Another year, another tragic loss for the Green Bay Packers who send the Chicago Bear Goes into emergency state. The organization is reeling after its bitter rival pulled out a close victory with the fingertips of a blocked game-winning field goal, bringing Chicago back to a dismal 4-6 record.
It’s hard to ignore the painful horror of having the ball fall to the ground well before the uprights, but a glimmer of hope can be found after that moment. Several positives, actually, as Chicago played one of its most complete games of the year against Green Bay. The energy of new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown revitalized his once downtrodden unit, methodically moving the ball downfield and staying one step ahead of the Packers’ defense, and the defense continued to put up stiff resistance to the efforts from quarterback Jordan Love to push the ball downfield – plus a few costly mistakes.
The loss certainly hurts, but real improvement has undeniably been made. From now on, the team’s mission is to surpass itself against its other rival from the north, the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings are no slouch with their impressive 8-2 record, but their early season dominance has certainly faltered, and the Bears should have some opportunities to do some damage against their flawed defense. Chicago’s offense is on the verge of a major turnaround, so let’s talk about how they can stay the course with the three keys to Chicago’s offense in Week 11.
1. Give QB Caleb Williams the keys to the offense
Chicago’s rookie signal-caller made a triumphant return to relevance in last week’s loss to Green Bay, looking more like the confident quarterback he was earlier in the season. The presence of Thomas Brown as the team’s new offensive coordinator seemingly lit a fire under the passer, as his fervent and passionate play kept the Bears in last week’s game until the very end. Two of his most impressive throws of his young career came in the final seconds of the game, when Chicago needed its quarterback to deliver on third and fourth. Williams rose to the occasion, firing a moving dart to rookie Rome Odunze on third down to set up a manageable fourth down, then converting that fourth down on a perfect back shoulder toss to Odunze to keep the drive going. life. His efforts didn’t result in a victory, but the Bears learned something important about their quarterback: He plays his best when he has everything to lose. Williams is ready to take command of his offense from here on out.
Brown’s tendency to rely on a short-intermediate passing game proved effective in Week 11, and it should continue to pay off this week against the rival Vikings. Although they are home to one of the best run stopping units in the league, they have been susceptible to passes, ranking as one of the worst in this department. Williams should be able to cover serious distances in the air and maintain scores, but matchups on paper usually paint a different picture than what we see on the field. A vertical piece of the aerial attack would be welcome, but the Bears’ poor offensive line could prevent Brown from taking the risk. Despite everything, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Odunze, Moore or even Tyler Scott achieve a big feat on the field.
Allow Williams to take charge of his offensive arsenal, and he should be able to do some damage on Sunday.
2. Build the passing game around receivers DJ Moore and Rome Odunze
Williams’ lethal receiving corps makes up the other half of Chicago’s offensive attack, and they put together their best overall performance of the year last week. Odunze, Moore and Keenan Allen all had seven or more targets, and all made crucial plays at crucial times. Allen maintains an important role in the offense, of course, but Moore and Odunze possess game-changing qualities that Brown should wisely incorporate into his operation this week.
Last week, Brown made a shocking discovery that former OC Shane Waldron couldn’t make: Moore is good. Like, really good. And he should get more involved on the pitch. Moving him forward is exactly what Brown intended to do, and Moore’s tenacity and penchant for fighting for every yard was felt in full force in Week 11. Conversely, Odunze started to build a bit of rapport with Williams, connecting six times for 65 yards. on 10 targets, including the two aforementioned huge catches on the final drive of the game. The rookie is starting to live up to his first-round status, and building his confidence by keeping him involved should be a priority for Brown.
Both receivers can take full advantage of Minnesota’s vulnerable secondary if the ball continues to be handed to them.
3. Stay ahead of the channels
Here’s a fun statistic: bears are the second worst team in the NFL third in conversion rate this year, converting on less than a third of their total attempts. Oh, sorry, by “fun” I meant “totally thought-provoking,” in this context. They did some work to reverse that trend last week, however, converting on nine of their 16 third-down attempts. They even maintained their composure on three high-intensity fourth downs, converting each time. The offense needs to be able to stay on the field and increase the probability of scoring, which means they need to continue to successfully convert on late downs this week.
The key to achieving that goal is leaning on the offense’s strengths and using plays that Williams feels comfortable with. Even if Brown wants to make a long deep shot on the first down, he must understand that his offensive line may not hold up and his quarterback will be sacked as a result. Patience should be a virtue practiced this Sunday: allow Williams to quickly get the ball to his explosive players, hit the Minnesota defense with a healthy dose of D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson, and they’ll end up on third and fourth . and runs most often.
This article was originally published on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Vikings: 3 keys to Chicago’s offense in Week 12
