Chicago Bears Insider: How a Balanced Offense Will Help Them Win
Published by Bryan Dietzler on January 19, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Balance. It’s a word that’s been thrown out a lot lately when talking about the Bears offense. Chicago started this season favoring their passing game quite a bit more than their rushing attack and although they managed to get three wins right off the bat to start the season, they struggled through their next four games because they couldn’t find that balance.
After some adjustments on the offensive side of the ball during the bye week, the Bears came out and won five straight games before falling to the Patriots. They managed to secure the division and then lost to the Packers in their last game of the season. A win over the Seahawks helped propel them into the game that they will play this Sunday.
The common denominator in the wins that the Bears gained in the second half of the season was the near equality in their run and pass ratio. In their first few games, the Bears had failed to run the ball enough and that made their offense one dimensional. This allowed teams to zone in on their passing attack (rushing the passer with more players because they didn’t have to worry about the run) and get to quarterback Jay Cutler throwing him out of rhythm disrupting their passing attack.
Adding in the run and balancing out the offense more helped keep defenses honest and prevented them from keying in on the passing game alone. As the second half of the season wore on and the running game became and even bigger threat, Chicago was able to find much more success in their passing game and move the ball down the field easier as a result.
The Packers come into this game with one of the best defenses in the NFL. They are effective at stopping both the opponents running game and their passing game but a good offense can move the ball against them effectively if they do things right.
The Bears struggled to move the ball against the Packers in both their games earlier this season but using a game plan similar to what they did against the Seahawks, but then again, they aren’t going up against the Seahawks.
Balance will come with running the ball early and often as well as keeping mistakes to a minimum. We all know what the Packers defenders can do if they get their hands on the ball and with that the Bears need to limit their mistakes in this game.
If anyone knows how to beat the Packers, it’s the Bears. They have played them tough in both games this season and may have finally figured out how to have success against their defense.
It all comes down to balance and not letting the game get out of hand. Keeping the game close will allow Chicago to run their kind of offense and allow them to win the game.
Keeping it close, running a balanced offense and eliminating mistakes will help the Bears beat the Packers and move on to the Super Bowl.
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