Chicago Bears: Grades for each unit as they enter the bye week
Chicago Bears Offense
The Chicago Bears offense has been a point of contention for decades now. It seems no matter who they put in, the results are the same — struggles. It’s always the same thing with the offense. They don’t have a good offensive line and when the offensive line does finally protect the quarterback, he can’t make plays.
As I mentioned earlier, the Bears feel they found the quarterback they need to succeed. Still, they have a struggling offensive line. There is help on the way, however. Rookie lineman Larry Borom came back in Week 8 and took the right tackle job quickly.
The other rookie lineman, Teven Jenkins, appears to be ready to finally start his season. He had back surgery in the offseason and has been seen working out with the team.
If those two rookies play up to their expectations, things could look up for the future of the offensive line. The Bears need the line to improve to have any offensive success.
Scoring points has been a problem for the Chicago Bears. Despite scoring 49 points in their last two games, they still only average 16.7 points per game, ranking just 30th. The Bears need to find a way to score more points if they want more wins.
Perhaps they will score more points as FIelds’ development continues. He’s had his best two games the last two weeks and that resulted in the increase in points. He’s showing more of the abilities that endeared him to the team and the fans.
Fields has shown an incredible ability to bounce back. Yes, he’s had some stinky games. However, he comes back and has a better game the next week. Now we’re seeing his teammates do the same. No matter how difficult things are, they keep playing hard to stay in the game. While they lost their last four games, they had an opportunity to take a lead in the fourth quarter in three of them.
We hope that FIelds continues to improve. That may or may not lead to more victories, but it’ll put him and the team in a better spot to succeed next season.
The best aspect of the entire team is the Bears’ running game. David Montgomery got off to a fast start. He had 309 rushing yards in the first four games, good for fifth in the league. He then sprained his knee and missed four games. He came back against the Steelers and had 63 yards.
Despite Montgomery’s injury, the Bears’ running game still thrived. In the first four games, they averaged 122.8 rushing yards per game. In Montgomery’s absence, they averaged 150.5 yards per game. In his first game back, the Bears had 136 yards.
If the Bears continue to run the ball well, it’ll take pressure off of Fields. Teams will have to defend the run, allowing for more room in the passing game. The Bears have an incredible group of runners with Montgomery, Khalil Herbert, Damien Williams, and Fields.
Grade: D