Bears faced with the same lingering issues that doomed the offense against the Texans on Sunday Night Football
Leave it to the bright lights to show the biggest issues for a football team and that's exactly what happened for the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football.The Bears offensive line was exposed on a national stage against the Houston Texans in Week 2 after struggling with the same issues the unit faced in the […]
Leave it to the bright lights to show the biggest issues for a football team and that's exactly what happened for the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football.
The Bears offensive line was exposed on a national stage against the Houston Texans in Week 2 after struggling with the same issues the unit faced in the season opener.
All of the same issues (lack of effort in the run game, pre-snap penalties, and issues picking up stunts) persisted on Sunday night and doomed the Bears offense from the first drive of the game till the final drive.
The unfortunate part is that it's hard to place the blame entirely on one person. Each member of the starting offensive line struggled at one point or another. And the worst part is when the errors occurred.
For example, four of quarterback Caleb Williams' SEVEN sacks occurred on third-down, key situations where sacks should not be given up by the unit. The unit also had three critical offensive line penalties on third down. The Texans finished the game with 36 pressures and 11 QB hits.
"That's an everybody thing," head coach Matt Eberflus said after the game. "We got to do a great job with the O-line, tight ends, backs, [Williams] needs to have rhythm and timing on his passes. It's everybody, so we got to just clean that up."
The struggles in Week 2 weren't just in the passing game. Overall, the offensive line struggled creating lanes in the run game as well. The team's top back, D'Andre Swift, averaged 1.3 yards per carry while Williams led the team in rushing yards by scrambling away from all of the pressure all night.
Part of the reason why is because of plays like this below where Nate Davis, Teven Jenkins, and Coleman Shelton completely missed every defender while run blocking.
Even on the Bears first offensive touchdown of the season, Davis was supposed to be the lead blocker pulling in front of running back Khalil Herbert. Instead, Shelton was pushed back into Davis who tripped and never even made it halfway across the line. Luckily Herbert was still able to punch it in on his own.
Unfortunately, with Ryan Bates now on the injured reserve till Week 6, the Bears backup plan at either center or right guard has been ruined. During the week, Eberflus was asked about rotating Matt Pryor in at right guard and said it wasn't in consideration. At center, the only other option the Bears have is Doug Kramer Jr, who played two total offensive snaps during the 2023 season.
This lingering problem cannot continue to happen for the Bears going forward, especially coming from a offensive line mainly consisting of veteran players. It's inexcusable and the worst thing for Williams' game-to-game development.
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