Bears Week 12 snap counts confirm multiple suspicions fans were hoping to see continue on both sides of the ball
The Chicago Bears continue to find the worst ways to lose after dropping an overtime opportunity against the Minnesota Vikings.The loss was the fifth consecutive for the Bears, who would be spiraling if not for the play of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams under offensive coordinator Thomas Brown.Despite the loss, some trends did continue with the Bears […]
The Chicago Bears continue to find the worst ways to lose after dropping an overtime opportunity against the Minnesota Vikings.
The loss was the fifth consecutive for the Bears, who would be spiraling if not for the play of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams under offensive coordinator Thomas Brown.
Despite the loss, some trends did continue with the Bears in terms of the snap counts on both sides of the ball. Here are those trends and more takeaways from Sunday.
Bears Snap Counts vs Vikings
Similar Roschon Johnson Usage
During the first game under new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown in Week 11, running back Roschon Johnson played a season-high 42% of the offensive snaps. On Sunday against the Vikings, he played 38% of the offensive snaps, compared to D'Andre Swift who played 55% of the snaps.
Johnson, however, had just two carries for two yards and a touchdown, but did catch one pass for 10 yards during the final two minutes of the game.
Of Johnson's 29 offensive snaps, 12 came on the goal line or with under 2 minutes remaining in either half. He's got a clear designed role in this offense and it continues to work out well for the unit.
Terell Smith Finally Out-Snaps Tyrique Stevenson
This is one fans have been begging for over the last few weeks. Even though Eric Washington praised both players and noted he will continue to use both in different situations, Terell Smith finally logged more snaps than Tyrique Stevenson.
Smith finished the game with 47 defensive snaps compared to Stevenson who played 25. Stevenson has obviously struggled in coverage as of late and Washington explained his play time had to do with his role as a tackler.
On Sunday, however, it was Stevenson who played better in coverage (1 reception allowed for 7 yards, vs 3 receptions allowed for 59 yards by Smith) and Smith who was easily the better tackler, especially after watching this bad missed tackle by Stevenson.
Bears Starting OL Plays A Full Game
This one usually shouldn't be praised that much, but for the Bears this was a remarkable feat from Sunday's game. All five starting offensive linemen played all 76 offensive snaps, including the overtime action.
The unit has been hit with injuries left and right nearly every single week and it was a relief to see every starter finish the game for once. And for the second game, the unit played really well until the obvious passing situations late in the game against a tough defensive line that likes to throw a lot of different looks at the offense.
It was nearly a perfect game. Only one offensive lineman (Braxton Jones) was credited with a sack and the unit only had one false start penalty coming from right tackle Darnell Wright. Things are still starting to look up for the unit between health and the communication.
Weekly DL Rotation
With the entire defensive line now playing at a healthy level, the trend continued with who got the most work on the front. Gervon Dexter played 70% of the defensive snaps inside while Montez Sweat (68%) and DeMarcus Walker (69%) each were barely under the 70% mark.
Byron Cowart and Zach Pickens once again split time at the other defensive tackle position with Cowart playing 43 snaps and Pickens playing 27. Off the edge, Darrell Taylor (28%) and Jacob Martin (27%) led the way over rookie Austin Booker (20%).
Overall, the unit finished the game with three sacks by three different players and 20 total pressures by eight different players. PFF noted that Sam Darnold was pressured on 43% of his dropbacks. That's the kind of performance you'd like to see from the defensive front.
Opposing players continue to bury the Chicago Bears’ coaching staff for not properly addressing a very obvious concern
How do you let this happen twice in a row?
