Bears Blitz

Published by Bear Heiser on October 2, 2014
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears have a lot to prove Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. Coming off an embarrassing 38-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Bears’ ability to rebound will be on display. While it’s still early in the season—the Bears sit 2-2 after four games—Sunday in Carolina could prove to be a season-swaying game for Marc Trestman’s Bears.

Chicago is still searching for an identity. The offense currently ranks 19th in the NFL in total yards. If you project out the Bears’ current yards-per-game total over 16 games, the Bears would be 525 yards shy of their 2013 output. The team’s points-per-game average is down, too—27.8 in 2013 down to 23.0 in 2014.

Scoring nearly five points less per game is not what the doctor ordered to go along with the Bears’ rebuilt defense. It’s been a struggle this season for Mel Tucker and company.

The defense only needed to be slightly better than it was last season. At times, we’ve seen improvements. But “at times” is not good enough. The defense ranks 22nd in the NFL in points allowed with 25.0 and ranks 22nd in yards per game with 372.8.

Stating the obvious here: A team with an offense that can’t score more points than its defense allows is destined to be left in the cold come playoff time.

A big game against a struggling Panthers defense could help get Jay Cutler and the offense back on track in the scoring points department. The Bears defense also has a chance to right some wrongs against a Panthers offense that features a quarterback coming off an ankle injury that has limited his mobility and an offensive line that has struggled to protect him.

Here is the biggest key for each side of the ball.

Containing Cam Newton

Newton has seen better days. He started the season on the sideline, missing Week 1 while recovering from various injuries (ankle and rib).

Since his return to the lineup, Newton has been a shell of his former self. The 2011 first overall pick was the first overall pick because he can beat teams with with his arm and legs. Offseason ankle surgery has (temporarily) removed one of those from the equation.

Newton, for the most part, has been chained to the pocket this season, carrying the ball just eight times for 33 yards. His 33 rushing yards account for 11.6 percent of the Panthers’ total rushing yards, down significantly from last season when Newton was near the 29 percent mark. Newton discussed the ankle injury Wednesday, via The Charlotte Observer:

I’m still in that mode where trying to realize that I’m still trying to recover from a major ankle surgery that was displayed to me originally as a regular little cleanup. But I’m glad it happened. My ankle is getting back and feeling stronger than ever. And hopefully I will be able to display my running talents here soon. If that means my running makes a big impact on the game, who knows?

The Bears are catching Newton and the Panthers at the right time. He is the key to everything the Panthers can do on offense. The running back position has been ravaged by injuries: DeAngelo Williams has a hard cast on his foot; Mike Tolbert is on injured reserve; and Fozzy Whittaker and Jonathan Stewart both are recovering from injuries, and we don’t yet know if they’ll be in the lineup. If they can’t go, Newton and the Panthers will be left to rely on undrafted free agent Darrin Reaves and off-the-street veteran Chris Ogbonnaya.

Without a strong run game to help open things up, Newton will have to rely heavily on his arm. Newton has looked to be a better pocket quarterback this season, completing a career-high 63.8 percent of his passes without turning over the ball in the three games he’s played.

Rookie first-round pick Kelvin Benjamin and veteran tight end Greg Olsen have been Newton’s most productive targets, accounting for nearly 47 percent of the team total.

Offensive coordinator Mike Shula likely will call plays that allow Newton to get the ball out quickly. Aaron Rodgers did a lot of this last week against the Bears. Tucker’s unit struggled badly, too. The Bears played a soft zone in an attempt to keep everything in front of them. While that’s a good idea against Newton and the Panthers, the idea becomes a horrible one if a pass rush doesn’t exist. The key is to contain the deep pass while using pressure to force the ball into tight spots in the middle of the field.

The Bears simply cannot let Newton operate from a clean pocket. If he’s not at 100 percent, then you have to box him up and get hands on him. Unfortunately, rushing the passer has been a struggle this season for the Bears.

Luckily, though, Jeremiah Ratliff and Jared Allen look closer to returning to the field. Both were limited participants in practice Wednesday, a great sign for a team that badly needs to pressure the quarterback.

Newton has been sacked nine times this season, behind an offensive line that ranks last in the NFL in pass blocking and 31st in run blocking, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Byron Bell and Nate Chandler have been starting at left and right tackle, respectively, and both have been major disappointments. Both players are responsible for three sacks and eight quarterback hurries.

Chandler and Bell rank No. 52 and No. 58 on Pro Football Focus’ list of best pass-protectors in the league. To add some context, the list only contains those who have at least 60 percent of their teams’ snaps. To add more context, there only are 58 names on the list. 

Defensive end Lamarr Houston has yet to have a breakout game in a Bears uniform. Is this the time he finally takes advantage? Can Allen return to the field to take on the NFL’s worst left tackle in pass pro? Can Ratliff, if he plays, get pressure up the middle? If he doesn’t play, how will rookies Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton respond after another week of experience?

Newton will not be an effective quarterback if he’s pressured. The numbers prove it. When under pressure this season, Newton has completed just 14 of 30 attempts for 150 yards and a quarterback rating of 61.8, down from his total rating of 98.2, according to PFF.

Pressure and discipline are the keys here this week. The Bears need to put last week’s porous effort behind them and move forward against Carolina with a better game plan.

Forte and Bennett Need to Continue Where They Left Off vs. Green Bay

The Bears offense did some great things last week against the Packers. Scoring points and playing defense aren’t on the list, but running the football and using the tight end definitely are near the top.

Trestman answered all questions about offensive balance last Sunday when Matt Forte and Ka’Deem Carey combined to gain 194 yards on 37 carries. The Bears feasted on the Packers’ rush defense, and it wasn’t pretty.

For the first time this season, the Bears finally ran the ball more than they passed it. Leading up to Green Bay, the Bears had been running it 31.7 percent of the total snaps. Against Green Bay, the Bears ran it 53.9 percent. Quite the increase, wouldn’t you say? Here’s how Pro Bowl guard Kyle Long described the run game against Green Bay, via the team’s website:

It’s a mindset. We got to run the ball, that’s what we were telling each other all week, it’s been a recurring theme. We need to run the ball to set up this passing game, we have a prolific passing attack, but we can’t get there and we can’t get the looks we want unless we are grounding and pounding. So we need to continue to do that.

Forte carried the ball 11 times in the first quarter last week. The success the Bears had running the ball opened things up for Jay Cutler, who completed 15 of 21 passes for 173 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions in the first half.

The Bears need to rush Forte up the middle all day long. Carolina is incredibly soft up the middle. Steelers rusher Le’Veon Bell gained 147 yards on 21 carries in Week 3, with 107 of those yards on runs that attacked the middle, according to PFF. Last week against Baltimore, the Ravens gained 127 yards on the ground, 107 came on runs up the middle, according to PFF.

This has become a trend. You know how many points the Panthers have allowed over this stretch? Seventy-five points is the answer.

This plays right into an area of strength for Forte, who has 116 yards on 25 carries on rushes up the middle, according to PFF, an average of 4.64 yards per carry.

The Bears offense will go as Forte goes. Usually, you’d find Cutler’s name in that sentence, but this week it’s the running back from Tulane.

Trestman would be wise to get Martellus Bennett going, too. Bennett set career highs last week with 134 yards on nine receptions. Cutler has been loving the tight end this season, which has led to Bennett being the quarterback’s most targeted receiver.

Bennett has been exploiting mismatches every week, and this week should be no different. Both Forte and Bennett could find some advantages against the Panthers defense.

Panthers linebackers Luke Kuechly (pictured right) and Thomas Davis, when acting as the primary man in coverage, have given up 32 receptions on 43 targets for 271 yards and three touchdowns, according to PFF. As a team, Carolina has given up 184 yards on 16 catches to tight ends.

The best way to open the door for Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery to create separation is to give the Panthers other weapons to worry about. Using Forte and Bennett in the passing game would help space the field, giving Cutler larger windows to attack.

Carolina’s cornerbacks have struggled this season, with both Melvin White and Antoine Cason each having given up three touchdowns in coverage and allowing a quarterback rating of 110-plus, according to PFF.

Trestman and the Bears would be wise to use a slightly modified version of the game plan that was installed last week before Green Bay. Aside from finishing drives, which can be corrected, the game plan worked. And it can work again, this week in Carolina.

Bears 34, Panthers 24

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