Bears Blitz

Published by James Tillman III on September 19, 2013
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears improved to 2-0 following a 31-30 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

In past seasons, much of the team’s success was due to its ball-hawking defense. However, through the first two games of the 2013 season, the offense finally has played at a level that Bears fans can cheer about.

Let’s take a quick look as to why this has been the case.

Ability To Make Clutch Plays

After the offense overcame an 11-point deficit to pull out a win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1, the unit responded again when it was needed the most against Minnesota.

With the Vikings leading 30-24, Cutler marched the team down the field in methodical fashion, completing 8 of 10 passes for 76 yards. The drive was capped off by a beautiful 16-yard touchdown pass to Martellus Bennett.

As a result, the Bears have rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit to win in consecutive weeks for the first time in four seasons (per Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times).

And according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune, Lance Briggs expressed confidence in the offense under the new regime in the following statement:

The one thing that sticks out right now is that when we need a score, our offense will get that score. Last year, really any year, defensively, we think we need to create a turnover and score in order for us to score.

This kind of endorsement lends credibility to how well the offense has played so far under Trestman.

Solid Production from The Tight End Position

One of the biggest changes that I have noticed about the 2013 Bears is that the tight end has an integral role in the offense.

Martellus Bennett caught seven passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns against the Vikings, giving him a total of 10 receptions for 125 yards and three touchdowns through the first two weeks of the season.

According to ESPN, Chicago tight ends caught only 22 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns during the entire 2012 campaign.

Needless to say, if the Bears continue to prioritize the tight end position within their game plans, Jay Cutler will have options that he did not have in years past.

Balanced Aerial Attack

Brandon Marshall hauled in 118 receptions for 1,508 yards for the Bears in 2012.

While this was a great individual effort by Marshall, the fact that Matt Forte‘s 44 catches was the next highest number of receptions was troubling. That discrepancy supports the argument that the Bears passing game was one-dimensional.

So far in 2013, Marc Trestman is asking Cutler to spread the ball around so as to move the chains and set up big plays for the offense. The ESPN box score from the Bears-Minnesota Week 2 matchup indicates that emphasis:

Conclusion

With plenty of football left to be played, it is far too early to label the offense as “elite.” After all, the combined margin of the two victories has been just four points.

Perhaps we’ll get a better feel for where this offense is at when it is forced to keep pace with explosive offenses like that of the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers.

On the other hand, if this unit continues to improve as the season wears on, Chicago will definitely be in the hunt for one of the conference’s six playoff spots.

Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com