The Bears' Dead Zone

The real tendency in the disaster known as the Bears offense is to look at the last failure and count it as their biggest problem to address.

There are different failures every game and each carries its own significant place within the failure multiverse.

Their great failure in the last game came in the red zone and although they haven't been good there through six games, it hasn't necessarily been a great deal worse than other aspects of their offense.

Still, this has been a re-occurring theme at several points in the season.

Do they run too many times, do they pass too many times?

"I don't really see a connection there," coach Matt Eberflus said. "It's just individual plays we've got to execute those."

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Bears Red Zone Play Calls

They have run 34 times and passed 11. Justin Fields has 10 rushing attempts but many of his runs came on scrambles when passes were called.

At one time it would have been accurate to say they ran too much, like after they'd run 24 times and passed once.

Now, though, it's difficult to say they actually run too much. There will always be more runs anyway, because fewer yards are required.

If it truly is execution, the issues come from all angles.

The great problem is the Bears offense simply struggles overall, and when they get in closer to the goal line those struggles are compounded as the field condenses.

The running game is vital there, and has 34 attempts for 105 yards inside the red zone, not a ridiculously poor average of 3.1 yards in an area of the field where yardage can be tough to find.

They just haven't been able get sufficient push from the blocking to score from in close. They have just three TDs to show for nine runs from inside the 5-yard line.

Justin Fields and Red zone Passing

Fields has trouble getting the ball out quickly while going through all his reads and recognizing which receivers are actually open all over the field. NextGen Stats has confirmed this since he came in the league.

Near the goal line, everything happens faster and makes it all the more difficult.

Fields is 4 of 11 passing in the red zone with two touchdowns and an interception. The only regular quarterback in the league with fewer pass attempts and the same number completions is Baker Mayfield, who is 4 of 8 with one less game played.

Another fact: The Bears haven't really established anyone as a real red zone receiving threat.

Logically, this should be tight end Cole Kmet but he has only two targets in the red zone and has one catch for a 3-yard loss. Kmet hasn't had a TD catch since 2020.

Darnell Mooney has two targets and one catch, the fateful 3-yarder on the last play of the game that came up a few inches short after he bobbled it.

Equanimeous St. Brown has two targets with an 18-yard TD catch but on Thursday he was curiously missing in the end and on Friday Eberflus was asked if the 6-foot-5 receiver was injured. Nothing had been reported during the game by the team about St. Brown and an injury, and it won't be required until Thursday of next week.

"I'm still looking into that. I'll be able to tell you later on," was all Eberflus said on Friday.

Dante Pettis has two targets with no catch, including a mugging by Darrick Forrest in the end zone that officials let go as good defense.

One of the completions for a touchdown Fields does have was essentially a running play. It was the shove-jet sweep by Velus Jones Jr. It was a good play for Jones since he doesn't really need to judge the ball when it is flipped a foot forward to him as he runs past Fields.

Ryan Griffin had a target on one play beautifully schemed by Getsy to get him wide open. It did and Fields overthrew him from the 3-yard line.

They've even tried a target for Ihmir Smith-Marsette, the beauty of that being he couldn't have the ball stolen from behind if he makes a reception in the end zone. But that pass to him was incomplete, anyway.

The Fixes?

The one revealing stat is their toughest runner hasn't been given a single carry inside the 5-yard line. Montgomery has no carries inside the 5-yard line, partially because he was gone for about seven quarters with an injury.

However, there were 17 other quarters when he played and had no attempts from inside the 5-yard line.

After the last loss, Fields said that Montgomery had been stopped at the goal line, but misspoke in the moment. It was actually Khalil Herbert who had a carry and was stopped on the fourth-and-1 goal-line play.

So Montgomery from in close could be a better option going forward.

Then, throwing more to Kmet earlier on plays might be an option. Kmet isn't going to come open late on plays from the red zone. It must happen quickly. He's not a speed option as a tight end. Fields must throw the ball on time to Kmet. He was tried to get it to Kmet in the last game over the middle but it hit a helmet and was intercepted.

Another solution could be only a game or two away. Better receivers could help.

They have two receptions on the year from Byron Pringle and none from N'Keal Harry. Both are bigger receivers who should be red-zone threats if not threats all over the field, but they've been injured.

Harry is active again. They'll need to wait several weeks for Pringle, who went on injured reserve with a calf injury near the end of September.

One unlikely possibility seems to be trading for a receiver. It's rare when a receiver comes in mid-season and makes an immediate impact without knowing a team's offense. By the time they can integrate a player into the attack now, it might be December.

About the only midseason acquisition are receiver in recent Bears memory to make an impact was Dontrelle Inman in 2017, and he began playing in the ninth game after sitting a week to digest the offense. He then caught 25 passes in the season's second half.

Also, the only way a trade ever makes sense is if it is one for a player who can actually be a real part of the franchise's future and not a stop-gap. Such players come with bigger salaries that could be better absorbed next year when the salary cap is no longer a restriction.

Are the Bears really going to give away more draft picks for a receiver who may or may not help in the future? Unlikely.

The other way they could is if a receiver from the same offense becomes available in a trade. It isn't as difficlt to get them up to speed then. Getsy came from Green Bay's offense and it doesn't seem likely the Packers will trade a receiver to the Bears.

O-Line Woes

Finally, the offensive line must improve or change and improve.

Fields has been sacked 23 times and taken a beating when he scrambles. He has a sore left shoulder now. He took 11 hits in Thursday's game.

They've put a lot of time into rookie tackle Braxton Jones and as a result it would seem unlikely they would remove him and use veteran Riley Reiff instead.

"Doing more things that can help the offensive line, that can help the receivers, that can help every group, to that's what we're looking at," Eberflus said.

Someone needs to come up with something soon just to keep everything interesting, considering they play at New England and Dallas next and then have games yet with Minnesota, Green Bay, Miami, Philadelphia and Buffalo.

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