Ben Johnson shoulders the blame as Bears’ pass catchers are ‘chomping’ for more opportunities to get involved on offense
The Chicago Bears are 2-1 heading into Week 4 but it still seems like there’s more meat being left on the bone offensively, regardless of the team’s QB situation.
Things are starting to look up again for the Chicago Bears after an impressive win over the Philadelphia Eagles, even while being led by the team’s QB3 in veteran Case Keenum.
With Keenum at the helm, Chicago’s passing attack came back to life on Monday night with the Eagles clearly aiming to defend against the Bears’ run game. Keenum threw for 247 yards with two touchdowns, with four pass catchers recording 30+ yards each.
After the first two games, there was a lot of discourse about the Bears not getting their top weapons more involved in the gameplan, especially after the Week 2 loss in which the unit mustered just three points at home against the Vikings defense.
While things improved in Week 3, there’s still a thought that the Bears can still be even more dangerous offensively if they can get their top threats more involved, regardless of who’s throwing them the ball.
Bears pass catchers are eager to get more involved in the offense after the first three weeks
That responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of head coach Ben Johnson. Johnson has mentioned numerous times over the last calendar year that the game plan each week determines which targets will be featured more than others. However, he also recognized the urgency start feeding some of his weapons a little more than he has been this season.
“All of our pass catchers right now are all chomping a little bit to get fed a little bit more,” Johnson told reporters on Wednesday. “I think that’s a good thing. That’s on me as the play caller to make sure that they are all getting the ball distributed to them and our quarterback’s got to continue to play the game and take what’s given to them. It’s more on me than anyone else to make sure everyone’s getting the touches they deserve.”
The team’s leading pass catcher through three weeks has easily been veteran Kalif Raymond, and far from the name anyone expected to be leading this team in yards and receptions going into the fourth game of the season. However, Monday night was Luther Burden III’s opportunity to be a featured player.
Burden was targeted a team-high 11 times hauling in seven of those passes for 61 yards and a touchdown. Raymond still made an impact as well totaling 90 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions.
“I just play the game and go with the flow,” Burden said in the locker room after the game. “Make plays when the ball comes to me. Try my best. Block. Celebrate when my teammates score or get a first down. Whatever.”
Monday’s game also could have looked a lot better for wide receiver Rome Odunze, who finished with three receptions for 44 yards on six targets. On Odunze’s first target of the game, the Bears thought they had a free play and took a shot down the field but the ball was thrown too far and just out of bounds. Odunze’s second target was a easy touchdown opportunity but the third-year receiver wasn’t able to come down with the catch. His other incomplete target came on an out route and Keenum wasn’t able to get enough on the throw, allowing Quinyon Mitchell to break up the pass.
“I don’t say a word to him,” Johnson said of Odunze’s drop in Week 3. “He knows – catch the darn ball. And we keep it moving from there.”
The real concern is where tight end Colston Loveland has been, because it hasn’t been on the stat sheet. Through three weeks, Loveland has just five receptions for 34 yards (four receptions and 31 yards coming in Week 3) despite playing 84 percent of the offensive snaps.
“Everyone in here wants the ball,” Loveland said, via ESPN. “We’re here for a reason, and we want to make plays and help our team win. But there’s other ways to make plays on the ground in the run game. I’m just doing what I’m asked. There’s going to be opportunities, so I’ve just got to take full advantage when it arises.”
It’s on Johnson’s shoulders to put his weapons in the best position to succeed, while also creating the ideal game plan for their opponent. It’s a difficult balance, but the good thing is that Bears don’t have any divas in the building begging for more targets. They know those opportunities will eventually come their way.
“We got a guy up there that’s been doing stuff like that for a long time,” Raymond said of Johnson’s play-calling. “I always said back early in OTAs and camp, it’s just a matter of details – knowing the details and knowing what to do to be in the right play, at the right spot, at the right time.”
