Chicago Bears: 5 Bold predictions for Week 7 vs. Rams
2. Foles needs to manage the offense
In order to win with Chicago, you don’t need a superstar quarterback. Of course, it helps if you have one, but we’re talking about the Chicago Bears and having a great quarterback just doesn’t happen.
Under Nagy, the Bears are in just about every game. Say what you want about his questionable playcalling, he has his team prepared and they fight for 60 minutes. In his 38 games as Bears head coach, the team was involved in 27 games decided by eight points or less. In those games, the Bears are 18-9 (they’ve also had 11 games decided by more than eight points and the Bears are 8-3).
With that in mind, the Bears need Foles to just limit the mistakes and manage the game. If he can get the offense in a position to succeed, Chicago can usually finish with a victory. Say what you want about the Bears winning ugly, but if they can just score a touchdown or two, and a couple of field goals, the defense is good enough to take that and seal the game.
I’ve maintained for a while now that if the Bears, who scored 298 points (17.5 per game), had scored 22 more points to average 20 points per game, they likely win two or three games more than they did. That would give them a record of 11-5 or 10-6 and in the playoffs.
Well, that’s exactly what is happening this season. They’re averaging 21.3 points per game and, wouldn’t you know it, they have a 5-1 record. People get worked up over the Bears leaning on the defense. Well, if the offense can just score enough, the defense will take care of the rest. There is nothing wrong with that.
This is what Foles does well. He’ll make the plays when he needs to make them. Will it be pretty? It won’t be at all times. As long as the Bears come out on top, however, that’s all that matters.
Foles needs to do that in this game. March down the field a few times, get a touchdown or two and put them in a position where the kicker can do his job. If he does that this week, the national media can talk about the Chicago Bears being the worst 6-1 team in NFL history.
Prediction: Foles throws for 257 yards and 2 touchdowns.