What the Chicago Bears Must Improve Most Coming out of Week 9 Bye
To say that the 2014 season has been a disappointment so far for the Chicago Bears would be an understatement.
Sitting with a record of 3-5 heading into their bye week is not exactly where the Bears envisioned they would be at this point when the season began. Expectations were high heading into this season because of what the offense was able to do last season and the team's additions on defense this offseason.
Unfortunately, Chicago has been unable to click on all cylinders this season on a consistent basis. In its wins against the San Francisco 49ers, the New York Jets and the Atlanta Falcons, Chicago was able to find consistency, but it has been unable to replicate that success in its other five games.
While many players look forward to the bye week to get healthy both physically and mentally, wide receiver Brandon Marshall is not a fan.
"I'm never a fan of the bye week because obviously I want to get to the next one," Marshall said after the team's loss to the New England Patriots in Week 8, via Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. "This one's going to be tough. We've got a lot of time to really sit on this one and think about it."
The Bears were manhandled by the Patriots in Week 8, losing by a score of 51-23, dropping Chicago to 3-5 on the season. With their loss against New England, the Bears are now tied with the Minnesota Vikings for last place in the NFC North division.
If Chicago wants to right the ship and compete for a playoff spot, there are many areas it is going to need to improve upon during its Week 9 bye.
With an NFC North showdown looming against the Green Bay Packers in Week 10, here are five areas the Bears are going to need to improve most during their bye week.
Offensive Balance
1 of 5
Despite having one of the NFL's best collections of weapons, Chicago's offense has been mediocre at best this season.
The Bears are currently 20th in the league in scoring, averaging just 22.5 points per game this season, down from 27.8 last season. They are 11th in passing yards with 251.1 per game and 18th in rushing yards with 102.5 yards per game.
Despite possessing one of the league's best running backs in Matt Forte, Chicago has run the football just 180 total times this season, 24th-most in the league.
Forte has been terrific in the passing game, hauling in the second-most catches in the NFL with 58, but head coach Marc Trestman has had a tendency to abandon the running game at times this season.
While the Bears sit 24th in the league in rushing attempts with 180, they are tied for fourth in passing attempts with 299.
On Monday, both Trestman and general manager Phil Emery spoke about the team needing to find more balance offensively, via the Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs and Rich Campbell:
"#Bears coach Marc Trestman: "We've got to do a better job of the balance with our football team, particularly on the offensive side."
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) October 27, 2014"
"Emery on offensive struggles: "The key is we have to achieve a better run-pass balance."
— Rich Campbell (@Rich_Campbell) October 27, 2014"
The Bears have been forced at times this season to throw the football almost exclusively, because they're down on the scoreboard, but they have shown to be at their best when they are executing in the run game, therefore opening up their passing attack. If they are unable to find a better balance on offense coming out of their bye, any hope of a playoff run will likely go out the window.
Turnovers
2 of 5
It is no secret that one of the biggest keys to winning games in the NFL is protecting the football.
Through eight games this season, the Bears have lost seven fumbles and quarterback Jay Cutler has been intercepted eight times.
In the Bears' loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 7, Cutler was credited with one interception and two fumbles, prompting Marshall to vent about the team's mistakes after the game.
"Same mistakes, same mistakes, same mistakes," Marshall said, via Michael C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com. "We've got to protect the football. We've got to protect the football."
In Chicago's three wins this season, Cutler has not thrown an interception, meaning all eight of his interceptions have come in the team's five losses.
It may be more complicated than Cutler throwing an interception versus not throwing an interception, but Chicago is clearly a better team when he plays relatively mistake-free football.
When asked about Cutler's propensity to turn the football over, Emery simply responded by saying, "[Cutler will] continue to strive to get better in that area," via Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times.
"Those are habits," Emery said, via Jahns. "Habits are hard to improve."
Those are not the most comforting of words for Bears fans to hear. Trestman did not really expand much on Emery's thoughts, only saying, via Jahns, "We’re going to work to try and negate some of the negatives that we do see that we want [Cutler] to get better at.’’
If the Bears want to return to being one of the league's best offenses in the second half of this season, eliminating turnovers will need to be at the top of their to-do list.
Sack Totals
3 of 5
After the Bears struggled to get much pressure on opposing quarterbacks last season, general manager Phil Emery signed defensive ends Jared Allen, Lamarr Houston and Willie Young this offseason to help bolster the team's pass rush.
While Young has been a bright spot with his career-high seven sacks, Allen and Houston have combined for just 2.5 sacks on the season.
To make matters even worse, Houston will miss the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL he suffered when celebrating a sack against the Patriots in Week 8:
"NFL player Lamarr Houston is out for the season as a result of his Ronaldo-like celebration: http://t.co/jVrS7gc80V https://t.co/myybkr0By8
— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) October 27, 2014"
"We’re disappointed for him—and in him,” Emery said at a press conference Monday, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “He’s come into all of our offices and apologized for his error. But ultimately the team paid a price."
With Houston out of the lineup, more pressure will be put on Allen to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks. He knows he needs to improve moving forward.
“I’ve got to try to find half a step,” he said, via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (subscription requried). “I’ve got to find a way to get the QB on the ground with the ball in his hands. That goes for the whole. Everybody on our D-line would say that. Every position group is like that. You go and look (at) yourself in the mirror and say what can we do better?"
Allen and Young will be expected to play the majority of reps at defensive end, while guys like Trevor Scott and/or Cornelius Washington will be relied upon to take critical snaps throughout the team's remaining eight games.
If Allen can somehow regain a step and revert back to his old ways and Young can continue to take down the opposing quarterback, then Chicago has a chance to be drastically better on defense in the second half of the season. But if they both falter in Houston's absence, expect the team to continue to struggle on defense.
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Consistency in the Return Game
4 of 5
After opting to not re-sign return man Devin Hester this past offseason, the Bears have struggled to find much of a spark on special teams this season.
Hester signed with the Falcons and is currently fourth in the NFL in kick return yards with 433 and tied for seventh in punt return yards with 151, including one touchdown. In comparison, Bears return man Chris Williams is 19th in kick return yards with 249, while punt returner Santonio Holmes is 31st in the NFL with 50 return yards.
Holmes has been consistent this season with his decision-making, calling for five fair catches, but Williams has struggled with knowing when to take the football out of the end zone. Prior to Williams' miscues on kickoff returns, Senorise Perry and Rashad Ross both lost their jobs due to their poor decision-making.
Despite the team's struggles in the return game in the first half of the season, special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis has seen improvement, telling Eli Kaberon of ChicagoBears.com:
"I think, you watched it (versus the Dolphins) there was improvement, big improvement. So I just think it's getting reps, like it is with all the other groups. Unfortunately because of the rule that's been instituted about kicking off from the 35-yard line, you don't get as many opportunities, so you're not going to get quite as good as a team as you'd like. But I think with the colder weather coming up, we should be able to get more opportunities.
"
After going back and forth with Perry and Ross to start the season, it appears Williams will likely hold down the return job for the remainder of the season. The Bears do not need him to hit a home run on every one of his returns; they simply need him to be smarter with his decisions. If he can play with a little more patience, he may be able to finally break off solid returns on a more consistent basis.
Linebacker Play
5 of 5
Injuries have played a key part of Chicago's demise on defense this season, particularly at the linebacker position.
After beginning the season with Shea McClellin, D.J. Williams and Lance Briggs as the team's starting linebacker trio against the Buffalo Bills, all three have been sidelined at one point or another due to injury. In their absence, Jon Bostic, Khaseem Greene, Darryl Sharpton and Christian Jones have all made starts at linebacker.
McClellin missed time with a broken hand and Williams missed time with a neck injury, but both returned to the lineup against the Dolphins in Week 7. Briggs and Bostic have both missed the team's last three games but are expected to return to practice next week, via the team's official Twitter account:
"Emery says LBs Lance Briggs and Jonathan Bostic likely will be able to practice next Monday.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 27, 2014"
Assuming Briggs and Bostic are both healthy enough to play against the Packers, Trestman and defensive coordinator Mel Tucker will need to determine which three linebackers should be the starters moving forward.
Briggs is most likely to keep his starting spot at weak-side linebacker, leaving the strong-side linebacker and middle linebacker roles open.
Prior to injuring his hamstring against the Patriots, Sharpton would have been the logical choice to man the middle of the defense, but it appears he will not be ready to play against the Packers in Week 10. He played well at middle linebacker against the Falcons, and according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he played 38 snaps in the team's nickel package against Miami in Week 7.
With Sharpton on the shelf for the foreseeable future, the Bears will likely keep Williams in at middle linebacker in the team's base defense and could put Bostic in alongside Briggs in the nickel package.
Both the middle and weak-side linebacker positions appear filled, leaving the strong-side linebacker position as the group's biggest question mark.
McClellin returned to the lineup against the Dolphins after missing four games, only to be abused in the passing game against both the Dolphins and the Patriots in consecutive weeks.
The Bears could put Bostic on the strong side, a position he competed for this offseason, or they could give undrafted rookie Christian Jones the spot.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Jones played all 75 snaps against the Patriots at weak-side linebacker after racking up 55 total snaps at weak-side linebacker in the previous three games.
Ultimately, the Bears will need to determine the three linebackers who give them the best opportunity to win football games here in the final eight weeks of the season and hope they can play much better than they did in the first half of the season.
Record/statistical information provided via email from the Chicago Bears or NFL.com.
Matt Eurich is an NFL/Chicago Bears Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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