After starting the season with three straight victories
against Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings, and Pittsburgh Steelers, the
Chicago Bears lost their next two games versus the Detroit Lions and New
Orleans Saints. Last Thursday, the Bears returned to their winning ways by
defeating the New York Giants 27-21 to improve their record to 4-2 on the year.
This Sunday, the Bears travel to Washington to battle the Redskins, and they are
hoping to pick up their fifth victory of the season before heading into their
bye during week 8 of the NFL season.
With just over one-third of the season complete, I wanted to
quickly share some of my thoughts on how the 2013 season is shaping up for the
Bears.
-Jay Cutler is off to
the best start of his career. Through six games, Cutler has thrown for
1,630 yards with 12 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, and a 65.9% completion
percentage. The 65.9% completion percentage would be a career high for Cutler,
and he is on pace to 32 touchdowns and 16 interceptions if he plays all 16
games. If Cutler were to reach 32 touchdowns, he would surpass his top-season
mark of 27 set in 2009. Based on the numbers, I think it is safe to say that Cutler
has adapted to the new offense and he is comfortable working with Marc
Trestman.
-The offensive line
continues to impress. Phil Emery made it a point to revamp the offensive
line in the offseason, and he has done exactly that. The free agent additions
of Jermon Bushrod and Matt Slauson, coupled with the draft picks of Kyle Long
and Jordan Mills have turned this offensive line into a solid group. Jay Cutler
has been sack 9 times in six games, good for a 4.0% sack percentage on
attempted passes. That number would be Cutler’s lowest since his offensive line
in Denver produced a 1.8% sack percentage in 2008. It is no coincidence that
Cutler’s lone Pro Bowl appearance came in 2008. It’s funny to think that a good
offensive line generally leads to good quarterback play…
-Cutler no longer has
to rely on Brandon Marshall. As good as Brandon Marshall is, it is nice to
see Cutler have confidence throwing to his other receivers. With Alshon Jeffery,
Martellus Bennett, and Matt Forte, Cutler has four above average targets to
throw to and the results have shown that. Marshall still leads the team with 40
receptions, but Forte (33), Bennett (31), and Jeffery (29) are all on-pace for
big years in the passing game. This balance and depth is exactly what the
offense has lacked during Cutler’s first four seasons in Chicago.
-Injuries have taken
a toll on the defense. The Bears have already lost DT Henry Melton, DT Nate
Collins, CB Kelvin Hayden, and ILB D.J. Williams for the season. In addition to
those season ending injuries, the Bears defense also played without DT Stephen
Paea and CB Charles Tillman last week. Both Paea and Tillman are hoping to play
this week, but the impact that injuries have had on this defense is apparent. The
Bears cannot afford any more injuries to their starters on defense, or anyone
else for that matter because they are lacking depth at several positions.
Luckily, rookie ILB Jon Bostic was able to get valuable playing time this
preseason while D.J. Williams sat out this summer due to injuries. Bostic made
some nice plays and showed a lot of promise while he was on the field, so
hopefully he can step right in and make an impact right away.
-The defensive line
is playing soft. Last Thursday night was a prime example of how weak the
Bears’ defensive line is playing. Now, part of the reason for the soft
defensive line play is because of injuries, but they need to be better. With DT’s
Henry Melton, Nate Collins, and Stephen Paea all out last week, the Bears were
forced to move some personnel around. DE Corey Wootton played the majority game
at DT and Shea McClellin was the primary defensive end. McClellin’s listed
position is DE, but he is more of a “hybrid” type player and should only be
used during pass rushing situations. With McClellin (260 lbs) and Wootton (270
lbs) essentially playing out of position, the Bears were severely undersized on
the defensive line and it showed. Giants’ running back Brandon Jacobs rushed
for 106 yards on 22 carries, with most of the runs coming right up the middle
or to McClellin’s side. The Giants realized the Bears’ weakness and they took
advantage of the undersized line. The Bears need to find a way to fix this
issue before a team with a stronger running game torches them. In addition to
the poor rush defense, the Bears only have 8 sacks on the season. At this point
of the season, you would like to see a sack total twice that size, so the Bears
need to improve that area as well.
-The secondary is
still very opportunistic. Despite the defense’s struggles and injuries,
they are still creating turnovers and scoring points on defense. The Bears have
a +7 turnover ratio on the season and a large part of that is due to the
secondary. The unit has a total of nine interceptions, three of which were
returned for touchdowns. Obviously, the Bears can’t rely on turnovers and
defensive touchdowns to win games, but it is always a nice bonus.
-Eric Tichelbaut
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