The Stops Bears Must Pull Out to End Desperation
As bleak as it looks for the Bears after two games in four without an offensive touchdown, there are ways to jump-start a team.
It's going to take using some players who haven't been used to their full extent so far, or in particular ways.
It's going to require gambling.
More than both of those, it will require their offensive line to pull together and block for the run, but this has to happen regardless of what else they do.
As coach Matt Nagy said while talking about quarterbacks in particular, "When you lose four games in a row it's all on the table. Everything's out there."
It's time to start thinking outside the box for the Bears and here are the ways to cause problems for opponents.
1. More Allen Robinson Targets in the Red Zone, Less Jimmy Graham
The defenses are all over Robinson when the Bears are in the red zone, sure.
Yet, this is the best receiver in the league at contested catches.
Obviously Robinson's agent Brandon Parker threw a social media fit in the Vikings game about how they don't target Robinson enough.
"Throw 12 the Damn Ball in the Redzone! JUST ONCE! My goodness..," he said via Twitter.
The truth is, they have thrown Robinson the ball in the red zone. He's had seven attempts and caught just three.
There are two problems with their approach.
They don't get to the red zone enough to take advantage of Robinson's abilities in a crowd. And they target Jimmy Graham way too much instead of Robinson.
Graham has been targeted 13 times in the red zone, the second-most among all players in the NFL. Only Davante Adams and Mike Evans have been targeted in the red zone more. Graham has eight receptions so it's worked somewhat. Graham has five touchdown catches and this is tied for seventh in the league.
Still, spreading it around a little more and particularly to Robinson might make them less predictable and more effective.
After all, the Bears are 30th in the NFL in red zone touchdown percentage so no one can accuse them of being effective with what they're doing.
2. Get Anthony Miller Involved More
This has been a disappointing washout year for Miller when it should have been a big step up. His best game might have been the Saints game when the Bears showed some life on offense for a change.
Miller had eight catches in this game, a season high. His 73 yards were his most since Week 1.
Last week he had two possible big plays just elude him, although it would be tough to pin either on him. He needs more chances because sometimes he does make those receptions. Think Detroit, think Atlanta.
"Now, (would) those have been unbelievable catches? Yeah," wide receivers coach Mike Furrey said. "But that's also why you play in the NFL. We want to hold ourselves to that accountability amongst our room and I know A-Mill feels the same way.
"Obviously sometimes you don't catch those balls also, you know, and unfortunately we were 0-for-2 on those balls on Monday night."
3. If It's Mitchell Trubisky Playing QB, Let Him Run
Trubisky said last year he's not running like he used to because he's focused on developing as a quarterback and has to buy time with his feet while reading the defense and going through his progression.
While we're waiting for his progression, someone is coming to sack and hurt him.
Trubisky needs to forget developing as a reader of defenses. That's out the window. He's shown he can't do this well enough.
A sense of urgency has to permeate the entire team, including the quarterback.
It's time to look once, then maybe to one alternate receiver and take off with the ball. He had a 45-yard scramble when he did it this year.
And it's time to let him run more on zone reads. He rarely keeps the ball on the read-option and should.
4. Get Cordarrelle Patterson More Passes with Room to Run
Whether it's more wide receiver screens, screens to him lining up in the slot, or just tossing it to him out of the backfield, they need to get Patterson the ball with more room to run to build up a head of steam. He shows on special teams he's explosive and occasionally it happens on an offensive play.
Only twice this year in 21 throws have they failed to connect on passes to Patterson so he'll catch it. They need to play to this strength.
5. Matt Nagy Needs to Recognize His Team Strengths
What are the surest things the Bears have going? Besides Allen Robinson, it's the defense and red-hot kicker Cairo Santos.
With about three minutes left Monday and all their timeouts, they throw a pass behind the line to Allen Robinson and lose 4 yards when they're in field goal range, then on fourth-and-6 they go for it when it would have been a 52- or 53-yard field goal try.
Santos is hot, with 14 straight. He's making those. He made a 55-yarder this year. A field goal there with all their timeouts left gives the Bears a chance to get the ball back with plenty of time to try for a tying field goal. If he misses, they still have enough time for the touchdown.
Nagy never shows enough confidence in his defense that they will get the ball back, or his kicker to supply three points. He has had this similar situation develop twice before this season and opted against longer field-goal tries. He wants touchdowns and not field goals, he said.
Well, with a strong defense likely to get the ball back for you, and without any offense whatsoever, it's time to be a defensive-minded coach and take the three points when they're available.
6. Blitz. Blitz. Blitz.
It's difficult to critize Chuck Pagano for anything when the defense is ranked first in the red zone, first at third downs and continues to keep the Bears in games when the offense is repeatedly tripping over it's big toe.
However, as Nagy said it's time for everything to be on the table. The Bears have blitzed just 83 times according to Sportradar, the league's official stat partner.
Only seven teams have blitzed less.
If you're getting great heat on the quarterback without it, this is fine. However, the same stat service has the Bears 24th in the league in pass rush pressures at 19.8% of pass attempts.
Even with Khalil Mack, Mario Edwards, Akiem Hicks and Co., they aren't getting home or even getting enough serious pressure. Much of this is because teams use the quick passing game against them but at this point, more blitzes, more chances taken are necessary.
Roquan Smith has sacks in each of the last two games. Keep it coming.
Blitz Buster Skrine off the slot. He seems to have problems covering receivers anyway. Blitz Danny Trevathan. He has shown tricky moves in the pass rush at times in the past.
Force big plays and turnovers with the blitz the way the Bears did in the Buddy Ryan era. The time for playing it safe is over.
It's better to go down fighting than by letting teams piece together long drives off short gains and face a death by inches, one of former coordinator Vic Fangio's favorite terms.
They need the turnovers a more aggressive approach can force because their offense is too inept to stand on its own.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
