A Tale of 2 Games
Preseason comparison…
Considering the short time frame between the last 2 preseason games, I wanted to take the time to analyze some similarities and differences. I definitely believe the Bears have some things to work on before the season opener on Monday night. I realize offensive and defensive schemes are pretty vanilla at this point, but there are certain things you can analyze still.
During the Bills preseason game, the 1st team offense looked sharp. I feel it was an excellent play-calling series with runs and play action passes perfect for Caleb’s skill set. The TD pass was a dart to Olamide Zaccheaus (I think I’ll have to look up that name several times before I get the spelling correct from memory). I also loved the involvement of both TE Cole Kmet and TE Colston Loveland early. The second series was not as crisp, but the 1st team offense looked good!
The 1st team offense during the Chiefs game though….yikes. I would say the Chiefs were definitely more aggressive, but the whole Bears offense looked unprepared. The run game was not good, there was less play action and Caleb held onto the ball for too long. I will say the Chiefs defense played tight coverage and there were not very many passing windows. Caleb has to throw the ball away if he can’t run for some yardage. The offense got better in the second quarter and Caleb did throw a TD pass operating a 2 minute drill (he also ended with a high completion rate which will be important in this offense).
I want to stay on the offensive side and go over some of the play of the backups. Tyson Bagent definitely solidified his backup position behind Caleb with a solid preseason. Such a great story of him getting the 2 year extension as well! The comeback win against the Chiefs was great to see. That game winning TD throw window was INSANE! Also, I do t know where Jahdae Walker came from, but he definitely earned a spot on this roster with some amazing catching ability and a knack for getting open. I think another huge thing I noticed (especially with the backups)…how often the running backs are used in the passing game!
Defensively the Bears LOCKED down the Bills in the 2nd game and looked like the aggressive defense that DC Dennis Allen has promised us Bears fans. There was a pass rush, turnovers, loss of down…it was beautiful! We need a defense like that this year considering some of the dynamic offenses we play during the season. I thought for sure that would carry on into the next game against the Chiefs.
Apparently I was wrong. The Chiefs offense went up and down the field on the Bears easily. No pass rush, blown assignments and bad tackling. What happened? The Chiefs seemed to run more complicated blocking schemes giving QB Patrick Mahomes time to throw. The Bears could not get off blocks to get to some of the screen passes and a few of our corners were burned BAD deeper down the field. The backup defense definitely redeemed themselves and got a crucial turnover to turn the games momentum.
The next week will consist of multiple cutting sessions to make sure all teams meet the requirement of 53 men on the roster. The Bears will be cutting a lot of players…but they could also look at adding more talent…perhaps at pass rusher!