Bears' lingering issue hits an all-time low heading into crucial game against Patriots
The Chicago Bears hit rookie quarterback Caleb Williams with news he's not going to be happy with going into the weekend based on the final Week 10 injury report.The Bears ruled out both starting tackles in Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright following Friday's practice along with backup left tackle, rookie Kiran Amegadjie.Jones and Amegadjie each […]
The Chicago Bears hit rookie quarterback Caleb Williams with news he's not going to be happy with going into the weekend based on the final Week 10 injury report.
The Bears ruled out both starting tackles in Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright following Friday's practice along with backup left tackle, rookie Kiran Amegadjie.
Jones and Amegadjie each missed the team's Week 9 loss, one where Wright left the game early due to a knee injury.
This obviously is not a good sign for the rest of offensive line being without three bookend tackles, especially when protection has been such a major concern.
Through the first nine weeks of the season, only Deshaun Watson and C.J. Stroud have been sacked more times than Williams (29).
Pass protection has been a legitimate problem for the offense and their rookie quarterback, and it will be something to monitor this weekend with three tackles out. However, the issues haven't solely fallen on the offensive line.
“It’s the ultimate team stat right there because each one of these plays, there are times when it’s on the quarterback getting the ball out (slow),” offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said. “There are times where, if he does get flushed, go ahead and a throwaway is OK. And there are other times where a defensive scheme might hit home quicker than anticipated and you have to be able to play the next down…
"I think, overall as an offense, the high number of sacks is something that we’ve really started to hone in on and we’ve talked about, obviously, every week, but, as they accumulate, that’s a big goal of ours to reduce that number, because that goes back to the second-down execution, the third-down execution, because of all the negative plays sacks are ones that impact a drive and expected points more than anything. We’re working through all the different causes there.”
There's definitely some truth to that. According to Pro Football Focus, Williams has eight sacks on QB own pressures allowed, the third-most in the league this season. But the offensive line hasn't been doing him any favors.
The Bears have seven offensive linemen who have been credited with allowing a sack this season, including four who have allowed three or more. Five of the team's offensive linemen have allowed 10+ pressures.
As for the injuries, Larry Borom is expected to once again start at left tackle with Jake Curhan potentially staying in at right tackle. In Week 9, Borom allowed a team-high three sacks and seven pressures while Curhan allowed three pressures and one QB hit.
After Friday's practice, head coach Matt Eberflus did not confirm whether or not the team would roll with Borom and Curhan again in those spots.
Another option would be moving Matt Pryor from right guard to right tackle and have Ryan Bates slide into right guard, now that he's activated from the injured reserve. Bates was a full participant in each day of practice this week but is listed as questionable for the game.
We'll soon see which starting five the Bears decide to go with and how those five hold up protecting their quarterback on Sunday.
‘It starts with me’ – Caleb Williams gets brutally honest about the Bears struggling offense heading into Week 10
Something needs to be fixed.
