Matt Eberflus calls out another personnel decision that was made during the team's disastrous goal line stop
It's hard to point a loss on the NFL on one drive, especially a drive that occurred during the first-half of the game.However, during the Chicago Bears Week 3 loss that was decided by one-score against the Indianapolis Colts, you have to look back at the missed opportunities.The biggest missed opportunity came on the team's […]
It's hard to point a loss on the NFL on one drive, especially a drive that occurred during the first-half of the game.
However, during the Chicago Bears Week 3 loss that was decided by one-score against the Indianapolis Colts, you have to look back at the missed opportunities.
The biggest missed opportunity came on the team's second to last drive in the second quarter after the offense turned the ball over on downs on the Colts goal line.
On the drive, there's a lot that went wrong, and the bulk of the issues came from the play-calling and personnel decisions made by offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
While speaking to the media on Monday following the loss, head coach Matt Eberflus was asked about one play in particular and didn't seem to thrilled about the decisions that were made. The play in question was a third-and-goal run by Khalil Herbert from the 1-yard line that was stuffed by the Colts defense.
Looking back at the play after the game, it's easy to see why the play was a total failure and it came down to personnel usage. Before the snap, wide receiver Deandre Carter was lined up directly next to left tackle Braxton Jones on the line of scrimmage and was asked to block Colts defensive lineman Tyquan Lewis.
What's the problem with that? Carter is 5'8 190 pounds, Tyquan Lewis is 6'3 267 pounds. That's nearly an 80 pound disadvantage for the offense when the team could have easily brought in another tight end such as Gerald Everett or Marcedes Lewis, or even a sixth offensive lineman like Bill Murray or Nate Davis on that play to help power Herbert into the endzone.
Instead, Carter was driven right back into the backfield by Lewis and Julian Blackmon, with Lewis getting credit for the tackle.
"Shane (Waldron) and I watched the tape at 6:30 this morning and we talked that through," Eberflus said. "That's gotta be a better call and a better matchup there."
No kidding. Any other offensive play-caller in the league would know that this play had absolutely no chance to succeed. And on the following fourth-down play, things were even worse in terms of play-calling and personnel usage.
But again, this play and this drive wasn't what lost the Bears the game. There were other issues in play that held the team back, but this missed opportunity to get some points on the board was definitely Waldron's biggest mistake in Week 3.
