The Chicago Bears flight from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston is about two and a half hours south-southwest. Their big ol’ jet airliner might have a few bumps on Saturday as it’s flying over the heart of the country with quartering headwinds. But will it be more turbulent than their week two matchup against the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football?
Ready to Launch or Get Burned
The Chicago Bears offense forgot to submit their airworthiness certificate to the FAA (NFL) for approval before their game in week one against the Tenessee Titans. The Titans remembered to get their certificate approved, but the Chicago Bears’ defense closed the airspace over Soldier Field during the game – so neither team could get off the ground. That’s why it became a defensive battle on the ground and special forces (teams) had to execute tactical missions to save the game for the Bears, like blocking a punt and returning it for a touchdown.
This week at practice, the emphasis for the Chicago Bears offense has been on flight training. Particularly, they have been focusing on max performance take-offs and short-field landings, i.e. quick throws and making sure they land in the endzone with the ball. The Bears’ pass catchers didn’t help their struggling rookie QB and O-line, having a few drops – including one for a touchdown by wide receiver Keenan Allen. “Keep your eye on the ball” and “Call the ball” are what pilots and controllers say when military planes are landing on aircraft carriers.
That’s what Chicago Bears WR Keenan Allen and his cohorts need to do in Houston – make sure they hit the landing with the ball in the endzone (on the carrier). Caleb Williams needs to be like the aircraft catapult that launches airplanes for takeoff from an aircraft carrier. He needs to launch the ball to his receivers (planes) downfield so they can “Call the ball” and land with it in the endzone for a touchdown. Caleb Williams must spread his wings and take flight with the help of the air traffic controller (Chicago Bears OC Shane Waldron) helping to vector him around.
Oh, what’s that, you’ve had enough aviation and military metaphors? Too bad. The Chicago Bears offense must attack the Houston Texans’ defense using all available tactics of football warfare including ground assault, air attack, and special forces (teams). All those begin with the “heavys” up front, battling in the trenches. The Bears’ offensive line must be the foundation upon which all strategic maneuvers (play calls) are built. The offensive line has to execute at an elite level and win the battle on the front lines so that the Monsters of the Midway can win the war.
Big Challenge for the Big Boys
Chicago Bears run game coordinator and offensive line coach Chris Morgan has his hands full. In last week’s game, the right side of the line had the best PFF (Pro Football Focus) grades on the entire offense with guard Nate Davis (73.7) and tackle Darnell Wright (72.7). These scores are more average than they are exceptional. Davis rotated with fellow RG Ryan Bates, so he only played 18 snaps, and still gave up one pressure and one hurry. Wright played the whole game and didn’t give up anything in pass blocking, but struggled in the run. Center Coleman Shelton (64.5) was average at best with a few bad snaps at costly times.
Though the Offensive line had some of the best grades on offense, they failed in crucial moments and were inconsistent. They were not playing cohesively. One thing that should change for the Chicago Bears’ offensive linemen against the Texans is, less player rotation in-game. The Bears can foster more unity on the O-line by keeping the same players next to each other throughout the game. If the offensive line can learn to play together as a unit, we should see a drastic improvement in their next contest. That will be a welcome sign to Bears’ fans as they hope to see their rookie QB look more comfortable on the field.
QB Caleb Williams (47.4) and fellow rookie, WR Rome Odunze (46.3), posted the two lowest PFF grades on the team. Some of this can be attributed to poor play by the offensive line, but much of it falls squarely on the young feller’s shoulders. Odunze’s only catch came off a tipped pass and he fumbled it away seconds later. Odunze then hurt his knee while blocking late in the game. An MRI on Monday revealed that he has an MCL sprain, and the team announced Wednesday that he will be day-to-day. If Odunze can’t go on Sunday night, the Chicago Bears’ offense shouldn’t be missing much production, until the rookie can get it together.
Caleb Williams, who is in good health after his first game, needs to get schooled up and drastically improve his performance quickly. He can help his o-line by improving his clock management and cadence. Better play clock management helps the linemen not feel rushed, allowing more time to read the defense, pre-snap. A more consistent cadence helps get the snap off quicker and helps the offense be more synchronized. Caleb could also be better at making sure he cleanly fields the snap before getting into his progressions. After the Titans game, coach Eberflus said Caleb needs to prioritize his footwork – which will also help the o-line in pocket development by knowing where he will be.
Busy Night for Bears’ DoD
The Houston Texans have an elite offense. CJ Stroud looked impressive in his first game against the Indianapolis Colts throwing for 234 yards, two touchdowns, and zero picks. Texans’ starting RB Joe Mixon had a massive day against the Colts, garnering 30 carries for 159 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The Chicago Bears’ defense must be prepared to see everything from the Texans’ offense.
The Chicago Bears defense also looked impressive last week, holding the Tennessee Titans to 104 net pass yards. The Bears’ defense could have been better against the run after giving up 140 yards rushing and one touchdown to the Titans. At least they didn’t spring a leak like the Colts’ defense did against the Texans allowing 417 total yards including 213 of those yards on the ground.
The Bears’ run defense will need to fix a few things in preparation for the Texans’ downhill running style with Joe Mixon. The Bears got bullied at the line of scrimmage on run plays against the Titans. If Bears’ DT Zacch Pickens can heal from his groin injury that kept him out of practice and the game last week, that should be an upgrade toward shoring up the run defense.
Last week against the Texans offense, the only thing the Indianapolis Colts defense did well was get after CJ Stroud with four sacks and 10 QB hits. The Colts’ defense failed to stop the run in any capacity, gave up too many touchdowns, and created zero turnovers. The Bears’ defense will undoubtedly be better than Indianapolis in most facets, especially if they can get healthy.
Final Approach
Will Caleb Williams and the fly-boys on offense get right this week as their critical mission in Houston approaches? Will they have enough laps in the pattern during flight training to learn from last week? Will they deploy and execute a new flight plan in primetime? Or, will things still be a little touch-and-go for the Chicago Bears as the offense earns their wings?
Does the Chicago Bears’ Department of Defense have enough resources and tactical advantages to thwart an all-out blitzkrieg from the Houston Texans’ offensive attack? Or will the Bears in the trenches be trampled by the road graters up front for the Texans’ ground assault? Tune in to Sunday Night Football this weekend on NBC at 7:20 pm CDT to see if the Chicago Bears will have enough to keep pace in the space race versus Houston.
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