Ah Ah Ah Ah Staying Alive

 

December 27, 2020

The Bears beat the worst team in the NFL, the Jacksonville Jaguars, 41-17.  Although this game was lopsided, there were many problems that have cause for concern moving forward. The first half was disastrous. The Bears led only 13-10 at halftime. They did not look like a playoff contending team.

Quarterback Mitch Trubisky seems to have taken a step forward as of late.  He can thank his lucky stars that he has faced some of the worst defenses in football. He was 24-36 for 265 yards. He would not have had this many receptions if his receivers didn’t catch errant throws. He continues to struggle trying to hit on long passes when his receivers beat coverage. Allen Robinson (13 catches,
103 yards) continues to bail him out of trouble. Once again he threw an awful end zone interception. After scrambling away from the pass rush, he was picked off, throwing a pass into coverage. It’s been four years and he still hasn’t figured out throwing the ball out of bounds.

David Montgomery’s overall numbers looked pretty good. He ran 23 times for 95 yards. However, he still has many more runs that go for little or no gain. Take away his 26 yard run and his average yards per carry is 3 yards.  Undrafted Artavis Pierce got in the game late. He had two carries for 26 yards and a touchdown. These runs looked crisper than any Montgomery has run all year.

Of course you had bad play calling. After a pass interference and an off-sides penalty, the Bears had first and goal from six inches. They didn’t even try the traditional Montgomery up the middle for no gain. They called an outside run that lost four yards. On second down, they ran Montgomery for no gain and threw an incomplete pass, coming away with only a field goal. I don’t know who is calling plays. If it is Offensive Coordinator Bill Lazor, why do they need Coach Matt Nagy?  Either way, it seems neither is familiar with a quarterback sneak.

The defense made Jaguar’s QB Mike Glennon look like Aaron Rodgers in the first half. They took over in the second half, limiting the Jaguars to eight total yards in the third quarter. This is the defense that has to show up if they want to have any chance to win in a possible playoff game. Sometimes the defense looks uninspired and players are in wrong formations. Defensive Coordinator Chuck Pagano’s job should be in jeopardy.

It’s hard to believe that a team that lost six in a row has a good chance to make the playoffs. The Bears control their own destiny. A win next week over the Packers would clinch a spot. This becomes a possibility if the Packers have already clinched the number one seed and they rest their starters. An even more likely way is Arizona losing to the L.A. Rams. Problem is this current streak could cloud their vision regarding the changes that need to make.