Bears Go to Citrus State Looking for Juice

Analysis: The Bears defense needs even more juice in Tampa's heat but must sustain it this time against a Tampa Bay team particularly tough to beat at home.

The Bears are convinced they came out flat in the second half against Green Bay last week, that the electricity just went away sometime in the early second half.

They realize the need to end their 11-game losing streak before it continues too far into this year. 

People in Chicago are starting to forget what a winning Sunday looked like after the letdown of losing again to their biggest rival.

"Shoot, it's going to be a big response, impactful response," DJ Moore said. "In this league, you don't want to lose two games in a row because then it's gonna be a trickle-down effect. 

"To nip it in the bud right now, we gotta go out there and win and everybody's gotta have the juice and energy to go out there and do that."

Is it all juice, really? If you couldn't sustain electricity when you're playing the opener at home against Green Bay and the Packers no longer have Aaron Rodgers, then you're already a zombie.

This week it's a matter of improvement. They'll need it, and plenty of it, because next week they're walking into an embarrassment waiting to happen on the road in Kansas City.

It's appropriate the Bears need improvement in Week 2 and are going to Tampa. 

Their last coach to win a playoff game, Lovie Smith, used to say almost every year that the biggest improvement is always from Week 1 to Week 2, just like he always preached how the player's biggest leap forward is Year 1 to Year 2. And Smith will always be associated with the Buccaneers as a member of Tony Dungy's staff and later their head coach.

There's a part of Justin Fields' game we aren't talking about enough -- his dropback pace is bizarrely slow.

Ever wonder why it feels like the #Bears' OL is always giving up immediate pressure? This may be part of it. Both plays are shotgun 5-step drops.

Digging in more now. pic.twitter.com/mOM1XUpHpp

— Robert Schmitz (@robertkschmitz) September 16, 2023

The Bears need more improvement than they can possibly hope for to pull off an upset in Tampa unless the Buccaneers give one away due to overconfidence after seeing the tape of last week's embarrassing Chicago loss to Green Bay.

Everything seems to be working in Tampa Bay's direction. The Buccaneers' defense is veteran and poised to do what they did to the Vikings last week. Somehow, they held the high-flying Minnesota passing game to 173 yards in Minnesota. Justin Jefferson is used to getting that many receiving yards by himself in most games. There was no Vikings running game but that's what happens when you cut Dalvin Cook.

The only factor working against Tampa Bay is cornerback Carlton Davis' absence with a toe injury, but they have a deep secondary. Besides, it rarely comes down to actually covering receivers closely for Tampa Bay when the blitz gets there first. 

The Bears gave up four sacks of Justin Fields last week and Braxton Jones committed four penalties. One can only wonder how high those numbers climb facing Shaq Barrett, Vita Vea and the Tampa Bay front.

They're going to need to find a way to run the ball more consistently than last week to keep Tampa at bay, in addition to pass-blocking better.

"When you can do that really well with protections, when you run the ball well, because you don't get into pass situations where they can pin their ears back, those passing situations, the second-and-longs and then third-and-longers when they know it's going to be pass," coach Matt Eberflus said. "I think running the ball and then obviously having some multiplicity with protections is what it's all about."

𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗢𝗥#Lions OC Ben Johnson when asked about Head Coaching in 2024 responded by stating “I’m just focused on today.”

When then asked about #Bears QB Justin Fields he replied “a lot of natural talent and ability. I could probably get something out of him.” pic.twitter.com/uOxfBB55pH

— NFL Notifications (@NFLNotify) September 16, 2023

The other way the Bears got themselves in situations like they don't want to be in last week was penalties, and going on the road to a noisy stadium in severe heat isn't exactly the prescribed way to avoid penalties or long down and distance.

Then there is that incessant heat. Eberflus has it covered, he said.

"A lot of things go into it but we were ahead of it," Eberflus said. "We talked to them, about it in training camp, then we talked to them about it right after the game on Monday. About doing the steps that they need to do, to step up their hydration and all those types of things. The performance staff did an outstanding job with that. Again, we’ll see where it is. If the guys did it right we should be all set, ready to go. So the guys in the building, we really use the whole building to educate the guys on that."

Drinking water is one thing, improving is another.

The Bears need drastic improvement, especially on defense, because they tried throwing together starters at half a dozen new positions on that side of the ball and in  training camp and preseason lacked proper on-field time together because injuries began to hit about three or four days into training camp. When those occurred, it kept them from ever putting their defense together on the field until the week before their opener.

Considering how many new pieces they have on that side of the ball, even practicing together every day and playing all the preseason games might not have been enough.

It's not baseball, where you trot out a lineup and play. The timing and communication required in even a fairly simple scheme like the Bears play requires time on task.

Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards are proven, quality linebackers who graded out only average or slightly below average in Pro Football Focus' Week 1 grading system because the time on task isn't there yet. The Bears defensive line had no pass rush pressure again, but communication and playing together plays a role there, as well.

Their secondary barely gave up more than 50% completions but was burned for big plays on third down, and a 9-of-16 conversion rate, and coverage should be the defense's strength. With no rush for the cover in a rush-and-cover defense, this will happen.

Now they're trying to overcome the losses of starting and backup slot cornerbacks in a stadium where visitors win about 33% of time since 2020.

"Every one is on, locked in and we know what we have to go out and do Sunday," Eddie Jackson said.

They need more juice, more electricity than the opener? They better have it and keep it.

If not, their second half last week will look like a resounding success compared to what could occur without it at Raymond James Stadium.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven