Bears Week 10 Snap Counts vs. Patriots: Caleb Williams isn't the only Bears' rookie being mishandled
The Chicago Bears suffered another demoralizing defeat on Sunday losing at home 19-3 against the previously 2-win New England Patriots.Cries for changes got louder at Soldier Field after the offense was held out of the end zone for the second consecutive week.Let's see what more the snap counts had to say about the loss. Bears' […]
The Chicago Bears suffered another demoralizing defeat on Sunday losing at home 19-3 against the previously 2-win New England Patriots.
Cries for changes got louder at Soldier Field after the offense was held out of the end zone for the second consecutive week.
Let's see what more the snap counts had to say about the loss.
Bears' Snap Counts vs. Patriots
Wherefore Art Thou Rome-o?
The Bears are teetering on the line of severely mishandling rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze. After recording his second career 100-yard game last week, Odunze played just 68% of the team's offensive snaps, while DJ Moore and Keenan Allen played 97% and 93% respectively.
That means that Odunze still hasn't taken over Allen's role in 2WR sets and he's more than earned that role. Caleb Williams clearly has a good connection going with his fellow rookie and Odunze needs more opportunities to shine within this system.
On his 41 snaps, Odunze was targeted six times with three receptions for 23 yards. On 56 snaps, Allen was targeted six times with three receptions for 24 yards. It's time to let the rookie get more looks on the field in 2WR sets with Moore.
Caleb Williams Still In Harm's Way
For the second week in a row, why in the world was your rookie franchise quarterback still on the field and taking hits. Behind third-string offensive linemen nonetheless.
The Bears are being incredibly careless with Williams late in meaningless games and last week's near ankle injury should have been the wake up call, but it wasn't.
Williams was one of five offensive players to play 100% of the snaps, along with backup left tackle Larry Borom, backup right tackle Matt Pryor, backup right guard Ryan Bates and starting center Coleman Shelton.
The Bears were down 16 points with 2:17 remaining on the final drive and Williams was sacked a career-high nine times on Sunday. Enough is enough.
Tyrique Stevenson – Terell Smith Rotation
For the second week in a row, the Bears rotated second-year cornerbacks Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith opposite of Jaylon Johnson. However, this time Stevenson started the game on the opening play after getting those privileges revoked in Week 9.
Stevenson finished the game playing 37 defensive snaps (58%) while Smith rotated in on 27 snaps (42%). According to Pro Football Focus, Stevenson allowed three receptions for 19 yards and one touchdown on four targets. Smith allowed two receptions for 19 yards on two targets.
I think it's safe to say these two are going to continue rotating going forward as long as both players stay healthy.
Career-high Snaps For Austin Booker
The rotation of the Bears' defensive line is something I'm always curious about once the official snap counts are released after the game.
With Montez Sweat back in the fold, it was no surprise to see Sweat and DeMarcus Walker play as much as they did off the edge. However, it was a surprise to see rookie Austin Booker get 33 snaps (52%) on Sunday, a career-high for the fifth-round pick.
Booker finished the game with two total pressures and had a nice chase down tackle on Drake Maye to force a fourth-down. Jacob Martin was tied for a team-high four pressures with one sack on a season-high 22 defensive snaps. Dominque Robinson also added two pressures and one QB hit while playing 16 defensive snaps.
The Bears are worried about the wrong thing when it comes to Caleb Williams’ development and Sunday’s loss proved it
It hasn’t looked good so far.
