Game Overview ::
By hilow >>
- Colts WR Josh Downs returned to a full practice for the first time this season as he recovers from an ankle injury. He is expected to make his season debut against the Bears.
- Bears WR Keenan Allen (heel) remained a non-participant on Wednesday after missing Week 2 against the Texans.
- Shane Waldron has been a steady disappointment as an offensive playcaller for most of 2023 and all of 2024. Meanwhile, Shane Steichen is coming off one of the worst games I’ve seen him call in some time against the Packers. Both of these teams are looking for a get-right spot after playing the bulk of the first two games from behind.
- This is a very interesting spot that pits the strength of each team against each other and the weakness of each team against each other.
How chicago Will Try To Win ::
The Bears might take the title for the top defense through two weeks of play. And while that is a tiny sample size, one of those games came against a team that might be regarded as a top-two-or-three offense in short order (Houston). The thing is, it has been much needed to keep this team in games due to how poorly coached their offense has been. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron is doing his rookie quarterback no favors, and their offensive line has played as one of the worst units through two weeks. We knew this offensive line had question marks coming into the season after they performed so poorly in the preseason, but their stink has been on another level to begin the year. Even with all the splashy additions to the offensive side of the ball this offseason, this team derives its identity through its defense. And you shouldn’t have had to look much further than how they went about stealing a victory from the Titans in Week 1 to find out. The defensive front of Montez Sweat, Gervon Dexter, Andrew Billings, and DeMarcus Walker has played as if possessed to start the season, and the recent acquisitions of T.J. Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds, and Kevin Byard filled gaps in the roster that were present before their respective arrivals. General Manager Ryan Poles should be lauded for his work over the previous two seasons to turn this franchise around in a hurry, both through trades and through the draft.
The run game for the Bears has been borderline nonexistent. Free agent acquisition D’Andre Swift has a total of 48 yards on the ground on 24 carries, which is the third-fewest yards per carry of running backs to see more than ten carries (looking at you, Rachaad White and Trey Benson). And what’s worse for his fantasy value moving forward is that he left the game for the lone goal line carry in Week 2 in favor of Khalil Herbert. The matchup with the static defense of the Gus Bradley Colts is about as good as it gets on the ground, but the Bears have not shown anything to inspire confidence about them being able to take advantage of those shortcomings. We talked about the unique aspects of some other defenses that deploy zone at increased rates, like Todd Bowles for the Buccaneers and Jim Schwartz for the Browns – yea, Bradley is on the other end of the spectrum, stuck in this monotonous loop of static coverages and alignments that make attacking their tendencies fairly straightforward. It’s just the same 4-3 look with down linebackers from Cover-3 alignments, over and over again. I mean, 54.5% Cover-3 rates through two games is ridiculous. Man/gap concepts are just destroying this defense, which Matt LaFleur executed to a tee in Week 2. LaFleur just kept utilizing down-blocking center or tackle concepts with a pulling guard and creating massive holes in the defensive line, with the pulling guard as a lead blocker to confront a linebacker unit within three yards of the line of scrimmage. It wasn’t rocket science, but Bradley did very little to adjust throughout the game. That said, Waldron utilizes a heavier rate of zone concepts in the run game, which a 3-4 base, Cover-3-heavy defense is better suited to neutralize.
Waldron’s Bears actually increased their 11-personnel usage in Week 2 without Keenan Allen in the lineup, which is even more interesting considering the Bears have not played with a lead in the first three-quarters of either game this season. One of the things plaguing Waldron’s pass offense to this point in the season is a relative inability to stretch the field in the vertical. All three of D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, and Keenan Allen hold an average depth of target between 6.6 and 9.5, with seven deep targets between the three. The structuring of routes is just more confined to the intermediate areas of the field with the struggles of the offensive line, something that appears unlikely to change in the immediate future. That matters slightly less against a Colts defense that remains predictable and static dependent on the down-and-distance equation but noteworthy moving forward, nonetheless. Another example of a head-scratcher from Waldron last week was a screen thrown to the strong side of the formation, but instead of the screen called to the spry Carter with Gerald Everett blocking, the play was designed to go to Everett with Carter pulling lead blocking duties. I almost spit out my Topo Chico when I saw the play. Anyway, yea, this offense is not looking good on paper or on film at present. It currently appears as if Allen will miss his second consecutive game, meaning DeAndre Carter is likely to step into the starting slot receiver role. The final head-scratcher for me through two weeks has been the inconsistent tight-end usage. Cole Kmet was held to a 48% snap rate in Week 1, while Everett handled 61%, which flip-flopped in Week 2 to 77% for Kmet and 36% for Everett. Marcedes Lewis has played about ten snaps in each game as a blocking specialist.
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