Bears veteran finally admits a big recurring defensive issue and it’s something Chicago must fix before the rematch against the Packers
Big plays killed the Bears the last time these teams faced off.
As the Chicago Bears enter another week of preparation going up against the Green Bay Packers, the team is looking back at Week 14 and addressing what went wrong and what went right to try and come away with a different result on Saturday.
“There’s certainly elements of the first game you look at from the first game of what you did well and what you didn’t do well and you try to make sure you don’t make the same mistakes,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson explained on Tuesday.
Offensively, the Bears got out to a slow start in that game and while they played much better in the second-half, the deficit was too much and the unit came up just short on the final play. Defensively, the reason the deficit became so high in the first-half was also due to the big explosive plays being allowed against the Packers’ offense.
Bears veteran finally addressed the big play concerns on defense
“We just gotta cut out the big plays,” defensive tackle Grady Jarrett told reporters. “Just knowing that every play counts. It comes down to a couple plays in the game when you’re playing two top teams and we can’t make as many mistakes.
Whether that’s executing on defense, or not getting a turnover here, we gotta be on all P’s and Q’s. That’s one of the biggest lessons that we had to learn the hard way the first time out there (against the Packers). We’re going to zoom in on that.”
Looking back at that game, the Bears allowed three explosive touchdowns, including two that were over 20+ air yards. One of those touchdowns came just before the half, a 45-yard touchdown from quarterback Jordan Love to wide receiver Bo Melton, that gave the Packers a 14-3 lead at the break.
“Look, I really put that on me,” Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen explained about the play. “I gotta coach that up better in terms of how we have to defend that. They had a good play. We didn’t defend it as well as we needed to. And really, I gotta do a better job there.”
On the ground, the Bears also allowed four carries of 10+ yards including a 21-yard run by running back Josh Jacobs on 3rd-and-2 late in the game that was arguably the biggest play of the game, outside of the interception on the final drive.
And it’s not just an issue specifically from Week 14 either. This season the Bears have allowed 48 passes of 20+ yards (3rd-most in NFL) and 12 carries of 20+ yards (6th-most in NFL). You’d think after a game where the concern decided the final result in such a big way it’d be more of an emphasis to correct it, right? Well it wasn’t really addressed like one would hope the following week.
Big play issues continued in the passing game against the Browns last Sunday
Going into the following week against the Cleveland Browns, Allen specifically spoke about how the deep passing game would be an area the Browns’ offense would look to exploit in that game and something his unit should be prepared for.
Even though the Bears held Cleveland out of the end zone and finished with a 31-3 win, quarterback Shedeur Sanders completed two big plays down the field and nearly had an explosive touchdown if not for an insane play by cornerback Jaylon Johnson. Again, the coverage plan proved to be an issue.
“Things like that happen all the time, especially in the coverage,” Johnson explained when asked about a 47-yard completion he allowed. “If they catch you in a zero (pressure) and they throw the ball across the field, there’s really not too much you can do outside of be in for the race. You know who that is, that’s a tough race. He beat me to the ball.”
Getting beat by speedy wide receivers has been a major concern since the start of the season for this defense when matched up man-to-man. The Packers were the the ones to really start exposing it again and it would be a smart game plan if they go that route again because the Bears haven’t shown they can actually stop it.
Christian Watson will be the player to watch if he plays, and Matthew Golden will if he doesn’t
Saying the Packers indeed go that route with the game plan on Saturday, wide receiver Christian Watson will be the player to monitor going into the game. Back in Week 14, Watson scored two touchdowns of 20+ yards and is a real weapon for this passing attack.
However, last Sunday, Watson suffered a chest/shoulder injury on a deep ball play against the Denver Broncos. Watson sent to the local hospital after the game but tests revealed he avoided a major injury and was able to fly back to Green Bay with the team, though his status for Saturday is still uncertain.
Even if he can’t go against the Bears, the Packers still have some dangerous players who can win one-on-one using speed including Jayden Reed and first-round rookie Matthew Golden. After Watson left the game, Golden added two catches and co-led the team in receiving yards with Reed.
Without Watson, the Packers miss a key element to execute some big plays in the passing game and having Golden back is a key piece if he can’t go. If Watson does play, the Bears can’t allow what happened in Week 14 to happen again this weekend. Maybe Jarrett’s message will finally resonate.
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