Bears Offense Continually Arrives Late to the Show
Maybe the Bears didn't realize the time changed back earlier in November.
Or maybe they are setting their alarms too late.
There has to be an explanation for why they come out every game looking unprepared on offense, then come around by halftime and score touchdowns in the third quarter.
They did it again Sunday in the 19-14 win over the New York Giants
"I thought early on, I think it was my first drive, I thought we moved the ball well," wide receiver Allen Robinson said. "We didn't capitalize so that's always tough. I think if we had capitalized on it, we would have some momentum going throughout the rest of the first quarter.
"I think we kind of stalled out a little but once we got to the end of the half, we picked up some momentum and carried it into the second half."
It was actually their second drive when the Bears nearly scored, driving to the Giants 14 before Mitchell Trubisky threw one up on third down in the end zone for Alec Ogletree to pick off and end the threat.
"Miscommunication between me and A-Rob," Trubisky said. "I thought he was going to one thing, he was seeing something else out there and we fixed it, got on the same page later on. Just one of those instances where you can't force it. We had points in that situation, so I try to give him a chance, but we just weren't on the same page, and it happens."
The two got on the same page later in on in the first half and remained there as Trubisky completed six for a season-high 131 yards to Robinson, including a 32-yard TD strike when the offense heated up coming out of the locker room.
"There was a little play action with it," coach Matt Nagy said. "He ran a hell of a route. A really good route. Mitch made a hell of a throw and stuck it right there, and he was able to finish after that, so it was good.
It was the fifth straight game they've scored coming out of the locker room at halftime. The entire offense seemed to pep up when they went to a two-minute offense just before halftime and drove to an Eddy Pineiro 26-yard field goal to cut New York's lead to 7-3.
"I think just guys were just doing their jobs, just playing a little faster, getting guys in and out of the huddle, getting to the line of scrimmage, getting some good calls out there," Trubisky said. "So the defense doesn't know what's coming, keeping them off balance, and I think any time you have explosive plays, especially in the pass game, it starts to open things up.
"The more times we could do that, we'll be better."
Trubisky wasn't through with silly mistakes, though. He threw up a lame duck of a deep ball to Javon Wims for an interception that Julian Love returned 30 yards to midfield with the Bears leading 19-7.
"Just forced a bad decision," Trubisky said. "It can't happen. I thought I could put a little more on it, couldn't. Bad decision, forced."
Now if only they could figure out how to score points early, as well as late.
Wide receiver Anthony Miller, who had a season-high 77 yards and matched a career high with six receptions, had a theory on why they're more effective later.
"We see what the defense is doing in the first half so we just try to make those adjustments and see how we can make plays," Miller said.
Tarik Cohen doesn't think the solution situation is simple.
"I have no idea," he said. "If I had that I'd either be a coach or I'd tell the coach and we'd get it rolling."
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