Bears Blitz

Published by Bear Heiser on September 23, 2014
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are getting back to being the team we all thought they would be before the season kicked off. This was evident Monday night in the Bears’ 27-19 win over the New York Jets.

Marc Trestman’s team has played three games, sporting a 2-1 record, and have shown significant improvement in each game, in all three phases of the game.

The realistic plan going in was to be 2-1 after three games, two in prime time on the road. Well, after a disappointing and unexpected loss to the Buffalo Bills to open the season, the Bears found a way to get back to square one.

Let’s not waste any more time. Here are the three keys to the Bears’ win over the Jets.

Points off turnovers

Chicago really showed us something in the win. What we learned is the Bears will be one of the league’s best if they can continue to churn turnovers into points.

In the first two weeks of the season, the Bears turned five takeaways into 21 points. Against the Jets, the Bears scored touchdowns on two of the three turnovers forced. For the season, that’s an average of 4.375 points per turnover forced. Not bad, ‘eh?

Ryan Mundy’s pick-six of Geno Smith to start the game took the wind out of the Jets’ sails. Being up a touchdown before the offense even takes the field is a huge confidence boost for a defense that is starting to find itself.

“We harp on takeaways every day,” rookie cornerback Kyle Fuller told ESPN after the game. “The most that I’ve ever harped on takeaways. It’s really paying off when we come in here and play.”

While special teams had a hand in one turnover in New York, you can thank Mel Tucker’s defense for the drastic improvement over where we all thought the Bears defense would be as a whole.

If there’s one thing Tucker can hope to replicate from the Lovie Smith era, it’s how turnover-focused he was every single day, even in practice.

Jay Cutler has taken ownership of the offense

The Jay Cutler implosion; we’ve been waiting for it now for two weeks. Chicago’s favorite son appears to have learned from his Week 1 mistakes. Yes, this reference is to the two very unnecessary interceptions in the loss to Buffalo.

Questioning Cutler’s ability to lead the Bears to the playoffs once again became a topic of conversation after Week 1. It wasn’t until Cutler went out and threw four interceptions against the better-than-average San Francisco 49ers defense that the narrative changed.

The Bears quarterback went out against the Jets and gave us another workmanlike performance, completing 23 of 38 passes for 225 yards with two touchdowns and a lost fumble.

Cutler struggled to start this game, completing just seven of his first 16 passes, but he finished by connecting on 16 of his next 22 passes. Despite the fumble, Cutler played fairly error-free given he’s Cutler.

Martellus Bennett deserves a lot of credit for Cutler’s success in the win. Bennett was targeted eight times with five catches for 54 yards and two touchdowns. 

The first touchdown was a tribute to the trust that has developed between the two. Cutler scrambled free of the Jets’ pass rush to find Bennett in the end zone with two Jets receivers in the area.

Looking at the overall picture of the game, it looks like Trestman has found a balance he likes. Cutler chucked the ball 38 times, while just 16 of the Bears’ 21 rushes actually were designed runs.

The run game wasn’t working against the Jets and Trestman rightly went away from it. The Jets held the Bears to 60 yards at 2.9 yards per carry. The NFL‘s best run defense snuffed out just about every Bears run. Forte never had a chance to get going. The Bears had to win this game by throwing the football. 

Chicago’s offense has become more and more balanced with each passing week, but the margin still is far above the 58.9/41.1 pass/run split from last season, according to Pro Football Focus (via Bleacher Report).

While this is only a three-game sample size, there is reason to believe Cutler can continue playing (somewhat) mistake-free football within the game plans Trestman has been installing.

The Bears don’t need Cutler to be a 5,000-yard passer. The Bears need a guy who can utilize the immense talent that surrounds him, while not turning the tide of the game with careless decisions.

Though, if only Cutler could play all 16 games on Monday night. Since being traded to the Bears in 2009, Cutler’s 7-1 with 16 touchdowns to just three interceptions on Monday Night Football.

Say what you want about the guy, but those stats don’t lie.

Kyle Fuller once again steals the show

Fuller once again had a big night in the Bears’ secondary. The first-round pick intercepted a pass and had seven tackles and two forced fumbles.

Geno Smith had the Jets driving late in the third quarter when Fuller stole one in the end zone. It was a jump-ball situation where Fuller got inside position on Jets receiver David Nelson.

“That was a great play for Kyle. He’s got great ball skills,” cornerback Tim Jennings said of the interception, via ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. “Geno Smith scrambled around and gave Kyle a shot, and Kyle came down with it, bro.”

The Bears needed a play and Fuller made it. He also toted out the famous Peanut Tillman ball punch on two occasions.

It’s hard not to look at Fuller as the catalyst for the Bears’ defensive improvement. Never in a million years did the front office think Fuller would be making this significant of an impact so early in the season.

The experience of playing in practice every day against Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery probably has something to do with his rapid development.

 NFL.com’s Patrick Crawley highlighted Fuller’s performance:

If the rookie keeps this up, there’s a good chance he’ll be winning some hardware come season’s end.

“I make it simple,” Fuller told ESPN. “I just try to go out there and do my job. When it comes to technique and fundamentals, I just let it all come to me.”

Keep letting it come to you, Kyle. And kudos to you, Phil Emery.

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