass distribution should change.

Chicago threw 41 more times than it ran in 2014. Ideally, the offense should total around 100 more run play than pass plays by the season’s end.

Next: Cutler's Confidence