Chicago Bears: What to look for in Week 12 vs New York Jets

Coaches need to call a better game

Last week was not a good week for the Chicago Bears coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has done a good job of getting the most out of Fields’ running game involved in the offense. Fields has done a marvelous job of breaking down defenses.

Last week, it looked as if Fields wore down. He had a big first half, but things were different in the second half. He looked a step slower than normal and he was massaging his legs. Then, on the final drive of the game, he took a hit and hurt his shoulder.

Head coach Matt Eberflus said that Fields was cleared to practice and he is day to day. That means he should be good to go this week, depending on how he feels on gameday.

A case could be made that Fields getting injured was on Getsy. He called vanilla plays that allowed the Falcons to make big tackles. Then, when Fields looked slower, Getsy continued to call running plays. He took a few more hits than normal.

While Getsy has kept calling Fields’ number in the running game, he continues to avoid developing his passing game. While his running game is excellent, a quarterback gets paid to throw passes. All that running seems to have taken a toll. He was already slowed down, likely massaging his legs to keep from cramping. Being slower, the defense could catch up to him better.

Getsy needs to let Fields throw the ball more. Fields has improved in that area. He increased his passing percentage with more high-percentage passes. However, Getsy has kept FIelds’ throwing to a minimum.

The Bears still rank last in passing attempts. Getsy needs to call more plays. While the offensive line struggles to protect him, he can use his legs to extend plays. Running downfield at full speed and moving around to extend a play are two different animals. They need more rollouts so Fields doesn’t get stuck in the pocket and take big hits.

Defensively, Alan Williams needs to do a better job. Yes, the Bears blitzed more last week. However, Williams made it obvious when the defense would blitz. That made it easier for Atlanta to adjust. The fact that the Falcons allowed no sacks shows that they adjusted well.

Williams needs to disguise his sacks and the timing when he calls them. He needs to keep the Jets’ offensive line off-balanced. If the Bears keep them on their heels then they’ll have a better chance to get to the quarterback.

A few weeks ago, this game was one that would be difficult to win. With the Jets struggling on offense, though, Chicago has a shot. While New York’s defense is a top-ten unit, the offense ranks near the bottom in most categories.

The defense needs to take advantage of the Jets’ deficiencies. As I mentioned earlier, the Bears have been in a similar situation before and they failed to capitalize. That needs to change this week and the coaches have to be front and center in doing so.